Napoli and Lazio close gap in Serie A

Posted Monday, December 20, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

MILAN (AP)—AC Milan’s league lead was cut to three points Sunday when Napoli and Lazio took advantage of the 17-time Serie A champions’ loss.

Edinson Cavani’s stoppage time goal gave Napoli a 1-0 victory over Lecce, and Christian Zapata’s late own goal gave Lazio a 3-2 win over Udinese. AC Milan remains on top with 36 points despite losing to Roma on Saturday, but Napoli and Lazio are just three points behind.

Juventus missed the chance to draw even with Napoli and Lazio by drawing 1-1 with Chievo Verona, after conceding a late equalizer from Sergio Pellissier.

The derby between Sampdoria and Genoa was postponed due to heavy snow on the pitch at Ferraris stadium. Sampdoria is eighth in the standings with 23 points, and Genoa is two places and two points behind its crosstown rival.

Also Sunday, it was: Bari 1, Palermo 1; Catania 1, Brescia 0; and Parma 0, Bologna 0.

PARIS (AP)—Charlie Davies’ comeback for Sochaux was delayed Sunday when the American striker was left on the bench in his team’s 1-1 draw with Bordeaux in the French league.

Davies was included in Sochaux’s first team squad for the first time since a near-fatal car crash 14 months ago that left another passenger dead.

Davies was left with two broken bones in his right leg, a broken and dislocated left elbow, a broken nose, broken forehead and eye socket, a ruptured bladder and bleeding on the brain.

BERLIN (AP)—Substitute Patrick Helmes equalized for Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-2 draw against Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Helmes scored in the 74th minute, just three minutes after he had an effort ruled offside, and four minutes after he was brought on by coach Jupp Heynckes.

Leverkusen is tied with Mainz with 33 points, 10 behind leader Borussia Dortmund. Freiburg remains fifth with 28 but could be overtaken if Bayern Munich wins in Stuttgart on Sunday.

AMSTERDAM (AP)—PSV Eindhoven beat Roda JC 3-1 on Sunday in captain Ibrahim Afellay’s last Dutch league game with the club, extending its lead atop the standings by four points.

Afellay, who made his Eredivisie debut for PSV under coach Guus Hiddink in February 2004, will join Barcelona after the winter break. He will play his last match for PSV at Roda JC on Wednesday in the Dutch Cup.

PSV has 41 points going into a three-week winter break. Twente, which is second with 37, has a game in hand. Three other games were postponed due to bad weather.