ARGENTINE Hernan Crespo hit a spectacular hattrick in Parma's 3-0 win over Vicenza yesterday to keep Serie A on course for its tightest championship finale in years.
With just four matches remaining, Carlo Ancelotti's side are four points adrift of leaders Juventus with the two sides due to meet in Turin next Sunday. With Parma breathing down their necks, Juve kept their nerve to grind out a 2-0 win at lowly Verona.
Milan and Juventus have so dominated Serie A in recent years that the championship has usually been over long before the final ball was kicked. Not since Sampdoria pipped Inter and Milan to the title in 1991 has the contest remained alive so long.
Crespo, whose 11 goals have lifted Parma from fifth last in November to title challengers, opened the scoring on the quarter hour, lifting Massimo Crippa's cross into the net.
In the 56th, the Argentine added a brave second, diving among the studs to head home Enrico Chiesa's low cross. Then, four minutes later, Crespo completed his hat trick, dribbling through the heart of Vicenza's defence before sliding the ball in.
With Verona still battling to avoid relegation, Juventus had to wait until virtually the last kick of the first half to break down a stub born defence. Veteran captain Ciro Ferrara headed home at the far post from a 45th minute corner after goalkeeper Matteo Guardalben had turned a Christian Vieri shot round the post.
After the break, the European Cup finalists, visibly tiring after a tough season, lived dangerously, as Alessandro Manetti saw his free kick cannon off the bar and Italy's Angelo Peruzzi saved bravely at the feet of Filippo Maniero. Vladimir Jugovic finally put the result beyond doubt with an 89th minute shot direct from a free kick.
Third placed Inter bounced back from their 1-0 defeat to Germany's Schalke 04 in last week's UEFA Cup final first leg, coming from behind to win 2-1 at Sampdoria.
The home side started strongly and took the lead in the 11th minute when Argentine Juan Veron finished off a delicate chip over the Inter defence by Roberto Mancini, with an equally neat lob over Gianluca Pagliuca.
But Inter pulled themselves back into the game on the brink of half time when Maurizio Ganz stole in between three defenders to grab an equaliser. In the 76th minute, Ganz was on hand again to head home Giuseppe Bergomi's cross for the winner.
Lazio and Bologna took full advantage of Sampdoria's defeat to leapfrog into fourth and fifth places respectively. Pierluigi Casiraghi scored twice as Lazio pushed Perugia closer to Serie B with a 4-1 win in Rome.
