New Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni had a successful debut as Diego Milito scored a hat trick and the Nerazzurri held on for a wild 5-4 win over Genoa on Sunday in a match that both sides finished with 10 men The 36-year-old Stramaccioni was hired Monday after Claudio Ranieri was fired following a miserable streak of one win in Inter's previous 10 league matches. A week ago, Stramaccioni led Inter's youth squad to a win over Ajax in the inaugural NextGen Series final—a sort of Champions League for under-19 players. This victory moved Inter past Catania into seventh place, 20 points behind Serie A leader and crosstown rival AC Milan, which drew 1-1 at Catania on Saturday. Milan holds a five-point lead over Juventus, which was hosting Napoli later in a preview of the Italian Cup final. Earlier, Roma routed relegation-bound Novara 5-2 to keep alive its chances of finishing third and taking the Champions League berth. Roma is sixth, four points behind third-place and city rival Lazio, which lost 3-1 at Parma on Saturday. Elsewhere Sunday, it was: Bologna 1, Palermo 3; Cagliari 2, Atalanta 0; Fiorentina 1, Chievo Verona 2; Lecce 0, Cesena 0; and Siena 1, Udinese 0. At the San Siro, Inter immediately took control with Milito heading in a cross from Diego Forlan in the 13th minute, and the Argentina forward found the target again after beating the offside trap in the 27th. Inter's center backs combined to score in the 38th, with Lucio providing a cross for Walter Samuel to redirect in from close range. The 3-0 lead soon evaporated, however. Genoa defender Emiliano Moretti deflected in an acrobatic effort from Giuseppe Sculli in first-half added time and Rodrigo Palacio converted a penalty for the visitors in the 59th after Inter's 38-year-old captain Javier Zanetti put his arm in the way of a header from Sculli. Mauro Zarate scored his first goal of the season for Inter with a solo effort in the 74th to make it 4-2, but then Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesare was sent off five minutes later for a last-man foul on Palacio, setting up the first of two penalties for Alberto Gilardino. Newly signed Colombia midfielder Fredy Guarin also made his Inter debut—having joined from Porto in January with a muscle injury—and he drew a penalty that resulted in Genoa defender Giuseppe Belluschi being sent off in the 84th, setting up Milito's third goal. The third penalty of the match was awarded to Genoa in the 89th following a clear foul from Lucio, and Gilardino again converted the spot kick. Finally, after a few minutes of added time, Stramaccioni and Inter president Massimo Moratti—watching up in the tribune—could each let out a sigh of relief. In the lunchtime fixture, after Andrea Caracciolo scored in the 17th minute for Novara, newly signed Brazilian Marquinho scored his first goal with Roma in the 25th and then Pablo Osvaldo, Fabio Simplicio and Bojan Krkic also found the net for the hosts. Japan striker Takayuki Morimoto pulled one back for Novara in the 77th after beating Roma's offside trap but substitute Erik Lamela restored Roma's three-goal lead in added time. After Krkic scored, the Spanish forward revealed an undershirt dedicating the goal to Eric Abidal, his former teammate at Barcelona, who is awaiting a liver transplant. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter:@AO Sports)
