Lazio staked their claim to this season's Italian league title yesterday when they surged two points clear at the top after beating Inter Milan 1-0 while rivals Fiorentina were held 0-0 at home by AS Roma.
Portuguese midfielder Sergio Conceicao scored Lazio's winner in the 38th minute, snapping up a rebound after goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca could only parry an effort by Christian Vieri.
Fiorentina, missing 18-goal Gabriel Batistuta through injury, failed to beat Roma in a tough but entertaining night match in which both sides hit the woodwork.
AC Milan stayed third on goal difference but joined Fiorentina on 43 points with a 1-0 victory over Cagliari. Milan had to wait until the 50th minute to make the breakthrough - German striker Oliver Bierhoff sending in a header and Cagliari defender Matteo Villa turning it into his own net.
In Spain, Barcelona are still top of the league but Mallorca's brilliant 3-1 victory at Oviedo yesterday saw the Balearic side emerge from the chasing pack as leading challengers.
Barca travelled to third-placed Celta Vigo and came back with a point in a goalless affair but had to thank Dutch goalkeeper Ruud Hesp, who foiled several Celta attacks notably from the Primera Liga's top scorer Bulgarian Lubomir Penev, with 124 goals in 10 years in Spain.
And with Portuguese winger Luis Figo sent off Barca will not be too concerned at ending their eight-match winning run.
Mallorca, meanwhile, were superb. Two goals from striker Dani, whom the Spanish press say is moving to Arsenal in the summer, helped the islanders move within three points of the Nou Camp outfit.
Dani scored within a minute of the start but within three minutes Roberto Pompei had levelled the match for the home side. Yugoslav Veljko Paunovic put Mallorca back in front after 66 minutes before Dani wrapped up the points five minutes from time.
It was an unusually expansive performance from Mallorca whose title challenge has been built on a watertight defence.
The future of Real Madrid coach Guus Hiddink looks uncertain after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home by Athletic Bilbao.
To make matters worse for Hiddink, Fabio Capello arrived in the Spanish capital yesterday to fulfil a long-standing engagement but admitted he was delighted to be touted in the press as the likely successor to Hiddink. Capello admitted to reporters he had made a mistake quitting Real in 1997 and said he would be happy to talk to Real president Lorenzo Sanz.
