Christian Vieri's second-half winner at Sampdoria gave 10-man Lazio their first victory in four matches yesterday, but AC Milan remain just one point behind the league leaders after a 2-0 win at Vicenza. Fiorentina are a distant third, seven pints behind Milan, after a late Antonio Conte goal sent them to a 2-1 defeat at Juventus.

UEFA Cup finalists Parma are losing their grip on fourth place and an automatic place in next season's Champions' League after a 1-0 defeat at AS Roma, while Udinese won at crisis-ridden Inter Milan for the first time in 42 years.

Defeated in their last two home matches after a 17-match unbeaten run, Lazio started nervously with their first-half efforts restricted to seven Sinisa Mihajlovic free-kicks. But soon after Chilean Marcelo Salas was replaced by Croat Alen Boksic, Portugal's Sergio Conceicao laid on a pinpoint cross for Vieri to head his 59th-minute goal.

Atletico Madrid checked Barcelona's charge towards the Spanish league title by scrapping their way to a deserved 1-1 draw. But Barcelona retained their nine-point lead at the top of the table as their main rivals also dropped points.

Real Madrid, who had been presented with the chance to take back second spot after Saturday's 2-2 draw between Valencia and Celta Vigo, turned in a dismal display as they were held 1-1 at Salamanca.

Violence broke out last night between police ands Feyenoord fans after celebrations on the day that the Rotterdam side clinched the Dutch division title. Fifty fans were arrested and 16 injured. Many city centre shops were looted. Three hundred riot police, some on horseback, were called to quell the trouble.