MILAN, 29 March 2004 — Serie A leaders AC Milan needed an Andriy Shevchenko equalizer in the seventh minute of injury time to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Chievo yesterday but AS Roma failed to take advantage, losing 2-1 to visiting Bologna.
European champions Milan lead the table on 68 points with Juventus, who beat Modena 3-1 in Turin, nine points behind with seven matches remaining. Roma, who have a game in hand, slipped one place to third with 57 points.
All three teams in the battle for the fourth Champions League qualification spot triumphed with Lazio winning 2-1 at Perugia, Inter 2-0 at Reggina and Parma crushing Empoli 4-0.
Former European Player of the Year Roberto Baggio scored two superb goals for Brescia as they won 5-2 at home to bottom club Ancona, who have now failed to win in their last 29 Serie A matches beating Varese’s record from the 1971-72 season.
Milan were on a high after their magnificent 4-1 Champions League victory over Deportivo Coruna on Tuesday but they were brought down to earth when Giuseppe Sculli put Chievo ahead in the 22nd minute with a smart finish from a Luciano cross.
Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi then missed an open goal before Simone Perrotta silenced the San Siro with a superb strike, turning Paolo Maldini before blasting home in the 39th minute.
Andrea Pirlo pulled one back for Milan in the 80th minute with a brilliant, bending 30-metre drive but Chievo looked to have held on for a famous victory until the dramatic equalizer.
Celtic Crown Fine Week With 2-1 Win at Rangers
In Glasgow, England squad newcomer Alan Thompson set up Celtic’s first and scored their second when the unbeaten Scottish Premier League leaders completed a memorable week with a 2-1 win at Glasgow rivals Rangers yesterday.
The midfielder, included in England’s squad for the friendly international against Sweden on Wednesday, flighted over a free kick for Henrik Larsson’s 19th-minute header before exploiting more poor defending to net in the 52nd. Celtic were on a high after Thursday’s 0-0 draw at Barcelona secured them a 1-0 aggregate win and a place in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals and the win over Rangers at Ibrox underlined their domination of the Scottish League.
Martin O’Neill’s side have won the last five Old Firm matches against Rangers and are now a massive 19 points ahead of the champions with only eight games remaining.
Title Race Still On as Bremen Held in Eight-Goal Thriller
In Berlin, Bundesliga leaders Werder Bremen were held to an exciting 4-4 draw by VfB Stuttgart yesterday in a result which preserves Bayern Munich’s slim hopes of retaining their title.
The gap between Bremen and Bayern now stands at nine points after Bayern thrashed Borussia Monchengladbach 5-2 a day earlier.
Just three minutes had gone in Stuttgart when Marcelo Bordon fired the home side into the lead but Ivan Klasnic equalized 10 minutes later. Bordon went on to complete his hat trick and Klasnic got his second goal before prolific Brazilian Ailton netted his first goal of the day.
Stuttgart seized the lead in the 69th minute through Marco Streller but just a minute later Ailton ensured a share of the points with a right-footed shot. Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf was relieved to emerge from a breathless match with a point.
