Football
Reuters 17y

UPDATE 2-Soccer-Ascoli and Messina go down, Milan held at home

(Adds Vieri quotes paras 10-12)

By Mark Meadows

MILAN, May 6 - Ascoli and Messina were relegated
from Serie A after defeats on Sunday while Champions League
finalists AC Milan could only draw 0-0 at home to Fiorentina.

Bottom side Ascoli, on 21 points, went down with three games
remaining after losing 1-0 at fellow strugglers Torino.

Messina will also play in Serie B next season after Hernan
Crespo's close-range finish gave recently-crowned champions
Inter Milan a 1-0 away victory.

Palermo's 2-1 home defeat by AS Roma meant Milan could have
virtually guaranteed a Champions League berth for next season if
Kaka's first-half penalty had not hit the post.

Milan made several changes from the side that won
Wednesday's Champions League semi-final against Manchester
United and were without the injured Ronaldo.

Fellow Brazilian Reginaldo nearly scored for Fiorentina, who
are also in the hunt for European places, but Dida pulled off an
excellent sprawling save.

Lazio leapfrogged Milan into third and are close to securing
their place in next season's Champions League qualifying stages
after Luis Jimenez's scuffed strike gave them a 1-0 win over
Livorno.

TOTTI SPECIAL

Empoli continued their extraordinary season with a 2-1
victory over Catania which kept alive the small club's outside
chance of Champions League qualification.

The goal of the day came from former Italy striker Christian
Vieri, who netted his first of the campaign from almost inside
the centre circle to give Atalanta a 3-1 win over Siena and
boost their hopes of UEFA Cup football next season.

Vieri, 33, was cautious about the future after serious knee
problems ruined his season and threatened his career.

"If I had not wanted to play anymore I would not have had
two operations and a year of physiotherapy," he was quoted as
saying by the Gazzetta dello Sport website (www.gazzetta.it).

"Now I think about these last three games. Then we will see.
Now anyway the worst is over."

Francesco Totti nearly matched Vieri's spectacular effort
with his superb swerving free kick which helped second-placed
Roma to a comfortable victory and dented Palermo's hopes of
their own Champions League spot.

Towards the bottom, Chievo helped their survival cause with
a 1-0 win over Claudio Ranieri's Parma, whose recent revival
came to a halt to leave them one point above the last relegation
place occupied by Siena.

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