Soccer: bookies give title to Inter29-Jan-2007
*SNAI to pay out after leaders stretch winning streak to 14* *ROME (ANSA) -* Inter Milan's lead at the top of Serie A is so solid that Italy's top bookmaker SNAI said Monday it is paying out on an Inter title win - four months before the end of the season. The unprecedented move comes after Inter stretched the record for consecutive league wins to 14 games with a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria (10th) in Genoa on Sunday night. The win conserved Inter's massive 11-point lead over second-placed AS Roma, who beat Siena (11th) 1-0. SNAI stopped taking bets on the championship winner after Inter beat Fiorentina 3-1 last week. The agency has now announced that customers who bet on Inter can collect their winnings from Tuesday onwards. Inter and Roma face each other at Milan's San Siro Stadium next weekend and both sides are insisting the title race is still very much on. "Let's wait and see what happens in the showdown with Roma," said Inter coach Roberto Mancini. "We're still a long way from reaching our goal. I don't think the championship is already over and neither do the players". Roma Director of Sport Daniele Pradé has not lost hope of toppling the leaders. "Mancini's side are in impressive form, but we are up there and we won't give up," Pradé said Monday. "We are looking to the future with confidence". Inter's 14th consecutive win came courtesy of goals by Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Brazilian defender Maicon. Sampdoria played most of the game with 10 men because Gennaro Delvecchio was sent off for imitating Zinedine Zidane by headbutting Inter stopper Marco Materazzi. Inter's cross-town rivals AC Milan had to work hard to grind out a 1-0 home win over Parma, thanks to a Filippo Inzaghi goal. On Monday Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said he would like to coach the Italian national team when his stint at AC ends. "It's not nice to say it now, because my friend Roberto Donadoni is doing the job, and I hope things go great for him at the European Championships and at the next World Cup," Ancelotti added. On Sunday afternoon Fiorentina (13th) came back from behind to beat Tuscan rivals Livorno (12th) 2-1. Two late goals enabled bottom club Ascoli to steal victory from fellow strugglers Messina (18th) 2-1, while Reggina (17th) beat Cagliari (14th) 0-2 in Sardinia. Atalanta (8th) drew 1-1 with Catania (5th) in Bergamo and Chievo Verona (16th) - Empoli (6th) ended goalless. On Saturday night Lazio (4th) thrashed Palermo (3rd) 0-3 in the Sicilian capital, while Udinese (7th) defeated Torino (15th) 2-3. *Source(text): ANSA* *Source(images): Associated Press* [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
