AC Milan Brazilian forward Kaka (r) vies with Lazio midfielder Antonio Filippini, in an Italian serie A football match at San Siro stadium in Milan, Sunday. (AFP Photo)

ROME, Feb. 7--Hernan Crespo scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time against his former club to give AC Milan a dramatic 2-1 home win over Lazio on Sunday, AFP reported.
A last-gasp winner from the Argentine striker, who spent three seasons at Lazio, completed a remarkable victory that enabled the title-holders to cut Juventus' lead at the top of Serie A to just two points. Juve were beaten at Palermo on Saturday, their second league defeat in four days.
With the match at the San Siro heading for a draw, Kaka's shot came back off the post and Crespo, who is on loan from English Premiership leaders Chelsea, was on hand to tap home the rebound.
Massimo Oddo's penalty had given Lazio a second-half lead before Andriy Shevchenko's superb 25-yard free-kick leveled the score 18 minutes from time.
With 15 games left to play, Juventus have 50 points and reigning champions Milan have 48, eight more than Udinese who won 1-0 at struggling Brescia.
Lazio went ahead 11 minutes after the break.
Dutch defender Jaap Stam mistimed his tackle on Tommaso Ricchi and the Lazio striker tumbled to the ground. Referee Roberto Rosetti had no hesitation in awarding a penalty which Oddo converted, despite Nelson Dida getting a hand to the ball.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti responded by bringing on Shevchenko, who missed Wednesday's 4-1 win at Messina with a right ankle injury.
The arrival of the European Footballer of the Year paid off almost immediately with the Ukranian marksman beating Angelo Peruzzi with a sublime set-piece.
With times running out and nerves fraying, Milan bombarded Lazio's goal and were rewarded when Crespo picked up the pieces after the excellent Kaka was thwarted by the woodwork.
Inter Milan preserved their unbeaten league record by fighting back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Parma.
Inter drop to fourth on 39 points, one ahead of Sampdoria, who beat Fiorentina 3-0 on Saturday.
Roma's push for a top four finish stalled after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to in-form Bologna.
In Sunday's other matches, Reggina maintained their unbeaten start to the year, battling back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at home to Siena, while bottom club claimed only their second win of the season by defeating Livorno 1-0.

DELRAY BEACH, USA, Feb. 7--Belgian Xavier Malisse finally captured his first ATP singles title Sunday, defeating Czech Jiri Novak in the final of the 380,000-dollar Millennium International tennis tournament, AFP reported.
Malisse, the third seed, downed the second-seeded Czech 7-6 (8/6), 6-2, earning his first career singles title in his seventh career final.
"It was a feeling of disbelief because you can't believe it happened," Malisse said. "It's been a long time in coming."
Malisse is the first player since France's Cedric Pioline to go winless in as many as six finals before winning his first ATP title. Pioline lost his first nine finals before winning at Copenhagen in 1996.
"When I went on the court today it didn't matter if I had 15 titles, it's what I do today that counts," Malisse said. "Fortunately, today was the day."
It was the 24-year-old's third appearance in the final at this event, after runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2001.
Novak, 29, had won 17 of his last 20 matches, a stretch that included tournament victories in Basel and Tokyo last year.
Novak broke Malisse in the fourth game of the match, but Malisse broke back in the ninth game before prevailing in the tiebreaker.
In the second set, Novak double-faulted on break point in the fourth game and was broken again to end the match.
"I thought the first set was the key of the match," Novak said. "I had the lead, I was in control. He was just better in the second set."

Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson (3) is defended by Los Angeles ClippersÕ Marko Jaric (20) of Serbia-Montenegro in the first half of their match, Sunday. (AP Photo)

JACKSONVILLE, USA, Feb. 7--Allen Iverson scored 28 points to lead the 76ers to a 106-104 home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, as the city of Philadelphia prepared for even bigger success in Super Bowl XXXIX, Reuters reported.
With the Eagles facing the New England Patriots in the NFL title game later on Sunday, the 76ers provided a winning start to the day as fans got in the mood early chanting "Eagles, Eagles".
Iverson made sure supporters would go home happy, the NBA's leading scorer taking control with the contest tied at 101-101, nailing a three-pointer and then sinking two free throws to seal the victory.
Kyle Korver potted 16 points and Andre Iguodala added 15 to the 76ers' cause.
In Minneapolis, Paul Pierce poured in 32 points to lead the Boston Celtics past the Timberwolves 103-100 to ensure New England sports fans also enjoyed a winning start to Super Bowl Sunday.
Gary Payton had 22 points and Ricky Davis added 12 as the Celtics posted their third straight win.
League MVP Kevin Garnett and Michael Olowokandi each had 21 but could not keep the slumping Timberwolves from absorbing their fifth consecutive defeat. In Toronto, Dallas got double figure efforts from seven players, led by a 30 point, 11 rebound performance from Dirk Nowitzki as the Mavericks thumped the Raptors 122-113.
After back-to-back comeback wins over the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards, the Raptors looked poised to make another rally, trimming a 25-point third quarter deficit to four.
But the Raptors left themselves too much to do, Jason Terry nailing a three-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.
Michael Finley contributed 23 points to the Mavericks balanced attack while Josh Howard added 18 and Terry finished the night with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Chris Bosh had 29 points and eight rebounds to lead Toronto.
In Houston, Yao Ming had 23 points and Tracy McGrady netted 21 powering the Houston Rockets to a 103-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 7--Australian cricket coach John Buchanan on Monday followed up his team's weekend sweep of its tri-series final against Pakistan by saying one-day international cricket was ÔtiredÕ and in need of an overhaul, AFP reported.
Buchanan told reporters he did not favor having the increasingly popular Twenty matches replace the 50-over format, but said rule changes were needed for the one-day competitions.
"I think it's a bit of a tired old format, but that's what the rules are and that's what we play to," he said.
"So until somebody changes the game, then really it's our duty to then work out ways and means in which we play better cricket in the existing format--I guess that's what we continue to try to do," he said.
Australia beat Pakistan by 31 runs in Sydney on Sunday in the second game of the best-of-three finals series. It won the first match Friday in Melbourn by 18 runs.
Buchanan refused to be drawn on whether dumped opening batsman Matthew Hayden would be reinstated for Australia's tour of New Zealand beginning February 17 when selectors meet to pick the squad on Tuesday.
But he said Hayden was not far off recapturing his form after a miserable summer.
"These talented players do a lot of self-correction while they're out there and that's what he's needing," he said.
"The sooner that comes along for him the better, and the less speculation from everyone else."

LONDON, Feb. 7--Manchester City proved a real thorn in championship-chasing Chelsea's side on Sunday when they took a fourth Premier League point off the London club with a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, Reuters said.
England keeper David James made a string of saves as mid-table City added the draw to their 1-0 home win in October, Chelsea's only league defeat this season.
The result most benefited City's neighbors Manchester United but they still trail leaders Chelsea by nine points with 12 games to go and manager Jose Mourinho was quick to put the matters into perspective.
Chelsea did, however, set a new Premier League record two minutes before halftime when they surpassed the 823 minutes without conceding a goal that Arsenal achieved in 1998. Goalkeeper Petr Cech, furthermore, extended the record run of clean sheets he set last weekend to 871 minutes. Two goalkeepers were involved in the Arsenal record, David Seaman and Alex Manninger.
United beat Birmingham City 2-0 at home on Saturday, while third-placed champions Arsenal remained two points further back after romping to a 3-1 win at Aston Villa.
Earlier on Sunday, substitute Marcus Bent struck an injury-time equalizer as Everton came from behind for a 2-2 draw at Southampton.
England striker James Beattie scored his first Everton goal against his former club after only four minutes but Saints hit back with goals from strikers Peter Crouch and Henri Camara. Southampton remain one from bottom while Everton stay fourth, 17 points adrift of Chelsea.

MADRID, Spain,
Feb. 7--Organizers of Madrid's bid to host the 2012 Olympics are convinced a meticulous evaluation of their proposal has only served to strengthen the city's case to hold the Games for the first time, Reuters reported.
A 13-strong International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspection team on Sunday completed a packed four-day tour which included dinner with the king, a trip on the metro and visits to many of the proposed Olympic venues.
The inspection team will also visit the other bid cities--London, Paris, Moscow and New York--and draw up a report on each of them before the IOC decide on the hosts in Singapore in July.
Presentations on issues ranging from finances to plans for the Paralympics ran over time as the group fired off searching questions, but Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon said the in-depth scrutiny would benefit the city.
"This visit stripped our project bare," he told journalists.
"If we had put in our dossier things that did not match the current situation in Spain, if we had put in unviable promises for the future ... then we might have been worried ... (But) what they have done has been of extraordinary benefit to us."
Madrid's organizers have focused on widespread enthusiasm for the bid--polls put backing at around 90 percent strong environmental credentials and good public transport.
Although opposition has been limited, around 40 protestors braved driving rain to demonstrate with whistles and banners outside the hotel where the inspectors were staying.
They are concerned most of the benefits will go to a few big firms and that spending on the bid belies shrinking resources for grassroots sport.
"There is going to be a lot of economic and environmental waste for a project that will only last a few days," said Adolfo Diaz, a rain-soaked 34 year old administrator.

MANIZALES, Colombia, Feb. 7--Striker Hugo Rodallega scored his 11th goal of the tournament as hosts Colombia beat Venezuela 2-0 to win the South American under-20 championship on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Crisitan Marrugo fired Colombia ahead with a long-range shot in the 30th minute and Rodallega scored direct from a free kick just before the hour.
Colombia, who had already qualified for the world youth championship in the Netherlands in June, finished top of the six-team final round with 13 points. They completed the competition unbeaten in nine games.
Brazil finished second, ahead of Argentina on goals scored, despite losing 2-1 to their arch-rivals in the second match of the evening. Both teams had already qualified.

Phil Mickelson of the US poses with the trophy after his first victory of the season at the Tournament Players Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. (AFP Photo)

JACKSONVILLE, USA, Feb. 7--Phil Mickelson fired a final round three-under 68 to score a comfortable five stroke victory at the $5.2 million Phoenix Open on Sunday, claiming his first tour title since last year's US Masters, Reuters reported.
Mickelson, who began the day with a four-shot advantage over South Korea's Kevin Na, maintained his edge with a controlled performance in front of boisterous galleries at the Tournament Players Club in Scottsdale, Arizona to finish at 17-under 267.
Scott McCarron had the best round of the day, a six-under 65, and vaulted up the leaderboard to finish joint second with Na at 12-under 272. David Toms, Steve Flesch and Tim Herron finished a shot further adrift at 11-under 273.
An Arizona State almuni, Mickelson enjoyed a distinct home course advantage, every shot cheered on by the raucous Phoenix crowd, which is rated the rowdiest on the PGA Tour.
The lefthander set the stage for his 24th career victory during Friday's second round when he equalled the course record with a sizzling 11-under 60 after a disastrous opening 73.
Na kept pace with Mickelson early on, opening his round with a birdie at the first but the 21-year-old was unable to close the gap despite finishing with birdies on two of his final four holes to card a two-under 69.
Mark Calcavecchia, a three-time winner here, initially stayed in contention but faded down the stretch and finished with an even par final round, nine shots behind Mickelson on 276.