Milan leapfrog Udinese, Cagliari beat Catania
Saturday, October 19, 2013
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AC Milan got the better of Udinese Calcio thanks to Valter Birsa's first-half strike to move above their opponents in the table and Cagliari Calcio beat ten-man Calcio Catania.
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![Valter Birsa celebrates scoring the winner for Milan against Udinese Valter Birsa celebrates scoring the winner for Milan against Udinese](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/020e-0f888c5ec1ca-23ac3d87ff21-1000/format/wide1/valter_birsa_celebrates_scoring_the_winner_for_milan_against_udinese.jpeg?imwidth=158)
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AC Milan beat Udinese Calcio 1-0 and moved above their opponents in the Serie A standings, while Cagliari Calcio left it late to defeat ten-man Calcio Catania.
Massimiliano Allegri's charges claimed their third win of the season courtesy of Valter Birsa's strike midway through the first half. The UEFA Champions League contenders kept it tight after the break to hold on.
In the day's only other game Catania surrendered an early lead at Cagliari. The visitors forged ahead in the fifth minute through Gonzalo Bergessio but Segundo Ibarbo equalised and then Catania's Nicola Legrottaglie saw red as the momentum swung in Cagliari's favour before the break. The hosts struggled to make the most of their numerical advantage until Mauricio Pinilla struck six minutes before the end to claim maximum points.
On Friday, AS Roma maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 win at home to second-placed SSC Napoli. Miralem Pjanić scored deep into added time at the end of the first half and a 71st-minute penalty to stretch the Rome club's lead to five points ahead of Juventus's trip to ACF Fiorentina on Sunday.