Lazio rout SPAL 5-2, Napoli maintain Serie A lead

Rome Jan 6 (IANS) Lazio on Saturday thrashed SPAL 5-2 while Napoli defeated Verona 2-0 to continue to lead the Serie A table in the 20th round of the Italian football league.

Fourth placed Lazio s striker Ciro Immobile scored four goals to help give his side the 5-2 away victory over SPAL away reports Efe.

Luis Alberto opened the scoring for Lazio just five minutes into the match while SPAL s Mirco Antenucci netted the equalizer three minutes later from a penalty.

Immobile scored his first goal of the match in the 19th minute then struck again seven minutes later.

Antenucci narrowed the gap with the second goal for his side in the 31st minute.

Immobile scored the fourth goal for Lazio just four minutes before the end of the first half and netted the fifth in the 51st minute to secure the win.

After this match Lazio are in the fourth position with 40 points two points behind third-placed Inter Milan while SPAL hold the 17th position with 15 points.

In Naples Kolidou Koulibaly (65th minute) and Jose Callejon (78th) scored as Napoli defeated Verona 2-0 to remain in the top spot of the Serie A table with 51 points.

Napoli are four points ahead of defending champions Juventus who are set to visit Cagliari later on Saturday.

Earlier Saturday Torino pulled off a 3-0 home win over Bologna to hold the ninth position with 28 points.

AC Milan rode on Leonardo Bonucci s goal to pip Crotone while Sassuolo lost 0-1 to Genoa.

Benevento made a 3-2 home win over Sampdoria in the same round. It was Benevento s second win of the Serie A season.

Despite this defeat Sampdoria remain in the sixth position with 30 points nine points behind fifth-placed Roma.

--IANS
pur/vd