Serie A
Adriano kicks off with three
Reuters, Milan
Brazilian Adriano hit an opening day hat-trick to help Inter Milan beat Treviso 3-0 and champions Juventus also made a winning start with a David Trezeguet header earning a 1-0 win over Chievo Verona on Sunday. The biggest surprise was AC Milan being held to a 1-1 draw at promoted Ascoli, and there was a confident 3-0 win at Reggina for AS Roma. Portuguese winger Luis Figo, signed from Real Madrid during the close season, was the centre of attention at the San Siro as he made his full debut for Inter but it was the more familiar face of Adriano that provided the joy for the home fans hoping to end their 16-year title wait. The powerful Brazilian opened the scoring by chasing a ball 40 metres out to the touchline before cutting inside and unleashing a fierce drive into the near post. Serbian Dejan Stankovic set up the second in the 68th minute with a well weighted ball into the area which Adriano brought down with ease and slotted home. Chilean substitute David Pizarro took most of the credit for Inter's third goal with a tricky solo run into the area before a short pass to the Brazilian who screwed the ball home through a crowded area. Juventus had little trouble against Chievo after French forward Trezeguet put them ahead in the 36th minute with a fine glancing header from a Gianluca Zambrotta cross. Much of the post-match discussion is likely to focus on Alessandro Del Piero who started the new campaign on the bench and did not feature as a substitute. Milan twice went close through free kicks from Shevchenko but fell behind in the 58th minute when Dida pushed out a header and Cudini reacted quickly to beat the Brazilian keeper. Five minutes later, though, Milan were level when Shevchenko picked the ball up on the turn and burst goalwards before rattling home a powerful drive. The Ukrainian then missed a glorious chance to win the game, shooting over the bar from close range, and last season's Champions League runners-up had to make do with a point. Roma had a dreadful season last term but looked more confident with goals from Brazilian Mancini, Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi and an injury-time strike from debutant Democratic Republic of Congo forward Shabani Nonda easing them to a 3-0 win at Reggina. Udinese, who are in the Champions League for the first time this season, beat a determined Empoli 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ghana's Sulley Muntari. Macedonian striker Goran Pandev scored the only goal in Lazio's 1-0 win over Messina.
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