Mancini plays down record
Afp, Rome
Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini has played down the significance of his team's record-breaking 12-match winning streak. The Italian champions won 3-1 at Torino on Saturday to set a new record of consecutive victories in Serie A and open up a 10-point lead at the top of the table. But Mancini said the new benchmark would count for nothing unless the Scudetto remains in the club's trophy cabinet at the end of the season. "This record changes nothing and the boys haven't even been speaking about it," said the Inter coach. "Twelve league wins on the trot is an important achievement because it brings us closer to our objective, but it will be meaningless if we don't win the title." Zlatan Ibrahimovic, scorer of Inter's second goal, insisted the record had not entered the players' minds. "We haven't given it a thought," said the Sweden international whose sublime hooked shot brought him his eighth goal of the season. "We always try to win and it just so happens that this run has broken a record. But no team is perfect and we can always improve." Inter equalled Roma's record of 11 straight wins -- which was set last season by the capital club -- when they beat Atalanta 2-1 in the previous round of matches. Yet another win for Inter, who finished third last season but were handed the title after Juventus and AC Milan were found guilty of match-fixing, left them on 51 points, 10 clear of Roma who visit Messina on Sunday. Coached by former Inter boss Alberto Zaccheroni, Torino started aggressively, showing no signs of fatigue as league action resumed in Italy after a three-week break. But Inter hit their hosts on the break in the 24th minute. Brazilian wingback Maicon tore down the right wing and crossed into the box for Adriano whose flicked header gave Christian Abbiati no chance. Torino had Inter under the cosh at the start of the second half and their positive approach brought them back on level terms in the 59th minute. Julio Cesar appeared to have Stefano Fiore's curling shot covered, but the ball struck Marco Materazzi to completely wrong-foot the Inter keeper. The Torino fans were still on their feet when Ibrahimovic produced a moment of magic 30 seconds later, racing after Dejan Stankovic's ball and firing into the top corner from a tight angle. Materazzi made the points safe from the penalty spot in the 85th minute after Abbiati had brought down Adriano down in the box, earning the Torino keeper a straight red card and giving his deputy, Massimo Taibi, a brief run-out. In Saturday's early match Empoli beat relegation-threatened Parma 2-0 to stake their claim as outsiders for the fourth and final Champions League place.
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