ROME (AP) — Inter Milan and AS Roma both posted comfortable wins Wednesday to extend their lead atop the Italian Serie A.
Inter beat Lazio 3-0 with a penalty from Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic and goals from Maicon and David Suazo.
"We needed the win and these points," Inter midfielder Esteban Cambiasso said. "It’s a good sign. We’re working well together and we’ve got the right mentality."
Brazilian midfielder Rodrigo Taddei scored twice as Roma shut out Cagliari 2-0.
"He’s a complete player," Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said of Taddei. "He gives the team a hand in every area."
The results gave Inter 34 points, three better than Roma. Juventus is third with 26.
The games were rescheduled from Nov. 11, after both were postponed following the killing of a Lazio fan by police at a highway rest stop, which sparked riots throughout the country. The Atalanta-AC Milan game that day also was suspended and has yet to be rescheduled because Milan is in Japan for the FIFA Club World Cup.
At the San Siro stadium, Ibrahimovic also had a chance in the 17th on a free kick that Lazio goalkeeper Marco Ballotta had a tough time handling.
Inter earned a penalty in the 21st when Guglielmo Stendardo was called for pulling down Nicolas Burdisso on a corner. Ibrahimovic converted for his eighth score this season, second only to David Trezeguet’s 11 goals for Juventus.
Portuguese midfielder Vitor Hugo Gomes Passos, nicknamed "Pele," got his first start and had a hard shot blocked by Ballotta in the 31st. Suazo scored off the rebound, but was offside.
Maicon ran in unmarked to redirect a corner and double Inter’s lead in the 33rd and Suazo’s score was set up by a long pass from Esteban Cambiasso in the 55th.
Luis Antonio Jimenez, the Chilean midfielder who established himself with goals in Inter’s previous two games, almost had another in the 59th, but shot high after dribbling past a defender.
Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar made a tough save on a shot by Tommaso Rocchi in the 73rd.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Roma captain Francesco Totti played for the first time since injuring his right foot in October.
Totti’s replacement during his injury, Mirko Vucinic, had Roma’s first opportunity, although the Montenegro forward missed a wide open net in the sixth.
Cagliari then threatened twice in a minute with Michele Ferri’s shot just missing the corner of the goal and a long shot by Alessandro Budel skimming off the top of the crossbar.
In the 23rd, a free kick by Totti hit Cagliari’s wall.
Taddei was left all alone in the centre of the area to head in a free kick by David Pizarro for his first goal in the 28th. Eight minutes later, his second score came on a shot from the edge of the area following a rebound of an effort from Amantino Mancini.
Taddei also scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Udinese on Sunday.
Ludovic Giuly came on for Totti in the 63rd and Mancini hit the crossbar in the 86th.
Most of Roma’s hard-core ultra fans boycotted the game in a continued protest for the death of Gabriele Sandri, the Lazio fan. The few that attended shouted insults against police before kickoff.