Antonio Cassano scored twice as AS Roma defeated Juventus 4-0 on Sunday night and positioned itself as the principal challenger to league-leader AC Milan.

　　Cassano's two goals capped an emphatic performance by coach Fabio Capello's club, which went ahead on French midfielder Olivier Dacourt's first Serie A goal 13 minutes in and went up 2-0 on a penalty kick by captain Francesco Totti in the 53rd.

　　Cassano and Totti performed well together all night in a two-pronged attack and Cassano's 70th and 85th-minute scores came when Juve was reduced to 10 men.

　　Roma goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli blocked a penalty kick by Juventus' David Trezeguet in the 74th.

　　It was Roma's largest margin of victory against Juventus since a 5-0 victory in 1931.

　　"It was important for us to win tonight and we did it with a lot of desire," Dacourt said, referring to Roma's poor performances in recent weeks, when it squandered the lead to Milan.

　　"It's a beautiful night for us, I'm happy for Roma and this city."

　　Earlier on Sunday, European champion Milan suffered against winless Perugia before coming away with a 2-1 win, courtesy of a decisive second-half goal by Portuguese midfielder Manuel Rui Costa.

　　Milan maintained a five-point lead ahead of Roma, while defending champion Juventus dropped eight points back.

　　"Whoever thinks Juventus is going to give up should have their head checked," Juventus coach Marcello Lippi said. "I say that with conviction, not optimism.

　　"I'm not saying we'll win, but we'll fight until the end."

　　Also on Sunday, Christian Vieri scored twice for Inter Milan and Sampdoria responded with a goal of its own each time in a 2-2 draw in Genoa. In the race for fourth place and a chance to play in next season's Champions League, Inter is tied with Lazio, 15 points behind Milan.

　　Lazio defeated Parma 3-0 on two goals by Claudio Lopez and one by Bernardo Corradi in a matchup of two financially struggling clubs.

　　Elsewhere, Tommaso Rocchi scored in the 70th minute of Empoli's 1-0 win against regional rival Siena, Modena defeated last-place Ancona 2-1 on Omar Milanetto's 62nd-minute match-winner and Roberto Baggio's Brescia club played with only 10 men for 58 minutes of a 0-0 draw at Reggina.

　　At the capital's sold-out Stadio Olimpico, Juventus offered up a surprise before the highly awaited "supermatch" started, announcing that star striker Alessandro Del Piero would not start or sit on the bench. The Juventus captain apparently hurt himself in practice on Saturday.

　　Reserve striker Marco Di Vaio, who had been outplaying Del Piero lately anyway, lined up alongside French forward Trezeguet instead.

　　The focus quickly turned to Roma's attack when referee Pierluigi Collina blew the opening whistle, however.

　　After Romanian defender Cristian Chivu blasted a free kick just wide of Juventus' goal in the 12th minute, Dacourt scored a minute later.

　　The Frenchman had his first attempt from the edge of the area blocked and when it came right back to him he threaded an angled shot through traffic and past Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

　　Totti sent a spectacular shot off the crossbar from outside the area in the 15th and Roma kept its attack going all the way through to the 52nd, when Totti set up Cassano just inside the area.

　　A hard tackle by Juventus' Uruguayan defender Paolo Montero on Cassano resulted in a penalty kick and Totti's shot from the spot ricocheted in off the right post to make it 2-0.

　　The match was all but officially decided when Montero fouled Totti in the 55th, picked up his second yellow card and left his team a man down for the final 35 minutes.

　　In the 70th, Cassano made it 3-0, tipping in a pass from Brazilian midfielder Alessandro Mancini with the end of his foot from five meters.

　　Juventus was awarded a penalty when Chivu fouled Alessio Tacchinardi in the 74th and Pelizzoli blocked Trezeguet's attempt to the center of the goal to preserve the shutout.

　　Cassano's second goal came on a header from near the penalty spot off another Mancini pass in the 85th.

　　Busy fending off Roma's offensive onslaught, Juventus never seemed to get its attack in order and Di Vaio was replaced by Fabrizio Miccoli just before halftime after injuring his ankle.

　　Miccoli had one of Juventus' few scoring chances on a free kick in the 60th that Pelizzoli stopped with a diving save just inside the post.

　　At San Siro in the afternoon, Rui Costa came off the bench and scored the go-ahead goal in Milan's 2-1 victory.

　　Rui Costa entered a scoreless game in the 67th minute and scored on a precise free kick seven minutes later. Milan went up 2-0 on a penalty kick by Andrea Pirlo in the 78th.

　　Perugia cut the lead to 2-1 with a penalty of its own by Salvatore Fresi in the 84th after Giuseppe Pancaro received a red card for tackling from behind inside the area, leaving Milan with 10 men for the final six minutes.