AC Milan and AS Roma each drew against lesser opponents on Sunday, opening the way for defending champion Juventus to rejoin the Serie A title race with a 1-0 win over Reggina.

　　League-leader Milan played to a 1-1 draw at Lecce, where Ernesto Chevanton's 19th-minute tally was equaled by Andriy Shevchenko's league-leading 17th goal for Milan in the 52nd.

　　Still in the relegation zone, Lecce is a team on the rise, gathering 10 points in its last five matches. While Milan had a large advantage in ball possession, the European champion looked like it was still recovering from a humiliating 0-4 loss to Lazio in the Italian Cup semifinals last Wednesday.

　　Roma's 0-0 draw at Ancona was more surprising. Coach Fabio Capello's club smashed Juventus 4-0 a week earlier and winless Ancona is solidly entrenched in last place.

　　Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said Roma's draw limited the damage his club suffered in Lecce.

　　"It's a result that leaves our lead unchanged and that's important taking into consideration the games we have coming up," he said, referring to a derby match against city rival Inter Milan next weekend and the Champions League at the end of the month.

　　Midfielder Enzo Maresca scored in the 51st for Juventus against Reggina, moving the Turin club back to within six points of Milan.

　　After round 21, the standings read: Milan 52, Roma 47, Juventus 46.

　　Also on Sunday, Inter lost 1-2 at the San Siro against Udinese, with Julio Ricardo Cruz's 71st-minute score coming with Inter already down 0-2. Elsewhere, 10-man Bologna held on for a 1-1 draw with Modena, Roberto Baggio's Brescia tied Sampdoria 1-1 and financially struggling Parma improved its status with a 2-1 win at Siena.

　　In Lecce's Via del Mare - sea road - stadium, Uruguayan striker Chevanton scored off a beautiful free kick from 20 meters that sailed over a defensive wall and curved into the goal past Milan's diving goalkeeper Dida.

　　The more established "Sheva" - Milan's Ukrainian forward Shevchenko - responded with a second-half equalizer from within the penalty arc.

　　Roma attacked Ancona's goal for a full 90 minutes and came away with just a single point to show for it. Roma captain Francesco Totti had a free kick deflected over the bar by goalkeeper Sergio Marcon in the 30th and shanked on a good look at the goal four minutes later. Norwegian striker John Carew had his shot smothered by Marcon in the 77th and a final attempt by Totti in second-half injury time on a free kick banged off an Ancona wall.

　　In the night match in Turin, Maresca knocked in a close-range rebound that ricocheted off both posts before entering the goal. A goal by Alessandro Del Piero in the 43rd was annulled for a hand-ball foul by the Juventus captain.

　　Reggina's Francesco Cozza had his 41st-minute attempt stopped by Juve 'keeper Gianluigi Buffon and Del Piero nearly made it 2-0 with a free kick that Reggina 'keeper Emanuele Belardi did well to tip over the bar.

　　Sunday's games were played in an atmosphere of mourning following the death of Italian cyclist Marco Pantani, one of the country's biggest sports stars, a day earlier.

　　(The Associated Press)