NBA star Garnett buys Roma stake

Roma have confirmed that Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett has agreed to purchase a small stake in the Serie A club.

The 35-year-old baskteball player accepted the offer from James Pallotta, one of the four Boston-based executives who purchased the team in August.

Over the past few years, Garnett has been very vocal in his interest in football, revealing passion for English side Chelsea and star player Didier Drogba.

Garnett becomes the second NBA player to purchase a stake in a football club after Miami Heat star Lebron James invested in Liverpool earlier this year.

James attended his first game at Anfield to watch the club draw 1-1 against Manchester United in October.

The Garnett and James deals are tied together because Roma president Thomas DiBenedetto is also a limited partner in the Fenway group, which owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team and Liverpool.

Grab this Headline Animator

Cassano faces a further six months on the sidelines

AC Milan forward Antonio Cassano has revealed he faces a further six months on the sidelines as he recovers from heart surgery.

The Italy international was forced to undergo an emergency procedure after falling ill following Milan's victory at Roma at the end of October.

It was hoped the striker might be fit to return to action before the end of the season and thus force his way into the reckoning for Euro 2012.

However, Cassano has revealed it will be June before he is kicking a ball in anger again.

"I have to wait six months to play," Cassano said. "Until then, walk, walk, walk."

Cassano said the support of his Milan team-mates has been overwhelming, and particularly that of strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"He's one of my best friends," Cassano said. "I have a great relationship with him and with all of Milan."

Grab this Headline Animator

Nocerino keen to play with Tevez

AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino has revealed he wants Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez to join the Serie A champions in January.

Roberto Mancini is keen to see Tevez leave Etihad Stadium on a permanent deal when the transfer window opens, but he may be forced to settle for a loan.

Speaking to Sky Sport 24 on Wednesday, Nocerino said he would welcome the out-of-favour Argentine to the San Siro.

"(Tevez) is a great player. I hope he can come to Milan," Nocerino said.

Midfielder Nocerino arrived at the club from Palermo on the last day of the transfer window on August 31, and has quickly developed into a key player for Massimiliano Allegri.

He is in the middle of a productive campaign, having netted six league goals this season.

However, Nocerino played down his achievements to date, claiming he is only doing his bit to contribute to AC Milan's cause at the top of the table.

"I scored six goals, and I consider myself to be quite a prolific scorer. I'm just a normal guy who plays with so many champions," he said.

Nocerino also expressed his gratitude to his first club Juventus, where he started his career, for nurturing his talent.

"I owe so much to Juventus because I had grown up there," he said.

"Now I am part of Milan, however, I am happy here and I hope we can celebrate at the end of the season."

Grab this Headline Animator

Pato,Inzaghi set to leave Milan

AC Milan forwards Alexandre Pato and Filippo Inzaghi have both been linked with moves away from the Serie A club.

Pato is the number one target of Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain and the French club are ready to table a big offer for the Brazilian when the January transfer window opens.

The 22-year-old striker is reported to be the subject of an offer of just above 41 million pounds as PSG look to bolster their forward options.

The reports surfaced in the Italian media after an apparent breakdown in relations between Pato and Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri.

Pato is said to have taken offence at Allegri's public comments that criticised him but Milan have insisted the player will stay at the San Siro.

Inzaghi is another player being linked with a move away from Italy, with Spanish outfit Espanyol said to be interested in signing the veteran.

The 38-year-old is also a reported target of two English Premier League sides.

The transfer window opens on January 1.

Grab this Headline Animator

Thiago wants Milan captaincy

Thiago Silva wants to become AC Milan captain and is hoping to spend the rest of his career at the San Siro.

The 27-year-old Brazilian became the club's first foreign skipper since Nils Liedholm in 1961 when he was handed the armband for last month's Serie A fixture against Chievo, and has admitted that earning that honour on a regular basis has become a target of his in the long term.

"I hadn't originally wanted to be captain, but then I became the Brazil skipper and I changed my mind," he told Ansa.

He is currently placed behind the likes of Massimo Ambrosini, Gennaro Gattuso and Christian Abbiati in the pecking order for the role at San Siro, but his vision for the future revolves around a lengthy stint with the Rossoneri.

"In 2016, I will speak with (CEO) Adriano Galliani about renewing my contract for another five years. We will see what happens."

Thiago Silva's compatriot Ganso has been linked with a move to Milan, and the defender said the 22-year-old Santos star could have a very positive impact.

"If we bought him in January he would make a big difference in both Serie A and the Champions League," he said.

Thiago Silva signed for Milan in 2008, making his debut for the club at the start of the 2009-10 season.

"But there is certainly nothing concrete at the moment. I also read that Manchester United would like to extend his contract."

On Boxing Day, Berbatov netted a hat-trick against Wigan. In addition to Leverkusen, a number of other clubs have been linked with his signing, including Tottenham and Fulham.

Grab this Headline Animator

Milan agreed deal for Seydou Keita

Reports have emerged that AC Milan have agreed a deal for Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita.

Sport has reported that the Barcelona midfielder will move to the Rossoneri at season’s end.

The defensive midfielder is tied to the Blaugrana until June 2014, but it’s reported he has a clause in his contract allowing him to walk away two years early.

The clause is activated if the 31-year-old is not given a minimum number of appearances during the campaign.

Grab this Headline Animator

Napoli signs Eduardo Vargas

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has announced the club have signed Universidad de Chile star Eduardo Vargas.

The details of the deal have not been revealed by either club, but reports suggest the Serie A outfit paid a fee in the region of 13.5 million euros to land the Copa Sudamericana top goalscorer.

"I would like to officially announce we have signed (Eduardo) Vargas," De Laurentiis told Radio Marte.

"A few minutes ago, I was called by doctor De Nicola, who visited the player and gave a green light about his physical shape."

"We have signed the contracts, and we have beaten competition from very strong clubs to sign the player."

"This is evidence that we are always on the lookout for young talents from around the world who can help improve our squad."

The 22-year-old, who had been linked with Inter and Chelsea, forced his way into the Chile national team after some impressive performances, making six appearances under coach Claudio Borghi in 2011.

Vargas was the top scorer in this season's Copa Sudamericana, with 11 goals for the competition, including three in Universidad's 4-0 aggregate triumpg over LDU Quito in the final.

Grab this Headline Animator

Serie A wrap: Juve face scoreless draw

Juventus reclaimed top spot in Serie A courtesy of a dour 0-0 draw with Udinese at the Stadio Friuli on Wednesday.

Udinese's only real first-half opening came from a mistake by Giorgio Chiellini, with the Juventus defender botching an attempted headed clearance to put Mauricio Isla in on goal.

But Juve custodian Gianluigi Buffon was alive to the danger and made himself big to block Isla’s attempted lob.

The odd defensive lapse aside, Juve were relatively comfortable throughout and came desperately close to taking the lead on two occasions shortly before the interval.

Claudio Marchisio curled a shot just wide from the edge of the area, before Chiellini drew a fine reaction save out of Samir Handanovic with his clever flick from Andrea Pirlo’s free kick.

Juve were forced to settle for a point which, while disappointing, did at least see them climb back above AC Milan and into top spot on account of their superior head-to-head record.

Udinese, meanwhile, remain third and three points adrift of the co-leaders.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Inter Milan had to come from a goal down but still managed to post a 4-1 win over bottom side Lecce.

The visitors took an early lead at San Siro, but a flurry of second half goals from Giampaolo Pazzini, Diego Milito, Esteban Cambiasso and Ricky Alvarez cancelled out Luis Muriel's opener.

Napoli remain in sixth spot after their 6-1 thumping of Genoa at home.

Four goals in the opening 45 minutes set Walter Mazzarri's men on their way to victory, with an Edinson Cavani brace and strikes from Walter Gargano, Marek Hamsik, Goran Pandev and Juan Zuniga powering them to an emphatic win.

Roma enjoyed a 2-0 win at Bologna after Rodrigo Taddei and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo found the net, as the home side finished the match with 10 men after defender Daniele Portanova was sent off.

Lazio could only manage a 0-0 draw at home against Chievo, while two goals from Guido Marilungo helped Atalanta to a 4-1 home victory over Cesena.

Novara and Palermo played out a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Comunale Silvio Piola, and Parma and Catania drew 3-3 in a thriller.

Grab this Headline Animator

Milan eye Torres loan

AC Milan is exploring the possibility of signing Chelsea striker Fernando Torres on a six-month loan according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Milan are keen to boost their attacking options in the second half of the season because of the lengthy absence of Antonio Cassano due to health problems, and they have earmarked unsettled Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez as the perfect candidate to strengthen their squad.

However, Milan is only interested in signing the Argentina international on loan, while City wants to offload Tevez permanently.

As a result, the Serie A champions are looking at alternatives and have reportedly set their sights on Torres.

Milan are believed to be close to finalising a deal with Catania for striker Maxi Lopez, but club owner Silvio Berlusconi is eager to acquire a high-profile player, and would rather sign Torres instead.

The Spain international has been unable to make an impact at Chelsea since joining the Blues from Liverpool in January 2010 for a fee of around 50 million pounds, and there has been plenty of speculation about his future in recent weeks.

It seems unlikely that Chelsea are open to farming the 27-year-old out on loan following recent comments from manager Andre Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese boss stressed last week that he still has confidence in Torres and declared the striker not for sale at any price.

Elsewhere in Serie A, Milan's cross-town rivals inter are reportedly lining up a move for promising Universidad de Chile youngster Igor Lichnovsky.

La Gazzetta dello Sport report Inter are desperate to add some reinforcements to their defence during the transfer window, and boss Claudio Ranieri reportedly sees the 17-year-old Lichnovsky as the perfect addition to their ageing squad.

Lichnovsky is a product of the Universidad de Chile youth academy and made his first-team debut earlier this year.

The centre back is considered to be one of the brightest prospects in South America at present and has previously been linked with a move to Premier League giants Chelsea.

Grab this Headline Animator

Serie A wrap: Juve beat Novara 2-0

Juventus returned to the top of the Serie A with a comfortable 2-0 win over strugglers Novara at Juventus Stadium on Sunday.

Simone Pepe gave the Turin club breathing space four minutes in before Fabio Quagliarella wrapped up the scoring in the second half with a fine header from Andrea Pirlo's corner.

Meanwhile, Andrea Ranoccia's 63rd-minute header secured Inter Milan their third straight win in Serie A, this time a 1-0 result against a miserly Cesena at Stadio Dino Manuzzi.

Ranoccia converted Maicon's cross after the home side had gone close firstly through Eder and later Luca Ceccarelli.

Inter's third straight win lifts them to fifth on the table, but still 10 points behind league leaders Juventus.

Title challengers Lazio and Udinese played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Stadio Olimpico.

Edy Reja's men conceded the opener at home when striker Antonio Floro Flores headed in the opener, but the hosts were ahead after netting on either side of half-time.

Bosnia and Herzegovina international Senad Lulic struck a low shot past Slovenian shot-stopper Samir Handanovic, before Germany striker Miroslav Klose volleyed home his eighth league goal after the restart.

But Francesco Guidolin's side, who sit a spot above Lazio in third, ensured they took away a point when Antonio di Natale set up Giampiero Pinzi for a 74th-minute equaliser.

Roma climbed into seventh after a surprise 3-1 away win against Napoli at Stadio San Paolo.

Goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis handed Roma the dream start when he fumbled a cross into his own net on three minutes, before Pablo Osvaldo doubled their lead against the run of play, turning in a Francesco Totti pass on the hour-mark.

Slovakia attacker Marek Hamsik gave the hosts a lifeline when he pulled one back with a good finish from an angle, but Brazilian Fabio Simplicio's deflected effort in stoppage time guaranteed Roma the points.

Lucas Pratto made up for Genoa's frustrating loss to Inter in midweek with the winner in a 2-1 victory against Bologna.

Pratto scored his first goal in Serie A five minutes from time, latching on to Andrea Caracciolo's pass to fire low into the bottom corner.

Marco Rossi had put the home side in front moments before the break, but saw his goal cancelled out by Gaston Ramirez's leveller 10 minutes after the interval.

Parma clawed their way back for a thrilling 3-3 draw with two late goals against Lecce.

Daniele Gallopa's goal four minutes into extra time broke Lecce hearts after Graziano Pelle had pulled it back to 3-2 for the home side in the 86th minute.

Earlier, Sergio Floccari gave Parma a first-half lead with a penalty only to see Lecce go 3-1 up through a David di Michele double and a Juan Cuadrado strike.

Catania eased past Palermo 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Francesco Lodi and Maxi Lopez to end a four-game winless drought.

Grab this Headline Animator

Serie A wrap: Milan move top

Second-half strikes from Antonio Nocerino and Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave AC Milan a 2-0 win over Siena in the Serie A on Saturday.

The win extended Milan's unbeaten run in the league to 10 games and moved them one point clear at the top of the table, although Juventus and Udinese can both overtake them with wins on Sunday.

A sweetly struck opener from Nocerino gave Milan the lead on 54 minutes at the San Siro, and an Ibrahimovic penalty 10 minutes later confirmed the three points for Massimiliano Allegri's side.

Fresh off the back of their disappointing 2-2 draw with Bologna last Sunday and clearly eager to make amends, it was Milan who started the brighter of the two sides, but the hosts could not make their advantage in possession count on the scoreboard in the first half.

They would not be denied in the second, however, with Nocerino receiving the ball off Robinho on the edge of the area and smashing it low into the bottom right-hand corner to make it 1-0 after 54 minutes.

With Siena desperate to equalise, it was Milan's turn to hit them on the counter-attack.

And with Kevin-Prince Boateng soon bearing down on goal, Siena goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic came out to stop a shot, but tripped the former Tottenham man and conceded a penalty.

It was Ibrahimovic who took responsibility for the spot-kick, and he smashed it low into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to double the hosts' lead and seal the points.

In Saturday's other results, goals either side of half-time from Cyril Thereau and Gennaro Sardo helped Chievo to a 2-0 win over Cagliari at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.

Fiorentina escaped with a point against Atalanta after Stevan Jovetic's late goal salvaged a 2-2 draw.

Alberto Gilardino gave Fiorentina an early lead, but two goals in five minutes from Andrea Masiello and German Gustavo Denis put Atalanta in front before Jovetic's late intervention ensured the points were shared.

Grab this Headline Animator

Totti may leave Roma now

Roma captain Francesco Totti has threatened to leave his club of 19 years, after backlash from fans.

The 35-year-old forward has featured sparingly under Luis Enrique this term and has yet to find the back of the net, missing a crucial penalty on Monday in Roma's 1-1 home draw against Juventus.

Roma spent big in the summer, signing a number of recognised stars including two strikers, Bojan Krkic and Pablo Osvaldo.

Speaking before the club's Christmas dinner to Sky Sport Italia, Totti stated: "I've thought of leaving Roma, especially recently. I'm sorry to hear some of the statements made by Roma supporters. If they have a problem with me being in Rome, I can go away."

Totti made his first appearance for the club in March 1993, with former coach Vujadin Boskov choosing to play him in the 2-0 victory against Brescia as a 16-year-old.

The attacker is currently fifth in the list of all-time Serie A goalscorers, grabbing 207 goals in 481 appearances so far.

Roma are 10th in Serie A this term and face a tricky trip to Napoli on Sunday where they will be hoping to improve on their recent performances.

Grab this Headline Animator

Inter Milan beat Genoa 1-0

Inter continued their revival from their early season woes in Serie A on Tuesday, with a 1-0 win over Genoa.

Yuto Nagatomo's second half strike was enough to claim all three points for the visitors, who could have won by an even greater margin but for the heroics of Sebastian Frey in the home goal.

The visitors started better at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, and Giampaolo Pazzini had the first chance of the match eight minutes in, forcing Frey into a smart stop from a one-on-one following Thiago Motta's precise through ball.

Inter held the ascendancy from then on, but they could not find a way past Frey in the hosts' goal despite controlling the remainder of the first half.

The Frenchman produced a stunning double save shortly after the half-hour mark- first showing admirable reflexes to block Walter Samuel's firm header from a corner, before reacting quickest to block the rebound from Diego Milito on the goal line.

Genoa appeared to be more focused after the interval, and had a goal ruled out for offside in the 57th minute, after Andreas Granqvist was judged to be just ahead of the last defender when he headed in a corner from the right.

However, it was Inter who would strike first 10 minutes later, through a headed goal from one of the shortest players on the pitch.

Ricky Alvarez, on as a half-time substitute, sent in a delightful ball from the right flank towards Nagatomo, who rose highest to nod home at the far post.

Claudio Ranieri's men could have scored again two minutes later, after Milito fed Pazzini inside the area, but an outstretched leg by Frey was enough to block the Italian's goal-bound effort.

The Genoa keeper was at it again in the 77th minute, getting his fingertips to Alvarez's testing drive from 25 yards out, diverting the substitute's effort onto the far post.

The game was delayed for a short spell in the 82nd minute, after a member of Genoa's staff was stretchered from the field for medical treatment after collapsing on the sidelines.

Despite increasing pressure by Inter as the game neared its conclusion, the home side almost snatched an equaliser in injury time, but were denied by a superb double save from Julio Cesar.

The Brazilian first stopped an effort by Marco Rossi before sticking up a hand to tip Miguel Veloso's follow up over the bar and preserve the result for the visitors.

Inter now move up to seventh place in the Serie A table with 20 points, leapfrogging Genoa by two points and currently sit 10 behind leaders Juventus.

Grab this Headline Animator

Hernan Crespo may move to Bulgaria

Bulgarian League leaders Ludogorets Razgrad are lining up a loan bid for Parma striker Hernan Crespo.

Ludogorets owner Kiril Domuschiev is reportedly in talks with Parma already and is ready to offer the Serie A outfit 300,000 euros to sign Crespo on a temporary basis.

The 36-year-old has been reduced to the periphery at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, making just four appearances to date this season.

Bulgarian sources claim that Crespo is interested in a move to Ludogorets, who share the top of the league table with CSKA Sofia, with 36 points from 15 matches.

The former Argentina international returned to Parma in January 2010 after playing at the club from 1996 to 2000.

Grab this Headline Animator

Serie A: Roma 1 Juventus 1

Juventus maintained their unbeaten record in Serie A this season, coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw away to Roma on Monday.

Roma went ahead in the sixth minute, with Daniele De Rossi at the far post to pull a right-footed shot back across goal from Francesco Totti's cross.

Poor Juventus defending allowed the ball to bounce agonisingly over Gianluigi Buffon's goalline, with De Rossi's strike not overly powerful.

The goal ensured Roma have scored in each of their seven matches at their Stadio Olimpico home in the league, but Juve were not to be denied a point, as they equalised in the 62nd minute via Giorgio Chiellini.

Chiellini headed home a mis-timed Marcelo Estigarribia strike to earn Juve a share of the spoils, and ensure they regained top spot in the league once more from Udinese.

Roma's Totti missed the ideal chance to fire his side back ahead from the penalty spot just seconds after Juve equalised, but his attempt was well saved by Buffon.

The point lifted Roma to ninth in the table, ending their two-game losing streak.

Grab this Headline Animator

Serie A wrap: Udinese go top, Milan draw

Udinese moved top in Serie A with a 2-1 win over Chievo on Sunday, while AC Milan earned a controversial 2-2 draw at Bologna.

Antonio Di Natale opened the scoring for hosts Udinese in the 66th minute at the Stadio Fruili.

The veteran striker capitalised on Udinese's considerable pressure to break a long deadlock, heading home Mauricio Isla's cross.

Dusan Basta made it 2-0 with a diving header from a corner on 78 minutes.

Substitute Alberto Paloschi pulled one back for Chievo with seven minutes to go, as he sent a looping shot over Samir Handanovic in the Udinese goal.

But the visitors proved unable to force an equaliser in the time remaining.

Victory sees Udinese move into first place at the expense of Juventus, who can regain the lead if they beat Roma away on Monday.

Reigning champions Milan missed their chance to go top as they were held 2-2 at Bologna.

The home side led from the 11th minute at the Stadio Renato Della'Ara, thanks to Marco Di Vaio's lob over Milan goalkeeper Marco Amelia.

Clarence Seedorf levelled in style for the visitors four minutes later, with a curling strike from just outside the area.

Bologna should have had a penalty in first-half stoppage time, when goal-scorer Seedorf handled the ball inside the area.

While the referee waved away appeals from the home side on that occasion, he would point to the spot in Milan's favour on 70 minutes.

The penalty was awarded against Andrea Raggi for a trip on Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Sweden international duly converted from the spot, giving Milan a 2-1 lead with 20 minutes remaining.

As in the first half, the lead did not last long, with Amelia guilty of gifting Bologna an equaliser three minutes later.

The goalkeeper failed to deal with Alessandro Diamanti's routine shot, which squirmed into the net for 2-2.

Both sides had chances to win it late on, while the visitors had a penalty appeal for handball turned down in the final moments.

The draw leaves Milan third, one point behind Juve and two back from Udinese.

Also on Sunday, Atalanta came from behind to draw 1-1 at home to 10-man Catania.

Simone Tiribocchi scored for the hosts with 19 minutes to go.

His goal cancelled out Nicola Legrottaglie's first-half opener for Catania, who had Nicolas Spolli sent off on 42 minutes.

Elsewhere, Cagliari were held 0-0 in their match at home to Parma.

And in the late match, fifth-placed Napoli rescued a 1-1 draw at Novara.

Serbian Ivan Radovanovic opened the scoring for the hosts with just 20 minutes to play.

But Napoli, who sit fifth, battled hard to find an equaliser with just six minutes to play when Swiss midfielder Blerim Dzemaili found the back of the net.

Grab this Headline Animator

Serie A Wrap Up:Lazio beat Lecce 3-2

Miroslav Klose's double helped Lazio to a 3-2 win at Lecce, while Inter Milan beat iorentina 2-0 in the Serie A on Saturday.

Lazio moved to second after their hard-fought victory against Lecce, who belied their last-placed position on the league table to put in a brave performance at the Stadio Comunale Via del Mara.

Manager Serse Cosmi took over at Lecce last Sunday, and his new team made the perfect start when David Di Michele won a penalty after beating the offside trap on 12 minutes.

Di Michele dusted himself off before scoring from the spot. But Lazio found a way back into the match through Klose, who pounced on Mobido Diakite's flick-on to level proceedings against the run of play.

Lecce had further chances through Di Michele and Luis Muriel but failed to take advantage. The visitors made them pay two minutes into the second half, when Lorik Cana and Klose combined for the former to produce a neat finish to score.

Stefano Ferrario poked home for Lecce from close range on the hour mark, however, and the match seemed headed for a draw.

But with just one minute left in normal time, German veteran Klose met Djibril Cisse's cross with power to glance his effort into the back of the net.

Inter bounced back from successive home defeats to Udinese and CSKA Moscow with their win, which came thanks to goals either side of half-time from Giampaolo Pazzini and Yuto Nagatomo respectively.

Brazilian Philippe Coutinho provided a neat assist for the opener, with Pazzini racing onto the ball before slotting home his first league goal since September.

And the advantage was doubled just after the break, when Pazzini picked out Japan international Nagatomo to tap home from close range.

Elsewhere, Genoa won 2-0 at Siena, thanks to goals from Marco Rossi and Rodrigo Palacio.

Relegation-threatened Cesena also won on the road, toppling Palermo 1-0 after Adrian Mutu's second-half strike.

Grab this Headline Animator

Stekelenburg:I nearly joined Juventus in Summer

AS Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has revealed that he came close to joining Juventus in the summer.

The two clubs face eachother on Monday night at the Stadio Olimpico and the Dutch international has divulged an interesting transfer secret.

“There was a time in the past when it was thought that Gigi Buffon would leave Juventus,” the 29-year-old told Tuttosport.

“That was when I was contacted by the club, but nothing ever came of it.”

Stekelenburg eventually arrived in Italy over the summer after Roma and Ajax finally reached a compromise over a move.

“I wanted to have an experience abroad and the Roma project was an intriguing one,” he added.

Grab this Headline Animator

Juventus beat Bologna 2-1

Juventus overcame a resilient Bologna side 2-1 at the Juventus Arena to book their passage into the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

For the vast majority of the second-half, Federico Agliardi's goalkeeping heroics kept the hosts at bay until Emanuele Giaccherini's 90th minute strike appeared to steal victory for Juve.

However, Andrea Raggi headed home a corner in the 95th minute to send the match into extra time.

Once there, a brilliant individual goal by Claudio Marchisio settled the tie in Juventus' favour.

The first half was not one for the purists, with both sides struggling to establish any kind of attacking rhythm.

The most notable moment for the visitors came courtesy of Daniele Vantaggiato, who forced Marco Storari into a diving save from a free-kick 23 minutes in.

Juventus were not faring any better, with Milos Krasic at the heart of what little they created in the opening period.

The Serbian first had a goal correctly chalked off for outside, before teeing up Fabio Quagliarella for a shot that was blocked by Agliardi a few minutes before the break.

Antonio Conte's men continued to create chances in the second half, and Alessandro Del Piero should have done a lot better in the 57th minute, dragging his finish wide when a missed header by Raggi left him one-on-one with the keeper.

The Bianconeri skipper had another chance 10 minutes later from a free kick, but Agliardi was again equal to his effort and smothered the ball low at the far post.

Giaccherini finally broke the visitors' resistance on the stroke of injury time with a goal of some quality.

The substitute burst from midfield, storming past two players before drilling his finish high into the back of the net.

But Just when it seemed like Juventus had stolen a berth in the quarter-finals, Bologna managed an equaliser five minutes into injury time from the unlikeliest of sources.

A corner from the right was headed in emphatically by Raggi to send the tie into an additional 30 minute period.

The home side controlled the first half of extra time, and regained the lead just as the game clock moved into triple digits.

There did not appear to be a lot of space for Marchisio to work with when he was fed near the penalty spot, but the Italy international evaded his marker with a clever shimmy before planting his finish expertly into the bottom corner.

With the win, the Serie A leaders become the first side to seal their place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

Grab this Headline Animator

Vucinic in doubt for Roma return

Juventus may be without the services of Montenegro forward Mirko Vucinic until January due to a thigh injury.

Vucinic picked up the injury during his side's 2-0 Serie A win over Cesena last Sunday and was initially expected to be match fit in time for Thursday's Coppa Italia match against Bologna.

However, Juve have now confirmed on their official website that Vucinic will not feature against Bologna.

It is not yet known exactly how long the key man will be out of action for due to the problem, but Juve reportedly fear that the 28-year-old could sidelined until Christmas.

Vucinic joined Juve from Roma in the close season, quickly becoming an important first-team player for the league leaders.

The striker has scored twice in 12 Serie A appearances so far for the Turin giants.

After the Bologna match, Juve are away to Roma on Monday, with Vucinic in doubt to line-up against his former club.

Grab this Headline Animator