Rocchi milestone completes Lazio win

Substitute Tommaso Rocchi scored his 100th goal for Lazio to help his side move back to within a point of Serie A leaders Juventus tonight with a 3-0 win at Cagliari. Senad Lulic put the visitors ahead in the 39th minute before Miroslav Klose doubled Lazio's lead before the interval. Rocchi then capped off a great night by scoring his team's third with two minutes to go as Cagliari's unbeaten run at their Sant' Elia stadium came to an unceremonious end. Cagliari created chances, but for the third time in four games failed to hit the net. They slipped to eighth as a result. The home side made the stronger start and they could have gone in front in the fourth minute, but Thiago Ribeiro's right-footed strike from 12 yards was turned away by visiting goalkeeper Federico Marchetti. Midway through the first half, Lorenzo Ariaudo got his head to Andrea Cossu's cross from the right but his powerful effort went wide. On the half-hour mark, Thiago Ribeiro's header went over the bar as another chance went begging for Cagliari. And Lazio went in front soon after, Lulic firing a low 25-yard drive past the reach of Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi. Lazio then doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Klose scored his sixth league goal of the campaign. The German forward showed excellent precision to head Djibril Cisse's cross into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal. Cagliari showed more intent after the restart and could have reduced the deficit on the hour mark had Marchetti not made a fine save to clear substitute Segundo Ibarbo's close-range effort. In the 78th minute, Cagliari's Thiago Ribeiro missed a great chance when his powerful header from Agostini's cross flew into the stand. With two minutes remaining, Lazio killed the game off, Rocchi's close-range header hitting the bar but the veteran forward was on hand to tap home the rebound.