Inter move eight points clear as Milan draw

MILAN (Reuters) - Inter Milan stretched their Serie A lead to eight points after the champions won 3-0 at Lecce and AC Milan could only draw 1-1 at home to bottom side Reggina on Saturday.

Davide Di Gennaro fired Reggina ahead on 33 minutes from Bernardo Corradi's assist but second-placed Milan equalised through Kaka's 67th-minute penalty after Alexandre Pato was fouled.

Kaka also hit the post and substitute Clarence Seedorf had a goal ruled out when he used his hand to net the rebound.

Milan, fifth last season because of their shaky home form, had the majority of the play but a raft of David Beckham crosses went begging with the team lacking height in the box.

Ronaldinho started after almost a month on the bench but was substituted in the second half having managed just one good run.

Inter were ahead on 12 minutes when Swedish talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic slammed his 14th league goal of the campaign after the busy Esteban Cambiasso laid the ball off having pretended to shoot.

CLOSE RANGE

Maicon missed from close range after the break but Luis Figo, 36, made sure they would not regret it when he headed in a cross from teenage left back Davide Santon in the 71st minute.

Former Portugal captain Figo, used little this term having put off retirement at the end of last season, had not scored a league goal since a 3-0 win over Sampdoria in September 2007.

Dejan Stankovic nodded in Maicon's free kick late on having again been a driving force for Inter, who operated with the Serbian and Figo behind lone front man Ibrahimovic.

The champions nervously drew 1-1 at home to Torino last weekend and coach Jose Mourinho was impressed with the response.

"We played a great match," he told Sky television. "We saw a compact team with great spirit and fantastic concentration.

"I'm satisfied with the points but also with how the team reacted after last weekend's result."

Fourth-from-bottom Lecce, four points above the drop zone, had some decent chances to equalise at 1-0 with defender Guglielmo Stendardo seeing his header saved by Julio Cesar.

Third-placed Juventus, 10 points adrift of Inter and two behind Milan, visit Catania on Sunday.

(Writing by Mark Meadows in Rome, editing by Tony Jimenez)