Sneijder has not been bullied, says Inter coach

© Reuters Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni has hit back at critics who have accused the club of bullying Dutch international playmaker Wesley Sneijder over a contract dispute.

The midfielder has been left out of the side recently and was again absent for Sunday's 1-0 win over Palermo in Serie A, with media reports saying he had been told to accept a pay cut or face being sold.

Stramaccioni, who has won plaudits for reviving third-placed Inter after poor spells under predecessors Rafael Benitez and Claudio Ranieri, said it was stupid to talk of bullying a player who earns as much as Sneijder.

"We should be careful about using the word 'bullying' when an ordinary worker earning 1,000 euros ($1,300) a month might hear it. That's my opinion," the Inter coach told reporters.

"As regards Sneijder I don't think there has been any type of violence, abuse or discrimination."

According to media reports, the Dutchman earns around six million euros a year.

Stramaccioni denied he had been forced by the club to drop Sneijder, saying he alone made the decisions regarding team selection.

"I have the right to choose who I want to play and at the moment I see better players for me to pick," the coach said.

"I'm the Inter coach and I'm in complete harmony with my president (Massimo Moratti). I will make my decisions but let's not talk about bullying please."

Inter's victory on Sunday, achieved with a 74th-minute own goal from Santiago Garcia, lifted them within four points of leaders Juventus.

Iniesta masterclass helps Barca crush Levante

© Reuters Andres Iniesta twice set up Lionel Messi, created a goal for Cesc Fabregas and netted a brilliant effort of his own as La Liga leaders Barcelona extended their near-perfect start with a thumping 4-0 win at Levante on Sunday.

The Spain playmaker's masterful performance at Levante's Ciutat de Valencia stadium helped maintain unbeaten Barca's three-point lead over Atletico Madrid, who earlier crushed nine-man Sevilla 4-0.

Barca's victory, their 12th in 13 matches, put them 11 points clear of third-placed champions Real Madrid after their arch-rivals were upset 1-0 at Real Betis on Saturday.

An almost impeccable performance was crowned when Victor Valdes saved Jose Javier Berkero's late penalty and Barca have 37 points with Atletico on 34 and Real on 26.

Malaga are fourth on 22 points after they thrashed Valencia 4-0 on Saturday, level with fifth-placed Betis and two ahead of Levante in sixth.

Messi's 18th and 19th league goals of the campaign put the Argentine World Player of the Year within three of the record for the most goals in a calendar year of 85 set by German Gerd Mueller 40 years ago.

The prolific 25-year-old has scored 70 for his club and 12 for Argentina and is hot favourite to win a fourth straight World Player award when the winner is announced in January.

Atletico, who visit city rivals Real next weekend, strolled to victory at the Calderon after Sevilla's Argentine centre back Federico Fazio was dismissed for tripping Koke in the penalty area in the 20th minute.

Colombia striker Radamel Falcao smashed his spot-kick into the roof of the net before Arda Turan's cross was turned into his own goal by Emir Spahic in the 40th minute and Koke clipped Diego Costa's volleyed centre into the net four minutes later.

Sevilla's Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic was shown a second yellow card and sent off seven minutes from time and Brazilian defender Miranda netted Atletico's fourth from Turkey playmaker Turan's clever set-up in the second minute of added time.

Athletic Bilbao squandered a chance to get their erratic season back on track when they surrendered the lead and were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Deportivo La Coruna.

Oscar de Marcos fired the Basques ahead in the 24th minute and Abel Aguilar headed an equaliser for Depor seven minutes after the break.

Bilbao are 14th on 15 points and Depor climbed out of the relegation places into 17th on 11.

Espanyol stayed firmly rooted to the bottom after they slipped to a 2-0 defeat at home to Getafe, Pedro Leon and Mane scoring for the Madrid-based side in Barcelona.

Determined AC Milan derail champions Juve

© Reuters AC Milan beat Serie A table-toppers Juventus 1-0 on Sunday thanks to a controversial penalty by Robhino after Mauricio Isla was adjudged to have handled the ball.

An unconventional looking front three of Robinho, Stephan El Shaarawy and Kevin Prince Boateng, pushed up from midfield, combined well to inspire's Milan's win.

Juventus found it difficult to deal with Milan's pressing play and went behind just before the half hour mark when the ball appeared to strike Isla's outstretched arm from Antonio Nocerino's header, although replays suggested it hit the Chilean's body.

Robinho stepped up to score, despite keeper Gianluigi Buffon getting both hands to the ball.

The visitors were slow to react, with too many misplaced passes and errors allowing Milan to control the game.

Juve began to turn up the pressure later in the second half, with substitute Sebastian Giovinco, on for Fabio Quagliarella, going close with an overhead kick from Simone Padoin's cross in the 62nd minute, but their lack of physical presence up front made life easier for the Milan back four.

The Italian champions attacked in numbers as the game entered its final stages, but Milan were increasingly happy to defend deep and try to catch Juve on the break.

It was a risky strategy and the home side lived dangerously at times, but worked hard to take all three points, putting a dent in Juve's title challenge and providing a possible platform for Milan to build on in the run up to the winter break.

Inter Milan now have the chance to close the gap on Juventus to just one point if they can win their game at Parma on Monday.

Earlier, Mounir El Hamdaoui came off the bench to score a late equaliser for Fiorentina at Torino, with a 2-2 draw enough to lift the Tuscans up to joint-second in the table.

The hosts took the lead five minutes from the break after Alessio Cerci got himself on the end of a low Danilo D'Ambrosio cross, with Riccardo Meggiorini's dummy fooling the Fiorentina defence.

Fiorentina came alive in the second half, but with talisman Stevan Jovetic still out injured and Luca Toni in the treatment room following a nasty collision with defender Kamil Glik, Torino were able to weather the storm.

The visitors drew level from the penalty spot in the 75th minute after D'Ambrosio upended Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, with Gonzalo Rodriguez converting.

However, just a minute later Torino were back in front, Valter Birsa's cross shot tricking everyone and ending up in the net.

Former Ajax striker El Hamdaoui equalised with pretty much his first touch of the game, turning and shooting in one movement, hitting an angled shot past Jean-Francois Gillet.

"It was a good game, very open. Both teams gave it a go and deserved to win. On balance it was the right result," Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella told RAI television.

"I was a little happier in the second half than the first. We reacted with a maturity, with personality and quality." Asked about the injured Toni, Montella replied: "He's still under observation, but I don't think there will be any problems."

Elsewhere, Mattia Destro scored only his second goal for AS Roma since arriving from Genoa during the close season, helping the Giallorossi to a 1-0 victory at Pescara, a win that takes the capital club up to joint-fifth in the table.

The big shock of the day was Genoa's 1-0 win at Atalanta thanks to Andrea Bertolacci's first-half goal for the lowly visitors. Fellow strugglers Siena drew 0-0 at Chievo.

Sampdoria continued their revival following victory in the Genoa derby last weekend with a useful 1-0 win at home to Bologna, Andrea Poli netting the winner.

Cagliari host Napoli in the other Monday game, with Lazio at home to Udinese on Tuesday.

Palermo see off local rivals Catania in style

© Reuters Palermo's Fabrizio Miccoli scored his 100th Serie A goal and Josip Ilicic netted twice in a 3-1 win over in-form Sicilian rivals Catania who got a late consolation goal from Franceso Lodi but missed the chance to go sixth.

Palermo, who moved away from the relegation zone and up to 14th place with 14 points from 14 games, took the lead in the ninth minute after enjoying the better of the opening exchanges.

Catania's Nicolas Spolli slipped while trying to cut out an Ezequiel Munoz cross, wrong-footing veteran defender Nicola Legrottaglie in the process and allowing Miccoli space and time to place his shot into the net from the edge of the box.

The home side looked confident, pressing the disjointed visitors and coming close to a second goal when Franco Brienza ran into the area, shrugged off two defenders and struck a powerful shot against the bar.

Catania, who remain seventh with 19 points, had their moments, notably a Sergio Almiron effort from distance and a wonderful curled Lodi free kick just before the break, but struggled to get any grip on the match.

Ilicic made it 2-0 in the 48th minute, after Brienza found the Slovenian courtesy of some loose Catania defending, scoring with a right-foot shot from just inside the area.

On the hour mark, with Catania again caught napping on the break, Ilicic ran from the halfway line, beat the sluggish Lodi and hit an angled drive past the unfortunate Mariano Andujar in the visitors' goal.

Lodi's powerful 70th-minute free kick gave Catania some hope but the hosts responded and nearly got a fourth goal when Spolli cleared Michel Morganella's close-range effort off the line.

Ireland thrash Argentina to secure W.Cup seeding

© Reuters Ireland scored seven tries in a 46-24 demolition of Argentina on Saturday to ensure they will be seeded when the draw is made for the next rugby World Cup and leave the South Americans waiting to find out if they will join them.

Ireland had to win the match, billed as the most important one either side would likely play this side of the 2015 tournament, to book a place in the second tier of seeds for the Dec. 3 draw and four tries in a blistering first half got them on their way.

Debutant wing Craig Gilroy got a first international try, as did the recently blooded Simon Zebo and Richardt Strauss while Jonathan Sexton and Tommy Bowe got a brace each to maintain Ireland's unbeaten home record against Argentina.

Argentina, who got two late consolation tries, will slip out of the world's top eight and face a potentially tougher World Cup pool draw if Samoa beat France later on Saturday and Wales defeat either New Zealand or Australia this weekend and next.

If the in-form Samoans lose by fewer than 15 points, they will tie with Argentina on 78.71 ranking points, with the higher-placed team determined by the next decimal place.

Argentina, who beat Six Nations champions Wales 26-12 two weeks ago to put them in the better position going into the game, simply had no answer for a rampant Irish side who put five successive defeats behind them in the best possible fashion.

Missing first-team regulars Brian O'Driscoll, Rob Kearney, Paul O'Connell, Stephen Ferris, Sean O'Brien and Rory Best, Declan Kidney gave Ulster's Gilroy a first start and the 21-year-old flyer inspired the hosts to victory.

The winger, who scored a hat trick in a non-cap win over Fiji last week, started his full international career with a bang as he jinked past one Argentine tackler and between another two before touching down and being mobbed by team mates.

Sexton, whose slick inside pass had set Gilroy free, added the conversion and, while Nicolas Sanchez got back three points for the visitors, Ireland were back under the posts within minutes.

Gilroy, not yet an established starter at provincial level with Ulster, was involved again and more free-flowing rugby from the hosts culminated in Sexton exchanging passes with Leinster team mate Gordon D'Arcy before crashing over.

Sanchez was once more gifted a chance to trim the advantage but Ireland, who had managed only two tries in their previous five games, made it three in 20 minutes when Strauss sneaked into the corner for his first try in his second Irish start.

Argentina finally made it deep into Irish territory on the half-hour and were unlucky to come away with just three points but Ireland were at it again from the restart with Munster fullback Zebo joining the list of maiden try scorers.

Sexton missed his second conversion in a row but Sanchez was off target too with a penalty a few minutes later to leave Ireland a comfortable 24-9 in front at the break.

The flyhalves traded penalties in the opening minutes of the second half before the ever-commanding Sexton spotted a gap behind the Argentine back three for Ulster winger Bowe to speed through for his first try of the game.

Sexton's mixed day with the boot continued but he more than made up for it with a second try three minutes later as Ireland finally began to produce the kind of attacking rugby that has seen Leinster dominate the European club game.

The game, the 11th between the sides in 14 years, petered out in the last quarter with the main highlight being Argentina prop Maximiliano Bustos's sin-binning for throwing the ball in Cian Healy's face until Bowe grabbed his 26th try for Ireland.

Replacement Tomas Leonardi and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe grabbed late tries for Argentina whose minds now shift to events in Paris and Cardiff later on Saturday.