Gascoigne's contribution rationed

ITALIAN FOOTBALL

Paul Gascoigne sat through 76 minutes of the Rome derby yesterday before coming on as a substitute, by which time his Lazio team-mates had already established a winning 2-0 lead.

A first-half goal from Pierluigi Casiraghi and a penalty after the interval from Giuseppe Signori consigned Roma to defeat, and four minutes after Gascoigne's arrival the Roma captain, Giuseppe Giannini, ignored Pope John Paul II's pre-match appeal for sportsmanlike behaviour by earning a red card. There was trouble after the match: two policemen suffered stab wounds as fans clashed outside the Olympic stadium.

Juventus's pursuit of their first title since 1986 suffered a rare setback with a shock 1-0 defeat at home to struggling Padova. The Dutch striker, Michel Kreek, scored the game's only goal in the 77th minute with a stunning free-kick.

Juventus's fifth defeat of the season allowed second-placed Parma to keep their fading championship hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over in- form Internazionale.

Sampdoria, beaten in the Cup-Winners' Cup semi-final by Arsenal after leading 3-1, again let a two-goal advantage slip in a 2-2 draw against Fiorentina. Ruud Gullit scored twice for Sampdoria but Gabriel Batistuta - with his 22nd of the season - and Francesco Baiano struck back. Milan completed a good week by thrashing Torino 5-1 last night in Bologna.