Totti fires Roma to halfway lead
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Totti scored twice in a seven-minute spell
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ROME, Italy -- Two superb goals by captain Francesco Totti helped AS Roma to a 3-1 home victory over Sampdoria, giving them the Serie A halfway lead with a record 42 points.
Roma are three points clear of second-placed Juventus, who beat Siena 4-2 in a snowstorm, Alessandro Del Piero scoring a hat-trick.
AC Milan moved level with Juve when a Giuseppe Pancaro header gave them a 1-0 win at Brescia.
Inter Milan were jeered by their fans as they slumped 1-0 to lowly Empoli at San Siro, falling further behind the chief title contenders.
Tommaso Rocchi scored the winner for Empoli in a quick counter attack in injury time.
Inter were without striker Christian Vieri, who suffered a light strain during Saturday's training, and they had Turkish midfielder Emre Belozoglu sent off after 60 minutes for repeatedly arguing with the referee.
Inter's loss, the fourth of this season and the second at home, was likely to put more pressure on coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who replaced Argentine Hector Cuper two months ago.
Bad start
Roma made a bad start at Stadio Olimpico as striker Fabio Bazzani put Sampdoria ahead in the fifth minute.
Bazzani controlled a long pass from Francesco Flachi, beat two Roma defender and scored from eight yards.
Norwegian striker John Carew headed in Roma's equalizer five minutes later from a cross from Antonio Cassano and Totti, the idol of Roman fans, scored twice within seven minutes in the second half to seal the home team's triumph.
Totti made it 2-1 in the 60th with a diving header and scored again in the 67th, curling a shot past goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli.
Roma's coach Fabio Capello played down the importance of the winter title, saying "It's not included in the record books.
"Only the end-of-season title counts," Capello said. "Of course I'm pleased to have more points than our pursuers."
Two of Del Piero's goals for Juventus came from penalties and French striker David Trezeguet provided the fourth with his ninth of the season.
Helped by their in-form veteran captain Roberto Baggio, Brescia showed no respect for European champions Milan, whose Brazilian keeper Dida had to make a couple of miraculous saves.
AC had to wait until the 81st minute defender Pancaro's precise header but they can improve their position when they play their game in hand against Siena on January 28.
Lecce won 3-1 at Reggina with two goals from Romanian teenage striker Vitali Bojinov.
