Muntari stars for Inter Milan in Serie A

ROME - Sulley Muntari came on from the bench to score for Serie A champions Inter Milan Friday in a 1-0 win over hosts Genoa.

The Nerazzurri moved onto 18 points from nine games and trail leaders Lazio one point adrift.

At the Luigi Ferraris, coach Rafael Benitez on 19 minutes had to replace a limping Esteban Cambiasso with the Ghanaian midfielder, who fired home his first goal this season a few seconds before halt-time.

The international in part had to thank Portuguese goalkeeper Eduardo for his poor positioning on a drive that bounced off the grass a few metres before the goal line.

Genoa played a brisk first half with Luca Toni firing a feeble shot before a second more serious attempt that Julio Cesar dove to deflect on 21 minutes.

Giandomenico Mesto fired feebly into the hands of the Brazilian goalkeeper, while Inter’s Samuel Eto’o on 29 minutes had a chance to improve his seven-goal tally, but botched a deflection off a Muntari feed as the ball seemed to have an irregular rebound.

Midfielder Marco Rossi made a similar mistake for Genoa before Inter took the lead and came close to doubling up early in the second half when Eduardo blocked a break from Frenchman Jonathan Biabiany.

Muscular troubles forced the replacement of Julio Cesar on 65 minutes, but his substitute Luca Castellazzi only had to save a weak central header from Toni and watched drives from Domenico Criscito and Ghana substitute Yiadom Boakye fly far from his goal.

In other Serie A action, AC Milan welcome Juventus late Saturday in a top-billing match and leaders Lazio visit Palermo Sunday.