Lazio back in Champions League chase with Udinese win

ROME: Lazio kept their Champions League ambitions alive on Wednesday thanks to a routine 2-0 Serie A win over Udinese.

Simone Inzaghi's seventh-placed side ended a three-game winless run to move three points behind fourth-placed AC Milan who occupy the final Champions League place.

Leaders Juventus are almost certainties to win their eighth title in a row while second-placed Napoli are well-placed to take second, seven ahead of Inter Milan who are in turn five ahead of their city rivals.

But behind the top three the battle is tight with Roma a point behind AC Milan in fifth followed by Atalanta, Lazio and even Torino -- who are five points adrift -- still in the running for elite European football with six games to play.

Ecuador forward Filipe Caicedo put Lazio ahead after 21 minutes with the ball bouncing off the post and into the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Lazio doubled their lead three minutes later when Brazilian midfielder Sandro clumsily turned a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic header into this own goal.

Udinese's Argentine playmaker Rodrigo De Paul missed a penalty after the break as the side from north-eastern Italy sit just three points off the drop zone.