AC?Milan bounced back from its Champions League exit with a hard-fought 3-1 win at Empoli yesterday.

Combined with Fiorentina's 1-0 loss at Siena, the victory moved Milan within one point of fourth place -- the position it now needs to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Massimo Ambrosini broke a 1-1 deadlock with a header in the 86th minute and Kaka added another goal for Milan in the 89th.

Alexandre Pato had put Milan ahead in the 19th and Antonio Busce equalized for Empoli in the 23rd.

Milan struggled for long stretches, and Empoli nearly went ahead when Claudio Marchisio hit the post in the 56th.

Milan was eliminated from European play after a 2-0 loss to Arsenal on Tuesday.

"We're still convalescing," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "In the first half we did some good things, but we're still not playing fluidly. Now we've got to work hard at rediscovering our top game, but today the important thing was the result."

Siena beat Fiorentina with a free kick by Massimo Maccarone in the 80th, after Fiorentina forward Giampaolo Pazzini wasted several good chances.

Also, Francesco Totti celebrated his 500th match with AS Roma by setting up one goal and converting a penalty for the other in a 2-0 win at Napoli.

"These are three big points, because Napoli is really strong and never gave up," Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said.

Inter Milan leads the league with 64 points, followed by Roma with 58, Juventus with 48, Fiorentina with 47 and Milan with 46.

Inter beat Reggina 2-0 on Saturday to coincide with the club's 100th anniversary celebration, and Juventus was playing at Genoa later.

Also Sunday, it was: Catania 2, Cagliari 1; Lazio 2, Livorno 0; Parma 1, Sampdoria 2; and Torino 1, Atalanta 0.

Catania rallied from a goal down with an equalizer from Cristian Silvestri in the 44th and an own goal by Michele Canini in the 47th.

Lazio forwards Tommaso Rocchi and Goran Pandev both scored in the win over Livorno. It was Rocchi's ninth goal of the season and Pandev's 10th.

Christian Maggio and Emiliano Bonazzoli found the net for Sampdoria before Igor Budan pulled one back for Parma, which also missed a penalty when Andrea Gasbarroni hit the post.

Torino edged 10-man Atalanta with a goal from Simone Barone in the 35th.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily March 10, 2008)?