ROME (AFP) - AC Milan's hopes of securing Champions League football next season took a hit as they crashed 2-1 at home to 10-man Sampdoria on Wednesday night.

Fifth-placed Milan's only saving grace was a 2-0 defeat for fourth-placed Fiorentina at Napoli, leaving the gap between the pair in the race for Champions League football pegged at four points.

Champions Inter were reduced to 10 men for the seventh time since the league resumed in January as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Genoa.

The league leaders briefly extended their gap over second-placed AS Roma to seven points ahead of the latter's Rome derby against Lazio. Inter, though, have only won two of their last eight matches.

At the San Siro, Milan's turbulent season took a down-turn as world player of the year Kaka was taken off injured after less than 10 minutes.

Cristian Maggio prodded home for Samp when a scuffed shot-come-cross from Paolo Sammarco found him unmarked six yards out on 12 minutes.

On 25 minutes, things got worse for Milan as Gennaro Delvecchio finished off a sweeping Samp move that started on their own box when a Clarence Seedorf back-heel failed to find it's target.

The move was helped by some woeful defending from Kakha Kaldaze and Massimo Ambrosini, culminating in Delvecchio firing home off Zeljko Kalac's legs, although the Australian goalkeeper probably should have done better.

Italy international Andrea Pirlo almost pulled a goal back for Milan with a sumptuous free-kick but Samp goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi got a fingertip to it to push it on to the post.

Milan's goal was fashioned by two 18-year-olds with Brazilian Pato crossing for Alberto Paloschi to head home in a crowded box.

Samp had Stefano Lucchini sent off in injury time while Gennaro Gattuso had a fine effort saved by Castellazzi moments later.

In Genoa Inter took an early lead when Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic escaped down the left and put a cross on a plate for his Honduran strike-partner David Suazo to shoot home.

Inter's cause wasn't helped when young Portuguese midfielder Vitor Pele was sent-off on the half hour mark for a second booking, although it looked harsh.

Genoa had a second-half strike ruled out for offside as Luciano Figueroa's shot rebounded off Guiseppe Sculli to beat Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar but Sculli was standing beyond the last defender.

Genoa laid siege to the Inter defence which finally cracked five minutes from time as Julio Cesar pushed out a cross only for Marco Borriello, now Serie A's top goalscorer on 17 goals, to fire home an acrobatic volley.

Fiorentina failed to capitalise on Milan's slip as they went down at Napoli, where both Inter Milan and Juventus have already come a cropper this season.

Ezequiel Lavazzi scored both goals in the first half. On 23 minutes Daniele Mannini beat Manuel Pasquale and crossed for Lavazzi to score.

Lavazzi's second on 31 minutes owed a lot to poor goalkeeping from Frenchman Sebastien Frey who let a long range shot beat him.

Third-placed Juventus moved a point further ahead of both Milan and Fiorentina as they drew 0-0 at Empoli.