Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi has apologized for taking and missing a penalty in Sunday's 2-2 draw at home to Siena.

The Serie A leader would have won the title with a victory but is now just one point ahead of second-placed AS Roma with one round of matches left next weekend. Inter visits relegation-threatened Parma and Roma goes to struggling Catania.

With regular penalty taker Zlatan Ibrahimovic out with a knee injury, Materazzi argued with teammate and main striker Julio Cruz over who should take the 78th-minute spotkick, which was easily saved by Siena keeper Alex Manninger.

"I'm sorry, I should have let Julio take it and I've apologized to him. Now we need to pick ourselves up and think about Parma, it will be like a final," the Italy centre back told Sky.

Inter coach Roberto Mancini, whose side had a 11-point lead in February, was not amused.

"Marco should not have taken the penalty. But maybe Cruz would have missed it too," said the 43-year-old, whose position is under threat according to some media reports which say former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho is waiting in the wings.

Inter fans packed the San Siro hoping for a title party but around 200 of them stayed on to protest as the team coach left after the match.

"Get back to work," media reports quoted them as chanting.

The title jitters are giving Inter fans painful flashbacks of the 2002 season when it managed to surrender the scudetto on the final day.

A repeat next weekend would be even more shocking and signal one of the biggest collapses in modern soccer.

Inter had not won a scudetto since 1989 when it led Serie A heading into the final day that year. It contrived to lose 4-2 at Lazio and Juventus took the title.

Inter's coach back then was Hector Cuper. Next Sunday, Inter will be without injured talisman Esteban Cambiasso when it travels to relegation-threatened Parma, now managed by Cuper.

Roma, which meets Inter in the Italian Cup final on May 24, has a tricky trip too, however.

Luciano Spalletti's team visit a Catania side still in the relegation mix and coached by former Inter goalkeeping great Walter Zenga.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily May 13, 2008)