ROME (Agencies) - Leonardo made a dream debut as Inter Milan manager as fellow Brazilian Thiago Motta scored twice in a 3-1 win over Napoli. Leonardo replaced Rafa Benitez over the Italian league's holiday break and the victory was Inter's first in Serie A since November. Perhaps more importantly, Inter showed the same flare and goal scoring ability it had last season en route to a historic treble. Thiago Motta put Inter in front with a volley from the edge of the area three minutes in at the San Siro. After Michele Pazienza equalized for Napoli in the 25th, Esteban Cambiasso restored Inter's lead with a soaring header in the 37th and Thiago Motta added the third with a header in the 55th. "I don't want to talk too much just because we won one game, but we beat a good team that was second in the standings," Leonardo said. "This squad is (in form). It didn't win by chance for the last five years. This squad has a soul and it had fun playing today." Inter remained in seventh place, 13 points behind leader and city rival AC Milan, which edged Cagliari 1-0 earlier with an 85th-minute goal from Rodney Strasser. However, Inter has two games to make up that it missed while winning the Club World Cup last month. Newly signed Antonio Cassano made an immediate impact for Milan, setting up Strasser's goal in his first action since October, when he allegedly insulted Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone with a profanity-laced tirade, prompting his transfer to Milan. Ten minutes after going on, the Italy striker took a back heel pass from Robinho and slipped the ball through two defenders toward Strasser, who appeared slightly offside but managed to score without much protest from Cagliari. According to Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, Cassano is still far from his top form. "You can see that just by looking at him. But that's normal after not training for two months," Alllegri said. "He's only been training with us for a week. It's important that he continues dedicating himself each week." It was the first Serie A goal for the 20-year-old Strasser, a midfielder from Sierra Leone. "This is just fine, getting a victory after suffering so much today, especially with a goal from a kid that comes from our youth program," Allegri said. Earlier, Juventus lost one key player to injury and another to a red card in a 4-1 loss to Parma. Also, Lazio was held to 0-0 at Genoa, with Hernanes hitting the post for the Roman club; and AS Roma rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Catania 4-2 with two late strikes from Mirko Vucinic. Milan leads with 39 points, five more than Lazio. Napoli is third with 33 points, followed by Roma with 32 and Juventus with 31. Also, it was: Bologna 1, Fiorentina 1; Brescia 1, Cesena 2; Lecce 0, Bari 1; Palermo 3, Sampdoria 0; and Udinese 2, Chievo Verona 0. Milan was fortunate to come away with a win against Allegri's former club. Cagliari defender Michele Canini hit the post in the 32nd and forward Nene wasted a gift from Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati in the 53rd. Abbiati's failed clearance landed directly at Nene's feet with no defenders near but the Brazilian forward's weak shot deflected wide off Abbiati. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended, Milan threatened with chances from Robinho in the 11th and Alexandre Pato on both sides of halftime, but Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi was flawless. Against Juventus, diminutive forward Sebastian Giovinco scored twice against his former club and Hernan Crespo and Raffaele Palladino also found the net for Parma. It was a negative day for Juventus from the start, with forward Fabio Quagliarella exiting with an apparent knee injury after only three minutes. Then in the 17th, Felipe Melo kicked Parma defender Massimo Paci in the face and was sent off. The 1.64-meter (5-foot-5) Giovinco, who was used mostly as a substitute by Juve the past two seasons, pounded in a rebound from close range in the 41st and doubled the lead from the edge of the area in the 48th. Nicola Legrottaglie pulled one back for Juventus with a header in the 60th, but Crespo was then fouled by Giorgio Chiellini inside the area in the 61st and converted the ensuing penalty.