© Reuters Limited 2001

By Gideon Long

ROME, June 17 (Reuters) - AS Roma won their first Italian league title in 18 years on Sunday when they beat Parma 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium on a final day of the season marked by pitch invasions and high drama. Title rivals Juventus also won - 2-1 at home against Atalanta Bergamo - but goals from Francesco Totti, Vincenzo Montella and Gabriel Batistuta gave Roma the win they needed to seal only the third title of their 74-year history. Outgoing champions Lazio, who had an outside chance of successfully defending their crown, lost 2-1 at Lecce.

There were pitch invasions in both Turin and Rome as Juventus and Roma supporters vented their contrasting feelings. The Juve match was held up for around 10 minutes in the second half and thousands of fans forced Roma's match at the Olympic Stadium to a halt six minutes from time. Both matches restarted and Roma's fans did not have long to wait until the final whistle blew and they could once again flood on to the pitch in a wave of red and gold. Roma finished the season on 75 points to 73 for Juventus and 69 for Lazio. Parma finished fourth on 56 points and complete Italy's Champions League quartet. AC Milan and Inter Milan will represent Italy in the UEFA Cup alongside Italian Cup winners Fiorentina.

At the bottom, Napoli and Vicenza were relegated alongside tailenders Bari while Reggina and Verona face a play-off for the final relegation spot. Napoli went down despite a brave 2-1 victory at Fiorentina capped by a 90th minute winner from Brazilian striker Edmundo against his former club. Vicenza's 3-2 victory at Udinese was likewise not enough to save them on a day when all five threatened sides won. Reggina came from behind to beat AC Milan 2-1 to keep their hopes of Serie A survival alive while Verona beat Perugia 2-1.

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Roma coach Fabio Capello said as the club started celebrations which are sure to go late into the night: "We played well the whole championship but it was a difficult title. "This victory was important for Roma but also for myself, because I'd come here after an unhappy year at Milan." Batistuta, who scored Roma's final goal in the 77th minute, could hardly contain his emotion after winning the first title of his 10-year career in Italy. "I wanted to score to make my contribution to this game," he said. "My heart is about to burst, I'm so happy."

The whole of Rome had seemingly ground to a halt on a hot, sultry early afternoon before the match, and a sense of expectation pervaded the city. The gates to the Olympic Stadium were opened at 0800 GMT for the 1300 GMT match and a capacity 75,000 fans, many waving red and gold banners, were inside three hours before kick-off. When Roma took the pitch they were greeted to a tickertape reception from fans on the Curva Sud - Roma's home end.

But if Capello's players felt tense they did not show it and there were none of the jitters that had characterised their 2-2 draw at Napoli a week ago. Montella almost put them ahead in the seventh minute with an angled shot across the face of goal and 12 minutes later the home side found the early breakthrough they needed. French wingback Vincent Candela threaded a low cross in from the left, Montella sold a dummy at the front post and Totti slammed an unstoppable first-time shot past Parma goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

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Batistuta forced a fine reflex save from Buffon with a header in the 34th minute but five minutes later the Argentine striker created Roma's second goal. Escaping on the counter attack down the right flank, he fended off a challenge from Fabio Cannavaro and struck a firm low shot towards the net. Buffon saved with his outstretched leg but Montella was on hand to stroke home the rebound from six metres out.

Batistuta capped his fine first season with Roma with the third goal in the 77th minute, twisting inside Cannavaro before firing a low shot past Buffon at the near post. Marco Di Vaio hit a late consolation goal for Parma but it was never going to be enough to derail Roma, who had seen their nine-point lead whittled down to two since early April. Juve's hopes of stealing the title were boosted by David Trezeguet's headed goal in the fifth minute but by the time Alessio Tacchinardi scored their second goal with a fine 64th minute volley, the title was already heading Roma's way.

Juventus confirmed after the match they would part company with coach Carlo Ancelotti in the close season and replace him with former boss Marcello Lippi.