WITH less than three minutes to play in last Sunday's home game against Bari, Italian league leaders AC Milan looked just about cooked. They had played nearly all the football in a one sided game which had seen them score twice, only to be hauled back by their impudent, relegation battling rivals who made the most of rare Milan defensive errors.

The game seemed over. Milan had given their best, but now looked low on energy and ideas. Then their striker Marco Simone won a 50-50 midfield ball and, without pausing, whacked it upfield rather in the style of a rugby up and under for someone to chase. Unfortunately for Bari, that "someone" was Liberian George Weah.

The African, European and World Footballer of the Year beat Bari goalkeeper Alberto Fontana and defender Luigi Scala to the bouncing ball, rising high to head home from outside the penalty area a split second before he crashed into Fontana. It was a goal that owed much to Weah's courage and physical strength and a goal which left the Liberian literally gasping for breath:

"My chest, my right knee, my right hand and some ribs: are all hurting me now following that violent crash into their goalkeeper, and at the time I could hardly breathe. You have to be mad to score a goal like that," said Weah.

Mad perhaps, talented certainly. Significantly, however, this was not only Weah's ninth goal of the season, but it was the second time this season that he has pulled a winner out of the hat in the dying minutes.

Weah's late and winning effort struck a double blow at Milan's opponents. Not only did it extend Milan's league lead over second placed Fiorentina to seven points, but it also struck a telling psychological blow, a point underlined by one of Weah's opposite numbers, the Juventus striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, scorer of the Juventus goal in their 1-0 away win against Napoli:

"If Weah hadn't scored that goal, then we'd still have a glimmer of hope. But now I'd say that the (title) contest is over, said Ravanelli.

One man who apparently agrees with that assessment is media tycoon, centre right leader and Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, who took time off from politics on Sunday to watch his side against Bari. Berlusconi was more than pleased with his team's performance:

"This was just like the old days. Milan were terrific, playing first touch soccer, and then Weah is a phenomenon."

The Berlusconi Ravanelli view that the title is Milan bound finds support even with Claudio Ranieri, the coach of second placed Fiorentina. Speaking after Fiorentina had been held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by bottom of table Cremonese, at the end of a week which had seen the Florence side defeat immediate rivals, third placed Parma 1-0 as well as win a midweek Italian Cup semi final tie 3-1 against Inter Milan, Ranieri struck the modest note that has been typical of him so far this season:

"We came close to scoring and I didn't expect Cremonese to be so physically and mentally strong in its determination to win ... I know we were without (Gabriel) Batistuta, but the others did well ... As for the title, I've always said that only Milan themselves can lose it."

So, is the Italian championship all over bar the shouting, even before the end of February? Writing as someone who tipped Parma to win the title last August, it is difficult to give up hope at this early stage, even if all the indications suggest otherwise.

Milan currently seem unstoppable, able to make the most of both their huge squad strength and of whatever bounce of the ball goes their way (literally, in the case of Weah's goal on Sunday). Furthermore, the league leaders received a huge boost from Fiorentina's defeat of Parma last week.

Although Fiorentina and Parma went into that game in joint second, Parma were clearly the side likely to cause Milan the biggest, long term problems. Fiorentina have not lived at this high altitude for more than 20 years and, eventually, they will crack.

Parina, on the other hand, winners of a UEFA Cup and a Cup Winners' Cup in recent seasons, represent a battle proven vehicle. However, it was Fiorentina who won the game 1-0, thanks admittedly to a Parma goalkeeping error.

Nor do Parma's chances of recovering from that setback seem much helped by the current injury problems of Gianfranco Zola and the continuing, slow assimilation of Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov. Ironically, Parma may live to regret band in the very near future, the sale to Newcastle United of Colombian Faustino Asprilla.

The wayward Colombian, with his unpredictable talents, could have proved a useful trump card in the final third of the Italian season.

For the time being, then, and until further notice, it is Milan on course for their fourth title in five years.