Alberto Gilardino scored an injury-time winner to give AC Milan a vital boost in their bid to secure Champions League qualification for next season as they won 1-0 at Udinese on Sunday.

The three points meant Milan closed the gap on fourth-placed Fiorentina, who beat Torino 2-1 on Saturday, to 10 points, although the European champions still have three games in hand.

The cruel defeat keeps Udinese in fifth place, just eight points ahead of Milan.

Milan had the first clear sight of goal in Udine on 26 minutes when Brazilian superstar Ronaldo broke free and crashed a fierce drive against the upright but almost immediately Milan's stand-in Australian goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac was twice called into action.

First he tipped away an angled drive from Simone Pepe and then he did brilliantly to deny Italy winger Antonio Di Natale, who was a constant menace down the flank.

Five minutes from half-time, Kalac came to the recue again, beating out a stunning volley from Italy forward Fabio Quagliarella and getting up quickly to save Giandomenico Mesta's follow-up.

Quagliarella was proving a handful and should have given Udinese the three points twice in the space of two minutes around the hour mark.

First he took his eye off the ball and failed to connect with an attempt at a spectacular volley from Di Natale's pinpoint cross and then he blazed over the bar from seven yards out with a quick snap-shot after the ball dropped to him from a corner.

But then substitute Gilardino stole the show in the dying moments, finishing off a sumptuous move that saw teenage Brazilian starlet Pato back-heel the ball to world player of the year Kaka, who flicked it through for the Italy striker to hold off Christian Zapata and finish low past Samir Handanovic.

It was harsh on Udinese but showed the difference in class between the two sides when it mattered most.

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