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Inter Milan Held By Lazio At Title Party As Debt Deadline Looms, Sassuolo Down

admin — Sun, 19 May 2024 18:24:22 +0000

Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by Lazio at Sunday’s Serie A title party at the San Siro as the champions get set to lift the trophy with a major debt deadline leaving their future uncertain. Denzel Dumfries secured a meaningless point for Inter with three minutes remaining by levelling Daichi Kamada’s 32nd-minute opener for Lazio, who stay seventh but are level on 60 points with local rivals Roma who face Genoa in the day’s late match. Simone Inzaghi’s team will care little about the result as the Scudetto was sealed weeks ago, but the trophy ceremony will take place against an uneasy backdrop as the club could be repossessed within a matter of days.

What was supposed to be a weekend of celebration has been overshadowed by the Tuesday deadline for the repayment of around 395 million euros ($429 million) to US fund Oaktree.

A source told AFP on Saturday that it was “unlikely” that Inter’s Chinese owners Suning would be able to fulfil its obligation to Oaktree.

That means Oaktree could take control of the club in a similar manner to how AC Milan were acquired by another US fund, Elliott Management, six years ago.

Inter’s sporting CEO Giuseppe Marotta put a brave face on the situation when speaking to broadcaster DAZN pre-match, saying that the club were in a “solid” position.

But a banner in the stands read “Thanks Steven”, for president Steven Zhang, suggesting that fans have little faith in Suning staying on as owners.

Inter have won seven trophies, including two Serie A titles, and reached two European finals since Suning acquired the club in 2016.

Earlier, Sassuolo’s 11-year stay in Serie A came to an end in dramatic fashion after they lost 2-0 to Cagliari and Udinese snatched a 1-1 draw with Empoli in the 14th minute of stoppage time.

Matteo Prati and Gianluca Lapadula ensured Cagliari of a place in Italy’s top flight with goals in the 71st and 91st minutes in Reggio Emilia.

Sassuolo thought they still had a chance of fighting for survival on the final day of the season after M’Baye Niang‘s penalty gave Empoli a 90th-minute lead at Udinese.

But eight minutes later Jacopo Fazzi pulled back Roberto Pereyra just as the Argentine looked set to level for Udinese from close range.

And after a long VAR check, Lazar Samardzic thumped home the equaliser from the spot with the last kick of the game.

That draw and Frosinone winning 1-0 at Monza left second-from-bottom Sassuolo five points from Udinese, who sit one point above Empoli and the relegation zone, with one match remaining.

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Inter Milan’s Serie A Title Party Rolls On, While Tammy Abraham Saves Roma At Napoli

admin — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 05:08:58 +0000

Inter Milan’s official Serie A title party was in full swing on Sunday as the newly-crowned champions were acclaimed by thousands throughout their city after a straightforward 2-0 win over 10-man Torino. Simone Inzaghi’s team cruised on an open-top bus tour of Milan towards the northern Italian city’s iconic, and packed, Piazza del Duomo where fans lit flares and set off fireworks in honour of their heroes who had claimed a 20th league championship with five matches to spare.

Supporters, most of whom had been denied the chance to see Inter win the Scudetto in the flesh on Monday night by beating local rivals AC Milan in a thrilling derby, lined the streets as the team crawled their way to Milan’s imposing gothic cathedral.

Those who were at the San Siro on Sunday saw Hakan Calhanoglu‘s second-half double, a fine first-time strike in the 56th minute and a penalty four minutes later, earn Inter a 28th league win of the season.

Calhanoglu’s role in winning the lunchtime clash was appropriate as the Turkey captain has been key to Inter’s charge to the title, becoming one of Europe’s best deep-lying playmakers since being signed from Milan three years ago.

The 30-year-old is a hate figure for AC Milan supporters but he has rubbed his former fans’ faces in it this season, which with Euro 2024 on the horizon has probably been the best of his career.

His brace took his all-competitions goal tally for the season to 15 and extended Inter’s lead on second-placed Milan to a whopping 19 points.

“Today is a wonderful day, I don’t want to talk about that other lot (AC Milan). Today I’m going to have fun,” added Calhanoglu.

Inter were helped when Torino’s Adrien Tameze was sent off in the 49th minute for bundling over Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and once Calhanoglu bagged his second of the day the match became a sideshow.

Inzaghi’s team have pressing off-field issues like the repayment of a huge emergency loan to US investment fund Oaktree and hopes of a new stadium, but on Sunday fans were more concerned with a party that looked set to go on all night.

Abraham saves Roma

Tammy Abraham snatched a potentially crucial point in the battle to reach the Champions League with his first goal in a year which earned Roma a 2-2 draw at Napoli.

England international Abraham, who had last scored on April 29 last year, missed almost the whole of this season after tearing knee ligaments at the end of the last campaign.

But the substitute striker was on hand in the 88th minute to nod home a perfect flick-on at a corner from Evan Ndicka, who started in defence after being cleared to play following his on-pitch collapse at Udinese earlier this month.

“I told myself for the corner just get myself in the right place and luckily I was there to score,” Abraham told DAZN.

“I’ve dreamed about this moment since the beginning of the season. I had a difficult injury and it was all about getting myself ready, my mind ready.”

Roma, who took the lead in the 59th minute through Paulo Dybala‘s penalty before being pegged back by Mathias Olivera’s heavily deflected strike and a late Victor Osimhen spot-kick, are fifth and in the final Champions League spot.

Daniele De Rossi‘s team are four points behind fourth-placed Bologna following their 1-1 home draw with relegation-threatened Udinese.

Atalanta, who have a game in hand on all of their top-five rivals, are two points behind Roma after a simple 2-0 win over Empoli for the Bergamo-based team.

Roma have a tough end to the season with the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against German champions Bayer Leverkusen coming up on Thursday and clashes with Juventus and Atalanta among their last four league fixtures of the campaign.

“They’re unbeaten, but they’re not unbeatable,” said De Rossi of formidable Leverkusen, who haven’t lost in 46 games ahead of the midweek clash in Rome.

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Inter Milan Seal Scudetto In Derby Thriller With AC Milan

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:11:48 +0000

Inter Milan sealed the Serie A title on Monday after beating AC Milan 2-1 and creating an unassailable lead at the top of the league with their sixth straight derby victory. Goals from Francesco Acerbi and Marcus Thuram gave Inter a 17-point advantage over closest challengers Milan and secured their 20th league crown with five matches of the season remaining. Inter last won Serie A in 2021, followed by AC Milan in 2022 and Napoli last year.

For Simone Inzaghi it was the first league title as a manager and on a cold, soaking wet evening at the San Siro he strode proudly in front of a clutch of Inter’s “away” fans in the 75,000 crowd as they roared in delight and fired fireworks from the stands at the final whistle.

Milan made a fight of it in the final moments after Fikayo Tomori pulled one back with 10 minutes remaining but Inter held out to kick off a title party after a stormy ending to the match which featured three red cards.

“I feel like crying because we worked so hard, we deserve this joy,” said tearful captain Lautaro Martinez.

“It’s been wonderful but we have to keep going because we’ve already won a lot of trophies and we want to win many more.”

Inter have become the second team to win 20 Italian league titles, and will have a second star stitched onto their jersey, after Juventus who are way out in the lead with 36 league crowns.

– In style –

Inzaghi’s team did it style, laying waste to the rest of the division and becoming the first team to claim the title by winning the Milan derby and leaving his opposite number Pioli on the verge of the sack.

“He was struggling 14 months ago according to the media and look what he has achieved since. I am happy here, I work well and I think the team has margin for improvement,” insisted 2022 Scudetto winner Pioli.

With outgoing champions Napoli crashing and burning early in the campaign and Milan falling away in the autumn Inter raced off into the distance at the turn of the year.

Juve looked like putting up a fight but they collapsed in February just as Inter strung together a run of 13 wins which also gave them hope of repeating a deep run in the Champions League.

Inter failed in that mission as they were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid in mid-March, but by that time the domestic damage had already been done.

The future looks bright too as Inzaghi, Martinez and Italy midfielder Nicolo Barella are all set to renew their contracts while smart work in the transfer market and increased revenue have helped mitigate significant financial harm wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Piotr Zielinski and Mehdi Taremi will arrive from Napoli and Porto as free agents in the close season while big stars like Thuram should stay.

“Crazy feeling, crazy game. We wanted to do it for our fans and we did it. It’s my first league title and I’m very proud of it,” said Thuram.

The nominal away side on Monday, Inter were on their way to a title party in the 18th minute when Acerbi was left completely free to head home Benjamin Pavard‘s flick-on.

– Stormy finish –

Inter should have been two ahead seven minutes later through Lautaro Martinez who lost his footing when Federico Dimarco’s perfect cut-back fell to the Argentina striker.

And his strike partner Thuram was equally at fault for Inter not increasing their lead seven minutes before the break as he shot a great chance just wide after being set up by Nicolo Barella.

But shortly after half-time Thuram made up for that miss with a brilliant individual goal which took his tally for his debut Serie A season to 12.

France forward Thuram collected Alessandro Bastoni’s long pass on the left and eventually cut inside before drilling home at Mike Maignan‘s near post.

Yann Sommer did well to keep out Theo Hernandez‘s well-struck shot as Milan fans let go a barrage of flares in the stands.

The resulting smoke mixed with the persistent rain to create an misty atmosphere around the San Siro, and just as Inter looked set to see the match out Tomori made sure it would be a grandstand finish when he headed home on the rebound.

However instead of levelling the match Milan lost their heads, with both Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria receiving straight red cards in stoppage time.

Inter’s Denzel Dumfries was also sent off in the closing minutes, but that will matter less to his team who danced and bounced in front of joyous fans.

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Inter Milan Beat Empoli To Close In On Serie A Title

admin — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 05:32:10 +0000

Inter Milan took another step towards the Serie A title on Monday with a straightforward 2-0 win over struggling Empoli which maintained their 14-point lead at the top of the league. Federico Dimarco put Inter ahead after five minutes at the San Siro before substitute Alexis Sanchez sealed the points in front of delighted home fans with nine minutes remaining. Monday’s comfortable victory left Inter needing just 11 more points from eight matches to beat second-placed AC Milan to a 20th Italian league crown.

Inter have a huge lead on their local rivals thanks in large part to academy product Dimarco, whose first-time strike from Alessandro Bastoni’s neat clipped pass separated the hosts from their spirited opponents for most of the match.

It was Bastoni’s third assist in as many league matches and the Italy defender joked: “It was the worst of the lot, Dimarco’s finish made it look much better!”

“We’re really happy with the win because we’ve just come off the international break and it’s never easy winning after travelling around the world,” added Bastoni.

Simone Inzaghi’s side were far from the scintillating form they showed before being knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid last month.

But Inter have dropped only two points since the turn of the year and Monday’s win was a good way to end what has been a difficult couple of weeks.

Francesco Acerbi was cleared late last month of racially abusing Napoli defender Juan Jesus, an ugly episode which dragged on through the international break as the Italy defender and Inter denied the accusation.

Acerbi started the game after avoiding a potential 10-match ban due to the Italian Football Federation’s disciplinary tribunal deciding there wasn’t enough evidence to punish him.

A fourth straight defeat without scoring a goal left Empoli back in the relegation zone on goals scored, swapping places with 17th-placed Frosinone who drew 1-1 with Genoa on Saturday.

“If that run had knocked our confidence you’d have seen it tonight with a bad performance but that didn’t happen,” said Empoli coach Davide Nicola.

Bologna charge on

Bologna cruised past Serie A’s bottom side Salernitana 3-0 to continue their charge towards a first-ever appearance in the Champions League.

Stunning first-half strikes from Riccardo Orsolini and Alexis Saelemaekers and Charalampos Lykogiannis’ fine finish in stoppage time ensured that Bologna would stay in fourth place, five points above Roma who were held to a goalless draw at Lecce.

Thiago Motta‘s side have won eight of their last nine matches and not only look a good bet to reach Europe’s top club competition, but also have Juventus in their sights.

Juve are just two points ahead of Bologna in third following their last-gasp defeat at Lazio on Saturday and have been dragged back into a battle for the Champions League.

Bologna currently sit in the final spot but Serie A is firmly in the running for an extra place in next year’s revamped tournament, meaning fifth may well be good enough.

Both Bologna and Roma host Juve before the end of the season.

“We’re doing really well at the minute, with the way that we’re playing and the results we’re getting,” said Motta to Sky Sport.

Although the seven-time Italian champions played one round in the old European Cup in 1964, the same year that they most recently won the Scudetto, they have never participated in the modern Champions League.

Last season’s ninth place was the highest Bologna had finished in Serie A for over a decade and they are well on course for their best placing in years.

“Obviously we’re looking at the table but that’s not what matters to us, what’s important is putting in the work in training and the performances on the pitch,” said Saelemaekers.

Stefano Colantuono could not turn around Salernitana’s fortunes in his first match in charge, his team falling to their third straight defeat as they sink towards Serie B.

Salernitana have not won a single game since the turn of the year and are 12 points from safety.

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Napoli’s Juan Jesus Accuses Inter Milan Defender Francesco Acerbi Of Racist Abuse

admin — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 03:40:40 +0000

Napoli defender Juan Jesus on Monday blasted Francesco Acerbi for denying he dished out racist abuse after the Italy international was forced to leave the Azzurri’s training camp ahead of two friendlies in the United States. Jesus had initially played down the incident following Napoli’s 1-1 draw at Inter Milan on Sunday, telling DAZN “what happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch” after accepting Acerbi’s on-field apology for unspecified insults.

Brazilian Jesus, who headed home Napoli’s late equaliser at the San Siro, had been seen protesting to match referee Federico La Penna, pointing to the Keep Racism Out badge on his shirt and apparently saying that “(Acerbi) called me a negro”.

Acerbi left Italy’s training camp after reports that he will be investigated for the alleged abuse, and was replaced by Roma centre-back Gianluca Mancini in the 28-man squad selected before matches against Venezuela and Ecuador in the build-up to Italy’s European title defence.

He insisted on his return to Milan that he “didn’t say anything racist”, echoing what his agent Federico Pastorello had said to broadcaster Radio Sportiva earlier on Monday.

That sparked an angry reaction from Jesus on Instagram: “I thought that the incident was done with on the pitch and frankly I was hoping not to have to come back to something so despicable.”

“However today I read Acerbi’s comments which conflict completely with what happened, with what he himself said on the pitch which is backed up by video footage of him asking me for forgiveness,” Jesus added.

“I’m not having it, racism is going to be fought here and now. Acerbi said to me ‘get lost black, you’re just a negro’… now he’s changed tack and claims that there was no racism.”

Jesus’ reaction is bad news for Acerbi as Italian Football Federation (FIGC) regulations say that if he is found guilty of racially abusing the Brazilian he will be banned for at least 10 matches.

And authorities can ask for an even longer ban if they feel his behaviour warrants it.

A guilty verdict would be guaranteed to end his club season with Inter, who are set to win their 20th league title as they lead AC Milan by 14 points with nine fixtures remaining.

And disciplinary authorities will likely insist that any eventual ban be extended worldwide with the Euro starting on June 14.

Serie A told AFP that the regular report from the division’s “sporting judge” Gerardo Mastrandrea will be released on Tuesday.

That document, which is usually published the day after the end of each round of matches, should confirm whether Acerbi will be investigated for the incident.

In a brief statement Inter said that they “will meet with the player as soon as possible to shed light on the exact details of what happened”.

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Lionel Messi-Less Inter Miami Beaten By Montreal In Major League Soccer

admin — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 05:08:03 +0000

Inter Miami slumped to their first defeat of the Major League Soccer season on Sunday, losing 3-2 at home to Montreal after the Herons opted to rest Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. Fernando Alvarez, Matias Coccaro and Sunusi Ibrahim scored the goals for Montreal, who moved into second place in the Eastern Conference standings where they trail Miami on goal difference. Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino opted to rest several of his first choice starting line-up, with Messi omitted from the squad altogether and Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets on the bench.

But the wisdom of that decision soon came under scrutiny after Montreal dominated the early exchanges before Alvarez headed the visitors into the lead from a corner in the 13th minute.

Miami slowly worked themselves into the game thereafter, and Jordi Alba had the ball in the net in the 17th minute only for it to be disallowed for offside.

The hosts came close to an equaliser just before half-time after Julian Gressel’s superb through ball released Robert Taylor.

Finland international Taylor deftly lifted his finish over advancing Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, only to watch as it crashed back off the cross bar.

Taylor should have equalised moments later but his header from Tomas Aviles’ inviting cross went straight at Sirois who gathered easily.

Miami continued to carve out openings in the second half, and had the ball in the net in the 59th minute when Taylor was adjudged offside after setting up Leonardo Campana.

But Miami finally got back on level terms in the 71st minute, with Campana heading home at the back post after a pinpoint cross from Lawson Sunderland.

Yet Miami’s hopes of preserving their unbeaten start to the season were left in tatters after Montreal scored twice in three minutes soon afterwards.

Coccaro made it 2-1 after heading home Mathias Choiniere’s cross, and then Nigerian forward Sunusi Ibrahim made it 3-1 with a deflected effort after a sweeping Montreal counter-attack.

Alba raised hopes of an Inter Miami fightback with a fabulous 80th minute strike from the edge of the area that curled into the top corner, but despite a late Miami onslaught, the visitors held on to take all three points.

In other MLS games on Sunday, Cincinnati were held to a 0-0 draw at home to D.C. United, while in Nashville, Los Angeles Galaxy recovered from 2-0 down to snatch a 2-2 draw on the road.

Teal Bunbury’s penalty and Dru Yearwood’s 58th-minute goal put Nashville 2-0 up, but Galaxy fought back to draw with goals from Riqui Puig and Dejan Joveljic.

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Serie A: Inter Milan Continue Scudetto March At Battling Bologna

admin — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 03:47:23 +0000

Inter Milan took another step towards a 20th Serie A title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at in-form Bologna which extended their massive league lead to 18 points. Yann Bisseck headed home the only goal of a tight contest in the 37th minute at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara as Inter geared up for Wednesday’s Champions League decider with Atletico Madrid in positive fashion. Germany defender Bisseck’s second goal of the season extended Inter’s all-competitions winning streak since the turn of the year to 13 matches and emphasised how the league crown is more a matter of when rather than if.

“This is one of the most difficult places to play… beating Bologna is not easy. We gave everything,” said Nicolo Barella to DAZN.

“Who knows how soon we can win it (the league), it depends on the other teams. It’s difficult for those chasing us, let’s hope it stays difficult for them.”

Second-placed Juventus can cut the yawning gap between themselves and Inter when they host Atalanta on Sunday.

However, with the title race effectively done and dusted it will be Atalanta with more to play for as they battle Bologna, in fourth, for a spot in next season’s revamped Champions League.

Defeat for Bologna snapped a six-match winning streak and left an opening for the other teams aiming for the top four.

Atalanta are five points off Bologna in sixth while Roma will move to within one point of Thiago Motta‘s team with a win at Fiorentina on Sunday.

Bologna have been the season’s surprise package and were unbeaten in two league and cup matches against Inter before Saturday’s fixture.

Unstoppable Inter

Under a downpour in northern Italy, where rain has been falling for weeks, Bologna dominated for long stretches but couldn’t find a way past Yann Sommer.

“You can’t concede in the way we did because once you’re behind against a team like Inter they know how to manage the game,” said Motta to DAZN.

“You can only congratulate Inter because they deserve everything they’re getting at the moment.”

Bologna are bidding to qualify for the Champions League for the first time, although the seven-time Italian champions played one round in the old European Cup in 1964, the same year that they most recently won the Scudetto.

Last season’s ninth place was the highest Bologna had finished in Serie A for over a decade and they are still on course for their best placing in years.

Inter now turn their attentions to Atletico, who lost to lowly Cadiz in La Liga on Saturday, as they defend a 1-0 lead from last month’s first leg at the San Siro.

“It will be a great match, the Champions League is possibly the best competition and we need to stay in it as long as we can,” said Barella.

Earlier, Cagliari moved out of the relegation zone with a thrilling 4-2 win over rock-bottom Salernitana, who continued to slide towards the drop.

Claudio Ranieri’s side climbed all the way up to 13th with their second straight win while Salernitana’s winless run extended to 11 matches.

Sassuolo won their first match under new coach Davide Ballardini 1-0 against Frosinone, but they stay 19th and one point behind their opponents who are just outside the bottom three.

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Inter Beat Genoa To Take Further Step Towards Serie A Title

admin — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 03:45:39 +0000

Serie A leaders Inter Milan beat Genoa 2-1 on Monday to move 15 points clear of second-placed Juventus as they search for a 20th league title. Youngster Kristjan Asllani and veteran Alexis Sanchez scored within six minutes of each other in the San Siro as Inter move closer to going one better than local rivals AC Milan and their Scudetto tally, which would get them a second star above their club badge. Juve trail Inter with 11 games of the season remaining after losing 2-1 at Napoli on Sunday.

“15 points is a significant advantage,” Asllani said.

“But we can’t get carried away, there are still a lot of games to play and we have to stay focused,” the 21-year-old added.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter were looking to stretch their winning run in all competitions to 12 games, and last lost at home in the league in September.

In an open first half an hour, Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella and Genoa attacker Mateo Retegui threatened to break the deadlock.

After 31 minutes, Asllani did one better than them following a smooth Alexis assist.

Albania’s Asllani, who turns 22 on Saturday, fired home into the top corner, claiming his first senior goal since June 2022, which came against Inter when he was still at Empoli, to put the hosts 1-0 up.

“To be honest, I had waited a long time for this goal and hoped it would come at San Siro,” Asllani said.

“It’s a special emotion scoring here,” he said.

Inzaghi’s outfit doubled their advantage six minutes later from a penalty checked by VAR, as Alexis converted Inter’s 11th spot kick of the season, following Asllani in opening his account for the campaign.

Inter kept up the pressure on Genoa after the break with attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan troubling visiting goalkeeper Josep Martinez after 52 minutes before the away side surprisingly cut the deficit.

Mexico centre-back Johan Vasquez volleyed low past Yannis Sommer two minutes later, as Inter conceded just their 13th goal in 27 league games this season.

Alberto Gilardino‘s side thought they had equalised after 66 minutes but Portuguese striker Vitinha was denied his first goal for the club after drifting offside.

Inter held on for three points, as France attacker Marcus Thuram came off the bench for Sanchez after two weeks out with injury, despite English defender Djed Spence’s late chance for the visitors.

Next up for Inter is Saturday’s trip to fourth-placed Bologna before heading to Atletico Madrid for March 13’s Champions League last 16 second leg with a 1-0 lead.

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Lautaro Martinez Joins Serie A’s 100 Club As Inter Milan Stay Nine Clear

admin — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 03:42:52 +0000

Lautaro Martinez scored his 100th Serie A goal on Sunday as he netted twice in Inter Milan’s 4-0 thumping of Lecce which kept their league lead over Juventus at nine points. Argentina striker Martinez joined the 100 club in Italy’s top flight when he opened the scoring in the 15th minute in southern Italy. And 10 minutes after the break he slammed in the third for an Inter team which was almost unrecognisable from the one which beat Atletico Madrid on Tuesday but still capable of steamrollering their opposition.

“We’re consistent, we play really good football… I’m really happy because we’re doing great work and we need to keep going because it’s not finished yet,” said Martinez to DAZN.

“When I left home at 15 years old I never imagined that I would experience all this. It’s down to hard work and the sacrifices my family made when I was a kid.”

Davide Frattesi netted two minutes before Martinez’s second and Stefan De Vrij rounded off the scoring against 14th-placed Lecce with a header from a 67th-minute corner.

Inter coach Simone Inzaghi made seven changes from his team’s 1-0 Champions League win over Atletico but captain Martinez started and did the damage for Inter, as so often he does.

The 26-year-old has scored 22 goals in 23 league appearances in a sensational season for both him and his team as the Scudetto is starting to look like an inevitability.

Inter have won all 10 of their matches since the turn of the year and have kept 22 clean sheets this season.

They could be 12 points clear before next weekend’s fixtures as they have their game in hand on Wednesday night, against Atalanta who held AC Milan to a 1-1 draw.

That fixture will be anything but a walk in the park as Atalanta have won five of their last six in Serie A but Inzaghi will have a clutch of rested starters fresh and ready to strike another blow in a one-horse title race.

Leao ends drought

Rafael Leao hadn’t netted a league goal since his winner against Verona in late September and he ended his drought in stunning style on Sunday by rifling home the opener from a tight angle after nifty footwork.

The 24-year-old has scored three times and set up two more in his last six games in all competitions but Sunday was another slip for third-placed Milan after last weekend’s chaotic defeat at Monza.

Teun Koopmeiners earned Atalanta a point from the penalty spot three minutes before half-time as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side gave up the final Champions League spot to Bologna.

Milan were annoyed by the penalty as coach Stefano Pioli said that Olivier Giroud “didn’t do anything” when he was penalised by Daniele Orsato for light contact with Emil Holm’s chest.

“Holm had his hands on his face as though he’d been kicked in the head… If he doesn’t go down like that Orsato doesn’t review it,” said Pioli.

Fifth-placed Atalanta will have to win their game in hand at Inter in order to reclaim fourth as they are two points behind Bologna and seven behind Milan.

Daniele Rugani forced home a stoppage time winner as Juventus defeated Frosinone 3-2 in Turin to end a worrying four-match winless run.

Defender Rugani managed to get his boot on Dusan Vlahovic’s flick-on from a corner in the fifth and final minute of injury time and get Juve, in second, going in the right direction.

Sunday’s win made Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri the first in Serie A history to get more than a thousand points, his total now at 1,002 according to statistics provider Opta.

Victor Osimhen’s second goal in a matter of days wasn’t enough to reignite Napoli’s hopes of European football as Zito Luvumbo struck in the 96th minute to snatch a 1-1 draw for Cagliari and leave Napoli ninth.

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Red-Hot Lautaro Martinez Helps Move Inter Milan Top As Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Revives Napoli

admin — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 05:59:40 +0000

Lautaro Martinez continued his red-hot scoring form in Inter Milan’s 3-0 cruise at Torino on Saturday which moved his team top of Serie A while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s brace at Verona put Napoli’s title defence back on track. Argentina striker Martinez nodded home his 11th league goal of the season in the 67th minute of a straightforward win in Turin as Inter went one point ahead of AC Milan, who host third-placed Juventus on Sunday night. The 26-year-old is already five goals ahead of Victor Osimhen, his nearest rival at the top of the scoring charts, after just nine matches and at his current rate would smash the record single-season haul of 36 set by Gonzalo Higuain in 2016.

Since the departure of Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku in the summer Martinez has become the attacking focal point for Inter who are also the highest scorers in Italy’s top flight with 24 goals.

“Lauti only got back from South America a day and a half ago, but he is in great shape and he gets all the support he could need from the team,” said coach Simone Inzaghi to DAZN.

Strike partner Marcus Thuram opened the scoring eight minutes before Martinez’s strike when he swept home Denzel Dumfries low pass to take his league tally to three, while Hakan Calhanoglu completed the scoring from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

France forward Thuram has had a brilliant start in Italy, where he was born while his World Cup-winning father Lilian played for a star-studded Parma team which won the UEFA Cup in 1999, with five assists also to his name.

Asked how he has settled in at Inter, a delighted Thuram said “very well”.

“This is a great team, and I’m really happy to be able to contribute,” he said to DAZN.

Inzaghi will likely play both Martinez and Thuram on Tuesday when Inter host Salzburg in the first of two Champions League Group D matches against the Austrians.

Inter will almost certainly come up against fiercer resistance at the San Siro than they did from Torino who have now gone four matches without scoring a goal.

Ivan Juric’s injury-hit team were without starting centre-forward Duvan Zapata and are set to lose defender Perr Schuurs for a long time after he was stretchered off with a knee injury following a clash with Nicolo Barella.

Torino look destined for another underwhelming season as they sit 14th on nine points, one point and place behind Sassuolo who were beaten 2-0 by Lazio in the day’s late match.

Kvaratskhelia strikes

Wing wizard Kvaratskhelia netted in each half after Matteo Politano’s 27th-minute opener in a 3-1 win at Verona as Napoli made light of the absence of injured star striker Osimhen.

Rudi Garcia’s side are fifth, five points behind Inter, after a difficult start to the season but are level with Fiorentina and Juve after a commanding display at the Stadio Bentegodi.

Frenchman Garcia, who replaced Italy coach Luciano Spalletti in the summer, has been under fire but was backed publicly by owner Aurelio De Laurentiis on Thursday, and was encouraged by the chances created without Osimhen.

“We did what we needed to do today… It’s better not to have people out but I wasn’t worried,” said Garcia.

“We’ve still got great quality going forward, we scored three times and could have easily got more.”

Kvaratskhelia has struggled to recapture the form which made him one of the shining lights of last season’s title triumph but on Saturday he showed signs he might be getting back to his brilliant best.

He doubled Napoli’s lead two minutes before the break after slamming in a low finish at Lorenzo Montipo’s near post.

And the 22-year-old netted the third nine minutes after the break when he easily skipped past Giangiacomo Magnani and rolled home his third league goal of the campaign.

Marco Baroni’s Verona pulled one back through Dark Lazovic but stay 16th, four points above the relegation zone after their fifth defeat.

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