(Reuters) – Sandro Tonali’s late goal sealed a 2-1 win for champions AC Milan at Hellas Verona in Serie A on Sunday.
Milan, who are in third place on 23 points, are three points behind leaders Napoli after 10 games.
They went ahead after nine minutes when Verona’s Miguel Veloso deflected Rafael Leao’s cross into his own net.
Olivier Giroud could have scored a second two minutes later when he was found by Brahim Diaz but his finish went wide.
Verona deservedly equalised after 19 minutes when Koray Gunter’s weak shot deflected off Milan defender Matteo Gabbia which took it beyond keeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.
“It was a good start, we almost went 2-0 up and had the game under control, but then there was that unfortunate equaliser and we lost our shape, making too many mistakes, the team split into two and left big spaces for Verona,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli told DAZN.
The last part of the first half lacked the intensity of the opening period as both teams looked for opportunities to counter-attack rather than push forward.
Ajdin Hrustic went close to putting Verona ahead just after the break but his curling shot from close range went wide.
Milan substitute Ante Rebic was through one-on-one with Lorenzo Montipo in the 49th minute, but his shot was superbly parried by the keeper.
Verona went close to taking the lead in the 56th minute when an unmarked Roberto Piccoli’s header hit the crossbar and Gunter’s effort from the rebound went over the bar.
However, Milan secured the victory in the 81st minute when Rebic found Tonali alone in the box with a perfect ball across and he had no trouble finishing past Montipo.
“It is true, I like what my players are saying. We need to be competitive for the top spots, that means winning many games and amassing many points in every arena,” Pioli said.
Verona remain in the relegation zone on five points.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis and Ken Ferris)
Unstoppable Napoli back on top with win over Bologna
(Reuters) – Napoli returned to the top of Serie A after beating Bologna 3-2 thanks to a late Victor Osimhen goal on Sunday to lead the table by two points although the visitors made them fight for the win.
Napoli now have 10 wins in a row in all competitions and are on top of the table with 26 points after 10 games just ahead of Atalanta, with Lazio and Udinese level on 21 points.
Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee opened the scoring in the 41st minute when he received a pass from Andrea Cambiaso inside the box and fired into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
But the lead did not last long as Juan Jesus equalised four minutes later at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Both teams played an intense second half, with Hirving Lozano putting the hosts ahead in the 49th minute. Musa Barrow equalised two minutes after that with a shot from a distance that Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret fumbled into the goal.
Substitute Osimhen got what proved to be the winner in the 69th when he collected a through ball from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and elegantly lobbed keeper Lukasz Skorupski.
Reuters
Lautaro back on goal trail as Inter ease past Salernitana
Oct 16 (Reuters) – Goals by striker Lautaro Martinez and midfielder Nicolo Barella helped Inter Milan ease to a comfortable 2-0 home win over Salernitana in Serie A on Sunday.
Inter, last season’s runners-up, moved up one place to seventh in the standings on 18 points. They are one point behind AS Roma and two adrift of fifth-placed AC Milan who have a game in hand and play at Verona later on Sunday.
“The boys were very concentrated, we played a careful game,” coach Simone Inzaghi told Inter TV.
“I had asked for great concentration after Barcelona and the team was always a team until the 94th minute.
“I look at how they were on the pitch, how they helped each other in difficulties and how they took over from the bench. These are positive signs but we must continue on this path that is seeing us grow”.
Inter opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Lautaro, who lashed a shot from outside the box and the ball bounced in front of Salernitana keeper Luigi Sepe before finding the bottom corner.
The Argentine striker netted his fourth Serie A goal of the campaign after five matches without scoring.
Edin Dzeko could have doubled the hosts’ lead just after the half hour mark but hesitated too long to take a shot, allowing the defenders to make a successful block.
Salernitana’s Poland striker Krzysztof Piatek challenged Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana on the edge of the box in search of an equaliser, but the Cameroonian reacted quickly to claw the ball away for a corner just before halftime.
Inter, who last season won both matches against Salernitana 5-0, had an opportunity to make it 2-0 but Lautaro’s close-range effort did not beat the alert goalkeeper.
Barella doubled the hosts’ advantage at the San Siro in the 58th minute, controlling the ball superbly in the box and placing a shot into the bottom right corner.
Both Lautaro and Barella were also on target in Inter’s 3-3 draw at Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek which put Inzaghi’s side close to sealing their spot in the last 16.
Salernitana coach Davide Nicola said his side did better than in last week’s game, a 2-1 home win over Verona.
“Today we were facing a different opponent, of high quality, it was important to put in a performance like that, organised defensively without giving up the restart,” he said.
“We can do better in some situations but it doesn’t worry me, with work we will get there.”
Inter travel to Fiorentina on Saturday while Salernitana, who remained 12th on 10 points, host Spezia.
Other Serie A Results:
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
Reuters
