Napoli won 2-1 against AC Milan on Sunday, staying three points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan. Antonio Conte’s team took the lead in the first minute when Matteo Politano scored a powerful low shot. Romelu Lukaku added another goal in the 19th minute, marking his 400th career goal. This victory was crucial for Napoli as their only remaining tough match is against Bologna.
Unlike Inter, Napoli does not have any European or Italian Cup matches left. This allows them to focus only on winning the league title.
“We take one game at a time,” Politano told DAZN. “We believe in ourselves and want to make our fans happy.”
Milan Struggles Despite Late Goal
AC Milan missed Ruben Loftus-Cheek due to appendicitis and played poorly in the first half. After halftime, Rafael Leao and Santiago Gimenez improved Milan’s play. Gimenez missed a penalty in the 69th minute after Philip Billing fouled Theo Hernandez. Luka Jovic scored for Milan with six minutes left, but it was too late to change the result.
Milan remains in ninth place, nine points away from Champions League qualification. They will face Inter in the Italian Cup semi-final on Wednesday and Fiorentina next weekend.
Coach Sergio Conceicao admitted his team started too slowly. “The first pass forward led to their goal. We fixed things in the second half and created many chances. A draw would have been fair,” he said.
Inter Wins but Looks Nervous
Inter Milan won 2-1 against Udinese with early goals from Marko Arnautovic and Davide Frattesi. However, they nearly lost their lead when Oumar Solet scored for Udinese in the 71st minute. Coach Simone Inzaghi was unhappy with his team’s performance and was sent off after arguing with the referee.
Inter faces a difficult month with matches against Milan in the Italian Cup, Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and league games against Bologna and Roma.
“We stopped playing at a certain point,” Inzaghi said. “We must stay focused.”
Atalanta’s Title Hopes End
Inter’s win also hurt Atalanta’s chances of winning the league. Atalanta lost 1-0 to Fiorentina and is now nine points behind the leaders. Moise Kean scored for Fiorentina just before halftime after stealing the ball from Isak Hien.
“We lacked energy and couldn’t trouble Fiorentina,” Atalanta coach Gasperini admitted.
Cagliari Moves Away from Relegation Zone
Cagliari won 3-0 against Monza, moving six points clear of the relegation zone. This victory helps their chances of staying in Serie A next season.
