Inter wins 1-0 against Juventus, while Napoli defeats Atalanta to take the lead in Serie A
Inter Milan has put an end to its dismal form in the greatest conceivable way, defeating arch rival Juventus 1-0 to improve its Serie A title ambitions while putting its opponent’s hopes in jeopardy.
Inter Milan halted its dismal trend in the greatest possible way by defeating arch rival Juventus 1-0 on Sunday, boosting its Serie A title ambitions while jeopardising its opponent’s.
In first-half stoppage time, Hakan Calhanoglu converted a penalty on the second attempt. Inter came to within three points of leaders AC Milan and Napoli, who won 3-1 at Atalanta earlier in the day.
Inter had only won one of its previous seven league matches, although having played less games than most of its title competitors.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi stated, “It’s a key step since we’re currently chasing the others and we want to stay up there with Milan and Napoli.”
“We realise we’ve dropped points, and we want to make up for it in the next eight games.”
In one of the Bianconeri’s best matches of the season, Juventus hit the crossbar twice and had 23 shots to Inter’s five, but still stayed fourth and four points behind Inter.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri stated, “It was a good Juventus performance, we’re developing, and I’m satisfied.” “However, we can now state categorically that Juventus is no longer in contention for the title.”
“We have to attempt to gain as many points as possible to keep fourth place and prepare ready to try to win the championship next year.”
On Monday, AC Milan will face Bologna.
The Derby d’Italia is typically fiercely contested, but Juventus knew it had a chance to leapfrog Inter in what has turned into a compelling title chase.
Juventus had gone 16 games without losing in the league and got off to a fast start in Turin, with three early chances to grab the lead, including Giorgio Chiellini hitting the underside of the crossbar.
On the stroke of halftime, Inter broke the deadlock after Juventus forward Alvaro Morata fouled Denzel Dumfries just inside the box. After evaluating the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Massimiliano Irrati awarded the penalty.
Calhanoglu’s first effort was saved by Wojciech Szczesny, but it was ordered to be retaken due to encroachment following another VAR assessment, and the Inter attacker buried his second chance into the bottom left corner.
In the second half, Juventus had the better of the opportunities but were thwarted by sloppy finishing and brilliant saves by Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, who also deflected a Denis Zakaria shot onto the post.
SUPER INTELLIGENT
Napoli drew level with Milan at the top of the standings as Lorenzo Insigne scored and set up another goal.
Insigne, who will leave Napoli at the end of the season to join Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC, scored a penalty and assisted on a Matteo Politano volley to give Napoli a comfortable halftime lead.
Marten de Roon restored Atalanta’s lead in the 58th minute, but Eljif Elmas secured the victory nine minutes later after a quick counterattack as the hosts laid siege to the Napoli goal.
On a head-to-head basis, Napoli trails Milan.
Atalanta’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League for the fourth consecutive season appear to be dwindling, as the club stood eight points behind Juventus.
After a 1-0 win against struggling Sampdoria, Jose Mourinho’s Roma pulled within five points of the top four.
HAT HACK
Beto scored three goals to help Udinese beat Cagliari 5-1 in a relegation battle.
Udinese increased their lead above the relegation zone to 11 points. Cagliari remains three points above the relegation zone despite the dismissal of midfielder Alberto Grassi.
Fiorentina defeated Empoli 1-0 thanks to a free kick from Nicolas Gonzalez, who scored seconds after Sebastiano Luperto was sent off for a second yellow card.
