Lukaku pulls Inter eight points clear as Juve, Milan held

MILAN – Romelu Lukaku fired Inter Milan eight
points clear at the top of Serie A on Saturday with the only goal in a 1-0
win at Bologna as title rivals Juventus and AC Milan were both held.

“Winning is a big step forward for us,” said coach Antonio Conte after
second-placed Milan’s challenge faltered in a 1-1 draw with 10-man Sampdoria
while champions Juventus were held 2-2 at city rivals Torino.

Conte’s side stretched their winning run to nine league games as they chase
a first ‘Scudetto’ since 2010, having finished runners-up last season.

“Last year we nearly got there. The closer we get to the finish line, every
victory becomes more important,” added the former Juventus and Chelsea
manager.

Lukaku got his head to an Alessandro Bastoni cross after half an hour and
bundled the ball over the line for his 20th league goal this season after
Bologna’s young goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia had pushed out the initial
strike.

Lautaro Martinez missed a chance for a second five minutes after the break
when he rattled the post.

Inter next play Sassuolo on Wednesday, a match postponed from before the
international break because of a Covid-19 outbreak in the Milan club.

In Turin, Cristiano Ronaldo struck in the 79th minute but couldn’t stop
Juve dropping further points in their bid for a 10th consecutive league
title.

Andrea Pirlo’s side slip to fourth, 12 points behind Inter, and four points
back from Milan, with a game in hand.

“We complicate these games all by ourselves,” lamented Pirlo with his
team’s Champions League qualification also in the balance.

“We must push on, keep giving our all and try to secure our minimum target,
which is qualifying for the Champions League,” said captain Giorgio
Chiellini.

“We have another important match on Wednesday and it’s one we need to win,”
he added of their midweek postponed fixture against European rivals Napoli.

Federico Chiesa had given Juventus the advantage in the 13th minute, but an
Antonio Sanabria brace looked set to give the relegation-threatened hosts
their first derby win in six years.

The Paraguayan nodded in the leveller in the 27th minute after Juve keeper
Wojciech Szczesny had pushed out a long-range Rolando Mandragora effort.

Sanabria struck a second time just after the break when he intercepted a
misplaced Dejan Kulusevksi back pass.

Ronaldo missed two chances before the Serie A top scorer finally got his
24th league goal this campaign following a VAR review when he nodded home
Chiellini’s cross from close range. – ‘No excuses’ for Milan –

Milan’s miserable recent form at the San Siro continued in their draw with
Sampdoria.

A terrible Theo Hernandez pass across midfield in the 57th minute allowed
Sampdoria veteran Fabio Quagliarella to pounce and send a long-range lob over
Gianluigi Donnarumma to claim his 10th goal of the season.

Claudio Ranieri’s mid-table side went a man down just after their goal with
Adrien Silva sent off after picking up a second yellow card.

Substitute Jens Petter Hauge curled in the leveller three minutes from the
end, with Franck Kessie denied a late winner after hitting the woodwork.

“There are no excuses,” said coach Stefano Pioli, whose team’s push for a
first league title in a decade has been hampered by just two wins from eight
home games in the league in 2021.

“Inter have the Scudetto (league title) in their hands. It’s theirs to
lose.”

Atalanta are two points behind Milan in third after a 3-2 win over against
Udinese which came thanks to a first-half Luis Muriel brace and Duvan Zapata
adding a third after the hour mark in Bergamo.

Napoli claimed their fourth consecutive win, but not without a battle from
bottom side Crotone who lost a dramatic contest 4-3.

Three goals in 33 minutes from Lorenzo Insigne, Victor Osimhen and Dries
Mertens looked to have sealed victory early for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.

However Crotone fought back to 3-3 largely thanks to a double from Nigerian
Simy the 25th and 48th minutes.

But Giovanni Di Lorenzo made sure the home side did take the win with his
72nd-minute strike.

Roma stretched their winless run to a three matches with a 2-2 stalemate at
Sassuolo.BSS/AFP