Serie A – Sports Africa

Fiorentina beats Juventus to qualify for Conference League playoffs

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Fiorentina booked a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League play-offs after beating a lacklustre Juventus side 2-0 in the final round of Serie A on Saturday.

Juve had secured fourth place before Saturday’s match. Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala who are set to leave at end of the season started in the final game while youngster Fabio Miretti stood in the middle of the park.

The Bianconeri only had 33% ball possession and managed one attempt throughout the game, the sub-par performance from Juve allowed the Viola to claim the victory at ease with Alfred Duncan’s rocket and Nico Gonzalez’s penalty.

The win, coupled with Atalanta’s 1-0 defeat, saw Fiorentina qualify for the Conference League play-offs while La Dea out of the Europa battles.

Elsewhere, Lazio locked the fifth place after a 3-3 thriller with Hellas Verona while already-relegated Genoa finished the season with a 1-0 home defeat to Bologna.

Roma beat Torino to qualify for next season’s Europa League

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AS Roma has booked a ticket to next season’s Europa League after edging Torino 3-0 away in a Serie A tie played on Friday night.

Six-placed Roma was one point ahead of Fiorentina before the last round and a victory was enough for Jose Mourinho’s side to book a place at the Europa League stage.

The Giallorossi took the lead in the 32nd minute as Torino players gave the ball away cheaply. Lorenzo Pellegrini assisted for Tammy Abraham whose mazy run allowed him to finish with a low strike.

Torino made another howler before the interval as Ricardo Rodriguez’s back-pass was too weak, forcing goalkeeper Etrit Berisha to trip down Abraham. The England hitman converted the penalty to bag a brace.

The away side sealed the win in the 77th minute with another spot-kick, when Nicolo Zaniolo was dragged down in the box. Pellegrini stepped up to score the last goal for Roma in this season’s domestic league.

Roma’s task is still unfinished, as La Lupa will take on Feyenoord in the Conference League Final on Wednesday.

AC Milan inch closer to Serie A title with Atalanta win

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AC Milan edged closer to sealing this season’s Italian Serie A title after beating Atalanta 2:0 on Sunday.

AC Milan went into the San Siro with a two-point advantage over second-placed Inter Milan, while Atalanta were still fighting for a spot in the European places.

Milan’s last victory against Atalanta on home turf was in 2014, followed by four draws and three defeats.

Both sides failed to create genuine chances in the first half, and Milan striker Olivier Giroud was booked for dissent after his penalty appeal was rejected.

The home side threw on Junior Messias in the 54th minute, and made an impact almost with his first touch as his long pass over the top found Rafael Leao, who resisted a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge to finish with a low strike.

The Diavolo sealed the win 20 minutes later in sensational style, when Theo Hernandez started a move from his own half to surge forward and ride tackles before sending the ball to the bottom corner.

Elsewhere, Inter Milan kept their Scudetto hopes alive as Matteo Darmian’s opener and Lautaro Martinez’s brace saw the Nerazzurri beat Cagliari 3-1.

The title winners will be decided in the final round as AC Milan visit Sassuolo, while Inter Milan host Sampdoria. One point would secure the Rossoneri their first Serie A title since 2011, due to their superior head-to-head record.

Napoli secured third place after crushing Genoa 3-0. Lorenzo Insigne, who is leaving for Toronto FC this summer, waved goodbye to Napoli fans in his last match at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, while Genoa follow Venezia to drop into Serie B after 15 years in the top flight.

Also on Sunday, Sassuolo sailed away with a 3-1 victory over Bologna.

Tonali’s brace takes AC Milan back to Serie A summit

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Sandro Tonali’s double on his birthday helped AC Milan come from behind to beat Hellas Verona 3-1 to retain their Serie A top spot on Sunday.

The pressure was on the Rossoneri after Inter Milan temporarily moved to the top with a 4-2 victory over Empoli on Friday.

Tonali had the ball into the net in the 14th minute but it was flagged offside before Verona went ahead in the 37th minute when Marco Davide Faraoni steered his head into the net.

Milan got back on level terms before the interval when Rafael Leao beat his marker and broke into the box to assist for Tonali to tap in.

It was destined to be the day for Tonali as he turned the game around straight after the break almost with the same style when Leao sprinted down the left to roll across for the Italian international to turn in.

The Diavolo sealed the win in the closing stage as Alessandro Florenzi unleashed a missile into the net, minutes after coming off the bench.

With the win, AC Milan went into the final two rounds with 80 points, two points over Inter Milan.

Elsewhere, bottom side Venezia extended its theoretical Serie A hope with a 4-3 thriller over Bologna, Atalanta won Spezia 3-1 away, Salernitana tied with Cagliari 1-1.

Napoli seal third place in Serie A

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Napoli beat Torino 1-0 to go third with four points above fourth placed Juventus in Italian Serie A on Saturday.

The Partenopei was fresh from a 6-1 mauling over Sassuolo and had secured the spot in next season’s Champions League.

After a goalless tie, Napoli should have opened the scoring account on the hour mark, but captain Lorenzo Insigne’s penalty was parried away by Etrit Berisha. Fabian Ruiz covered the mistake later as his deflected strike helped the away side finally get the better of the Toro.

With the win, Napoli now amasses 73 points, and still has the theoretical hope to win the Serie A title.

Elsewhere, a pair of strikes from Patric and Luis Alberto surged Lazio to beat Sampdoria 2-0, while Sassuolo tied with Udinese 1-1.

Leao’s late strike moves AC Milan closer to Serie A title

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Rafael Leao capitalised on Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano’s error to hand AC Milan a 1-0 victory, helping the Rossoneri move one more step to their first Serie A title in 11 years.

AC Milan entered San Siro with a two-point advantage on top of the table. Zlatan Ibrahimovic started the game on the bench, while Olivier Giroud led the three-forward line flanked by Leao and Junior Messias.

The Diavolo was more aggressive and created a couple of chances but couldn’t find the net until the 81st minute when Terracciano passed straight to Leao, who surged forward to finish with a curler.

Elsewhere, a pair of strikes from Ivan Perisic and Lautaro Martinez saw Inter Milan sail away with a 2-1 victory over Udinese.

With three rounds left, AC Milan ranks first with 77 points, two points clear of second-placed Inter Milan on top of a superior head-to-head record.

Also on Sunday, Leonardo Bonucci celebrated his 35th birthday with a perfect brace, helping Juventus survive from a home scare to beat Venezia 2-1.

The win, coupled with Roma’s goalless tie with Bologna, allowed Juve to secure a top-four finish on the table and join two Milanese clubs, Napoli to participate next season’s UEFA Champions League.

In Sunday’s other fixture, Andrea Belotti came off the bench to complete a hat-trick, boosting Torino to come from behind to beat Empoli 3-1.

Napoli crush Sassuolo to end winless run in Serie A

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Napoli bounced back to their winning ways after crushing Sassuolo 6-1 at home in Serie A on Saturday.

Third-placed Napoli was practically out of the race for the Serie A title after two defeats and one draw in the past three games.

However, the Partenopei ran riots from the beginning of the match and was up by four goals after 21 minutes thanks to Kalidou Koulibaly, Victor Osimhen, Hirving Lozano and Dries Mertens.

Napoli showed no mercy after the break as Mertens and Amir Rrahmani added another two, while Maxime Lopez only scored a consolation goal for Sassuolo in the closing stage.

With the win, Napoli still ranks third with 70 points, two points off Inter Milan who visits Udinese on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Lazio completed a dramatic win as it trailed behind three times but eventually pulled off a 4-3 victory over Spezia, with Francesco Acerbi scoring the winner in the dying minutes.

Also on Saturday, Hellas Verona won 2-1 at Cagliari, Sampdoria claimed the Derby della Lanterna after a 1-0 win over Genoa.

Juventus edge Sassuolo to keep top three hopes alive

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Juventus completed a commendable comeback to beat Sassuolo 2-1 in a Serie A fixture played on Monday.

A pair of strikes from Paulo Dybala and Moise Kean pushed the Bianconeri closer to third place.

Juve entered Allianz Stadium without Manuel Locatelli, Juan Cuadrado, Arthur Melo, and Federico Chiesa, while Matthijs De Ligt and Dusan Vlahovic started the game from the bench.

The away side went ahead in the 38th minute after a great team move which allowed Giacomo Raspadori to burst away the defender to drill home from a tight angle.

Juve responded quickly to get back on level terms before the interval when Sassuolo was caught napping in its own field, and Denis Zakaria set up for Dybala to finish with a trademark left-footed curler.

As the game seemed to be all square, Juve scored the winner in the closing stage, when Leonardo Bonucci’s long pass was nodded for Kean, who broke into the box to smash in an angled drive.

The win, coupled with Napoli’s frustrating 3-2 defeat to Empoli, saw Juve move within a point of the Partenopei in third place.

Inter overpower Roma in Serie A

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Defending champions Inter Milan proved too strong for AS Roma with a 3-1 victory over Jose Mourinho’s side in a Serie A tie played on Saturday.

Mourinho, who steered the Nerazzurri to win the treble in 2010, made his first return to San Siro to face his old club as a Serie A opponent, and was warmly welcomed by the home fans.

However, the home side turned relentless on the pitch as it broke the deadlock in the 30th minute as Hakan Calhanoglu’s inspirational pass sent Denzel Dumfries clear, the Dutchman outpaced his marker to beat an on-rushing Rui Patricio.

Inter doubled the lead in the 39th minute when Marcelo Brozovic gathered the ball in the box, before cutting inside to smash in from a relatively tight angle.

Lautaro Martinez sealed the win for Inter seven minutes after the break when the Argentinean headed in Calhanoglu’s corner.

Roma only scored a consolation goal in the dying minutes when Henrikh Mkhitaryan hit in a missile on Eldor Shomurodov’s assist.

With a game in hand, Inter Milan climbed to the top of the table with 72 points, one ahead of second-placed AC Milan who visits Lazio on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Atalanta ended losing-streak by winning over Venezia 3-1 away, Torino edged past Spezia 2-1, Hellas Verona tied with Sampdoria 1-1

AC Milan conquer Roma in 2022 Serie A opener

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AC Milan got its 2022 campaign off to a good start, as it dominated Roma 3-1 at San Siro on Thursday.

A slew of concurrent affairs had stripped the Rossoneri to bare-bones as it missed nearly 10 players due to Covid-19, injuries and Africa Cup of Nations duty, but it had Zlatan Ibrahimovic back into action.

The home side took a dream start just minutes into the game as Tammy Abraham had a handball in the box, Olivier Giroud turned up to convert it.

Milan doubled its lead in the 17th minute, Giroud was involved again as the French hitman intercepted Roger Ibanez’s wayward pass to hit the post before Junior Messias followed to pounce on the rebound.

Roma pulled one goal back on the stroke of halftime when Lorenzo Pellegrini’s attempt took a slight deflection off Abraham to wrong-foot Milan’s goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

The Giallorossi was one player down in the 74th minute when Rick Karsdorp saw red after his second bookable offense, minutes before Ibrahimovic’s assist sent Rafael Leao clear to drill home.

Roma’s situation went from bad to worse in the dying minutes as it reduced to nine players when Gianluca Mancini also collected his second yellow card after he mistimed his tackle on a rushing Leao in the box, but Ibrahimovic saw his penalty denied by Rui Patricio.

With the win, AC Milan still sits second, one point off city-rivals Inter Milan whose Thursday’s game against Bologna was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also on Thursday, Juventus shared the spoils at 1-1 with Napoli, Dries Mertens gave the Partenopei a 1-0 lead, but Federico Chiesa’s deflected strike helped the Bianconeri avoid a home defeat.

Elsewhere, Lazio fought back from 2-0 down to settle for a 3-3 tie against Empoli, Cagliari won Sampdoria 2-1 away, Hellas Verona beat Spezia 2-1, Sassuolo drew with Genoa 1-1.

Due to a rising tide of Covid-19 infections, another three fixtures including Atalanta vs Torino, Fiorentina vs Udinese and Salernitana vs Venezia were temporarily canceled.

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