MILAN, Italy — Inter Milan solidified its grip on the Serie A title race with a commanding 2-0 victory over Atalanta, one of its primary competitors. The win helped Inter extend its lead at the top of the table, now sitting three points ahead of second-place Napoli and six points clear of third-place Atalanta. Earlier in the day, Napoli was held to a goalless stalemate by Venezia, who are battling relegation.
The race for the final Champions League qualification spot remains fiercely competitive, with a mere six points dividing six teams vying for fourth place. Juventus suffered another setback in this fight, succumbing to a 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina.
In the highly anticipated clash in Bergamo, the stakes were high, with Atalanta knowing a victory would allow them to match Inter and Napoli on points. Both teams created numerous opportunities in an engaging opening 45 minutes. Inter came close to scoring early when Marcus Thuram’s effort struck the right post after a slick interplay with teammate Lautaro Martinez. On the opposite end, Inter’s goalkeeper, Yann Sommer, executed a remarkable save by tipping over Mario Pasalic’s header.
Inter finally broke the deadlock in the 54th minute after a brief interruption as a fan received medical attention. Carlos Augusto capitalized on a well-delivered corner, heading home his third goal for Inter, immediately putting his team ahead. Lautaro Martinez thought he had added a second for Inter, but the referee disallowed it due to a foul. In the dying stages, Atalanta’s hopes were dashed as midfielder Éderson was sent off after a second yellow card for dissent. Six minutes from the end, Martinez secured the win for Inter, while Atalanta’s coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, joined the dismissals after protesting. Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni also received his second yellow, resulting in his expulsion.
Napoli faced frustration as they recorded another draw, this time against Venezia. Despite early pressure, including a fourth-minute strike from Giacomo Raspadori that hit the post, Napoli couldn’t break through. Venezia, too, had chances, notably three minutes before halftime, with Napoli’s Alex Meret denying Kike Pérez and Amir Rrahmani clearing Daniel Fila’s follow-up off the line. On the brink of halftime, a header by Romelu Lukaku was thwarted by Venezia’s Ionut Radu with an impressive save. Despite a resilient performance, Venezia’s point keeps them five points shy of safety, extending their streak of draws to four.
Meanwhile, Juventus’s coach Thiago Motta faces intensified scrutiny as his team has been unable to find the net while conceding seven times in their last two games. Fiorentina’s goals from Robin Gosens, Rolando Mandragora, and Albert Guðmundsson widened the points gap and exacerbated Juventus’s plight. The Italian giants’ season is spiraling downwards, having recently suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Atalanta and being eliminated from both the Champions League and the Italian Cup.
In another development, Bologna climbed into fourth place after a convincing 5-0 triumph over Lazio, while Roma secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Cagliari to remain in the hunt for European places.
