Inter ‘play perfectly’ to blank rival AC Milan as Roma, Napoli also fall
INTER Milan coach Antonio Conte hailed a game “played to perfection” as Lautaro Martinez scored a double, with Romelu Lukaku also on target in a 3-0 win over city rivals AC Milan to extend their lead at the top of Serie A on February 21.
Inter opened up a four-point lead over their second-placed opponents Milan as Conte’s side target a first league title since their unprecedented treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010.
“Credit to the lads, they put in an extraordinary performance, carried out to perfection,” said Conte, bidding to end his former club Juventus’s quest for a 10th consecutive league title.
In third, Roma were held to a goalless draw at 15thplaced Benevento, giving Juventus, who are 11 points off top spot, the chance to move third against rock bottom Crotone on February 22.
Roma are five points adrift of Milan with both teams going head-to-head in Rome next weekend.
Behind, in a match for fourth place, Napoli crashed 4-2 at Atalanta with Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen stretched off and hospitalised overnight after losing consciousness following a knock to his head.
In the San Siro, Lukaku was on top form, the Belgian playing a role in Martinez’s two goals on five and 57 minutes before scoring his 17th goal in the league this season to move top of the Serie A scorers’ chart.
Milan, chasing a first Scudetto
since 2011, fell to backto-back Serie A losses for the first time this season.
“We’ve suffered a lot this year,” said Martinez.
“Two eliminations in the Italian Cup and the Champions League, this is the only goal we have left and we’re fighting for that.”
The match was played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that did not stop thousands of fans gathering outside the stadium.
It was the third derby of the season, with Milan winning the first 2-1 in the league, and Inter the Italian Cup quarter-final by the same
scoreline, a game overshadowed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lukaku squaring off and trading insults.
Despite the restrictions supporters waited for the team buses to arrive, waving flags and singing, setting off smoke bombs, before the teams entered the stadium.
“The welcome the fans gave us at the stadium gave us goosebumps,” said Conte.
The former Chelsea manager warned against complacency against their next opponents, 11th-placed Genoa and lowly Parma.
“Psychologically, I dread these two games, that’s where we’ll have to show that we
have passed a milestone.
“These two games will say a lot about what we can do.”
‘Tough week’
Inter were fresher with Milan coming off a 2-2 Europa League midweek draw at Red Star Belgrade.
Lukaku powered down the right flank in the opening minutes. Milan defender Simon Kjaer blocked his initial cross, but the ball returned to the Belgian for a perfect delivery for Martinez to nod home.
Ibrahimovic threated with a back-heel flick after quarter of an hour following a scramble in the box but Samir Handanovic kept it out, the Inter keeper also pulling off a double save from the Swede after the break.
But Martinez broke through again, finishing off an Ivan Perisic pull-back from the byline in a move started by Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.
Donnarumma denied Lukaku minutes later but the former Manchester United striker then burst through to score the third.
“A striker depends on the team’s performance,” said Milan coach Stefano Pioli of Ibrahimovic who limped off with calf cramps with 15 minutes to go.
“It was a tough week, the worst one of the season.”
In Bergamo, Atalanta moved fourth at the expense of Napoli in a game where all six goals came in the second half.
Colombian pair Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata both scored for the hosts with Robin Gosens scoring for his side and also an own-goal for Napoli, with Cristian Romero nodding in the fourth.
The match finished in confusion after Osimhen hit his head on the ground after a Romero challenge in stoppage time.
The 22-year-old was hospitalised overnight under observation for head trauma, the team said.
Napoli are now seventh, three points behind Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League place.
Roma meanwhile failed to take advantage against 10man Benevento who played half an hour a man down after Kamil Glik’s sending off.
The capital side were also denied a late penalty which was awarded and then overruled after a VAR viewing.
NOVAK Djokovic said his ninth Australian Open title came after one of the toughest tournaments of his career, with a muscle-tear injury that is still “not healed” and attacks from the media and public.
Despite the challenges, the world number one snuffed out the threat from in-form Russian Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 to reinforce his status as the king of Melbourne Park and collect his 18th Grand Slam crown.
But there were numerous hurdles to jump, not least having to quarantine for 14 days and the negative reaction to a letter he wrote to Tennis Australia pre-tournament which was interpreted as a “petulant and selfish” list of demands.
“I think emotionally it was one of the hardest tournaments that I’ve ever had, to be honest,” the Serbian top seed told Australia’s Channel Nine on February 21.
“We had quarantine and a lot of things happening in the media, then the letter that I wrote as ideas and recommendations that I got for players was misinterpreted as a list of demands. Then the next thing I was persona non grata here in this country.
“So it was tough dealing with all of this and then getting injured in the third round,” he added of the abdominal tear that almost forced him to pull out.
“It was a rollercoaster ride . . . I think it makes it even sweeter for me and a lot of positives from this tournament without a doubt.”
His coach Goran Ivanisevic said
the criticisms Djokovic had to deal were unfair.
“Actually he needed this victory so badly. There is somebody upstairs who see all this unfairness with a lot of media and people they doing to him,” he said.
“He tried to help the players,” he
added of the contentious letter. “Again, it’s only him. It’s his fault, like everybody else attacking him. Nobody else to attack, so let’s attack Novak.”
Djokovic sustained his injury during his third-round clash against Taylor Fritz.
After refusing to reveal the nature of the injury during the tournament, he said on February 21 that it was an abdominal muscle tear.
“It’s a muscle tear . . . I went for an MRI and it showed a tear,” he said. “I understand people question whether there was a tear – but there is. For me it was obviously a huge obstacle and challenge.
“I guess we’re all different. I have maybe a great ability to heal. I don’t know. I just manage somehow with pills and painkillers and stuff.”
The nine-time Australian Open champion revealed he spent 10 out of 14 waking hours on the physio’s table at one stage for treatment.
“It’s not healed up. I’m going to go for another MRI tomorrow before I travel. I’m definitely going to take some time off. I don’t know how long it’s going to take,” he said.
“But you know my whole energy and focus was here in Australia. If there was a tournament where I want to risk any more damage, and try my hardest to battle, it’s here, it’s a Grand Slam.”
Djokovic’s win over Medvedev strengthened his hold on world number one, where he will mark his 311th week when the new rankings come out on February 22, surpassing Federer’s record of 310.
“I managed to achieve this historic number one. It seems unreal but of course I am very, very happy and proud of that,” he said, adding that he has not committed to any tournaments so far after Australia.
“My focus now is the Slams, that’s where I want to shine. I know age is just a number but we have to also see things realistically, I am not 22 any more.
“So I’m going to have to deal with the schedule and the calendar in a different way so I peak at the right time at the Slams.”