NAPOLI SHAKEN UP
Simeone fires hat- trick in Fiorentina’s dominant win
Milan, April 30: Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off early as Napoli’s title hopes took a severe knock on Sunday with a Giovanni Simeone hattrick giving Fiorentina a shock 3- 0 win which allows Juventus to close in on the Serie ‘ A’ title.
With just three games left, Juventus have a fourpoint lead and could wrap up a seventh straight league title next weekend.
Koulibaly, the hero who scored the last- gasp header that kept Napoli’s ambitions alive with a 1- 0 win over Juventus in Turin last week, was sent off after just eight minutes.
Argentina forward Simeone — the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone — scored all three goals in a spectacular display to keep Fiorentina’s Europa League hopes alive.
Maurizio Sarri’s side fell four points behind Juventus who battled past 10- man Inter Milan in a 32 San Siro thriller on Saturday night with two late goals in three minutes.
Meanwhile, AC Milan returned to winning ways with a 2- 1 success at Bologna keeping Gennaro Gattuso’s side in the chase for European football next season.
Milan had dropped out of the Europa League places into seventh after a sixgame winless streak including last week’s shock defeat to bottom club Benevento.
But first- half goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Giacomo Bonaventura ensured Milan — one point behind sixth- placed Atalanta, who beat Genoa 3- 1 — keep touch with the Europa League places.
“It was not easy after the week we’ve just had, the tension inside Milanello after the defeat to Benevento,” said Gattuso.
“We hadn’t won a match in 40 days and have done everything to complicate life.
“We’ve got to get back on our feet and some players who are struggling physically. We’ve got Verona next, then the Italian Cup final ( May 9) against Juventus and then Atalanta. We can’t drop points,” he added.
Turkish midfielder Calhanoglu, returning from a knee injury, latched onto a Patrick Cutrone cross after 34 minutes to put Milan on front at the Stadio Dall’Ara.
Riccardo Orsolini thought he had equalised for Bologna but the video assistant referee ( VAR) disallowed the goal for a Rodrigo Palacio handball in the build- up.
Bonaventura doubled Milan’s advantage going into the break after poor Bologna defending.
But Milan proved wasteful in the second half with Cutrone and Bonaventura both rattling the woodwork with Sebastien De Maio heading in for Bologna after 73 minutes.
Earlier, In the battle against relegation, SPAL moved out of the bottom three win a 3- 1 win against Verona, who now look destined for the drop.
A late Bacary Sagna goal grabbed a 3- 3 win for Benevento against Udinese, who had looked set to earn a first win under new coach Igor Tudor after a 12- match losing streak cost predecessor Massimo Oddo his job during the week.
Chievo drop into the relegation zone with just three games to play.
Meanwhile, Marcello Trotta and Nigerian forward Simy scored a brace each as Crotone beat Sassuolo 4- 1. — Agencies