Inter beaten again

Napoli end losing streak

MILAN, Oct 23, (AFP): Nikola Kalinic struck a hat-trick and Federico Bernardeschi hit a brace as Fiorentina’s stuttering Serie A season finally took flight with a classy 5-3 win at Cagliari on Sunday.

Elsewhere, 10-man Napoli added to the woes of basement side Crotone with a 2-1 win that reduced their gap on leaders Juventus to four points.

Juventus had opened up a seven-point lead on Napoli last week after Maurizio Sarri’s men were stunned 3-1 at home by Roma.

But Juve’s 1-0 defeat to a resurgent AC Milan at the San Siro on Saturday, when teenaged midfielder Manuel Locatelli beat Gianluigi Buffon with a second-half scorcher, has breathed new life into the early season title race. Not all of Juve’s rivals capitalised, however. Already winless in their past three games, Inter Milan were stunned by a late penalty at Atalanta that gave Gian Piero Gasperini’s hosts their second big scalp three weeks after stunning Napoli 1-0 at home.

Inter invested heavily over the summer and drafted Frank De Boer in to replace Roberto Mancini, but the Nerazzurri have dropped to 14th and are still 10 points off the lead.

Roma host Palermo later Sunday when a win for the capital club would hoist them back up to second place to sit ahead of AC Milan on goals difference.

But on Sunday another potential Juventus troublemaker joined the party.

Despite making up for an opening day defeat to Juve with a 1-0 home win over Roma last month, Fiorentina travelled to Sardinia looking to end a four-game winless streak.

Kalinic