Higuain brace takes Juve closer to 6th straight title
Zapata strikes late as Milan salvage derby draw
MILAN, April 15, (AFP): Cristian Zapata hit a dramatic late leveller as AC Milan snatched a 2-2 draw with Inter Milan at the San Siro on Saturday in the city’s first Chineseowned derby.
Long-suffering Milan fans had reason to feel positive on Easter weekend after the club was taken over by Chinese-led consortium Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux two days ago in a multi-million euro deal.
But until Zapata’s bundled effort hit the crossbar and bounced over the line following a corner in the seventh minute of added-on time, the Rossoneri were on their way to defeat.
Despite a brilliant start from Vincenzo Montella’s visitors to the clubs’ shared ground — Carlos Bacca firing just over and on-loan Everton man Gerard Deulofeu hitting the upright in the opening minutes — Inter were more clinical when it mattered.
Antonio Candreva did well to hold off his marker and chip a long ball past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma on 36 minutes.
Inter captain Mauro Icardi had the hosts 2-0 up on 44 minutes when he strolled in unmarked to poke Ivan Perisic’s cross past the 18-year-old goalkeeper.
Inter, owned by Chinese group Suning since June 2016, had further chances early in the second half and although keeper Samir Handanovic was decisive more than once, the big Slovenian was left stranded when Alessio Romagnoli met Suso’s cross at the back post to hit what initially seemed a late consolation on 83 minutes.
Inter looked nevertheless to be heading for a win that would have taken them up to sixth, one point ahead of Milan as both clubs fight for a Europa League place.
But Nerazzurri hopes were dashed when Bacca got on the end of Suso’s corner to set up Zapata for a messy winner bundled home from a tight angle.
“We kept on pushing till the end and maybe we were a little bit lucky, but when you consider Inter were lucky to level late in our last derby, we feel we deserved the draw,” said Montella.
“Our first half hour was good, we created chances, but we weren’t clinical enough. At this level you have to be clinical when you get two or three chances.”
Gonzalo Higuain’s brace sent Juventus eight points clear in Serie A with a 2-0 win at struggling Pescara on Saturday, and relaunched his bid for another top scorer’s award.
Argentina striker Higuain, who hit a new league record of 36 goals for Napoli last season, now only trails Roma’s Edin Dzeko and Andrea Belotti of Torino by two goals in the ‘Capocannoniere’ race.
After successive braces last week over Cup and league duty that kept the Turin giants on course for a third consecutive double, Higuain was on target again at the Adriatic Stadium.
He wrapped up the match before half-time after finishing off good work by Juan Cuadrado in the 23rd minute before beating Vincenzo Fiorillo in the hosts’ net from Mario Mandzukic’s knock-down just before the interval.
Roma’s 1-1 draw at home to Atalanta — with Dzeko levelling Jasmin Kurtic’s 22nd minute strike five minutes after the restart — allowed Juventus to extend their lead as they target a record sixth consecutive scudetto.
The only blip for Massimiliano Allegri’s men was seeing Argentina forward Paulo Dybala, who hit a brace in the 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Barcelona in midweek, limp off with an ankle injury four days before the second leg at the Camp Nou.
“Dybala took a knock, but there’s reason to remain optimistic,” Allegri told Premium Sport.
“In Barcelona, we need courage, lucidity and, above all, the desire to hit the back of the net.”
As far as another Serie A title is concerned, Allegri is taking nothing for granted with six games remaining. “Roma, on paper, can still get to 90 points. So we need to reach at least 91,” added Allegri, whose side sit on 80 from 32 games.
Roma’s slip-up at the Stadio Olimpico was not a huge surprise given Atalanta are enjoying their best season to date as the men from Bergamo defiantly look to deny AC Milan and Inter Milan a place in the Europa League.
But, with a ninth runner-up place since they last won the scudetto in 2001 looming, Roma’s grip on second is under pressure from Napoli, who trailed by five points before hosting Udinese later on Saturday.
“We’re going to have to work hard to keep Napoli at bay. They’re a top side,” said Roma coach Luciano Spalletti.
Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini was missing influential playmaker Papu Gomez, fellow forward Leonardo Spinazzola and goalkeeper Etrit Berisha for the visit to the capital. But they took the lead when Andrea Conti dribbled past Antonio Rudiger down the left flank and crossed for Kurtic to beat Wojciech Szczesny from 15 yards with a low volley.
A limpid Roma resumed in move positive fashion after the break and when Mohamed Salah knocked a Mario Rui ball over the top for Dzeko, the Bosnian flirted with offside before turning in from five yards.
The hosts spurned several great chances — Daniele De Rossi hitting the woodwork with a spectacular bicycle-kick from a corner and Radja Nainggolan firing a drive off the underside of the crossbar.
Spalletti indicated the title chase is all but over: “Now, we’ll try to consolidate second place.”
Elsewhere, Lazio’s hopes of challenging Napoli for the third Champions League spot were tempered by a 2-2 draw at Genoa, where Luis Alberto hit a last-gasp leveller for Simone Inzaghi’s men.
Lazio remain fourth, six points behind Napoli and one ahead of Atalanta.