Milan eye Europe return after draw with Napoli
ROME: AC Milan kept their hopes of European football alive on Sunday with a 2-2 draw at Napoli that leaves them with a strong chance of reaching the Europa League.
Franck Kessie’s penalty 17 minutes from time gave Milan a battling point in Naples after Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Dries Mertens had put the hosts deservedly ahead with an hour gone.
The draw leaves Napoli in sixth place and the final Europa League spot, but as Gennaro Gattuso’s side have already qualified for the competition’s group stage by winning the Italian Cup, seventh place currently offers a place into the qualifying rounds.
Milan, who are two points and one place behind Napoli, are favourites to take the third spot in the Europa, although eighth-placed Sassuolo look keen for continental football despite being four points further back.
“When you get results and put in strong performances against this kind of opponent, it really boosts your confidence,” said Milan coach Stefano Pioli.
SEVILLA CLOSER TO UCL
Sevilla closed in on Champions League qualification by beating struggling Real Mallorca 2-0 at home to open up a nine-point gap in the race for fourth spot in La Liga on Sunday.
Lucas Ocampos opened the scoring with a first-half penalty while Youssef En Nesyri sealed the victory late on, latching on to a long punt from goalkeeper Bono and barging past a defender to lift the ball over Mallorca goalkeeper Manolo Reina.
Sevilla have 66 points after 36 games and will clinch their return to the UCL after a two-year absence if Villarreal failed to beat Real Sociedad last night.
SERIE A RESULTS
Genoa 2 (Pandev 24, Schone 54) SPAL 0 Cagliari 0 Lecce 0
Fiorentina 1 (Cutrone 90+6) Verona 1 (Faraone 18) Parma 2 (Kurtic 90+3, Inglese 90+5) Bologna 2 (Danilo 3, Soriano 16)
Udinese 1 (Lasagna 37) Sampdoria 3 (Quagliarella 45+1, Bonazzoli 84, Gabbiadini 90+4)
Napoli 2 (Di Lorenzo 34, Mertens 60) AC Milan 2 (Hernandez 20, Kessie 73-pen)
LA LIGA RESULTS
Espanyol 0 Eibar 2 (Exposito 25-pen, 36) Levante 1 (Bardhi 71) Athletic Bilbao 2 (Raul Garcia 4, 45+1)
Leganes 1 (Perez 18-pen) Valencia 0
Sevilla 2 (Ocampos 41-pen, En-Nesyri 84) Real Mallorca 0