Dzeko double puts Inter in top four, Dybala returns for Roma
Edin Dzeko fired Inter Milan into the top four of Serie A yesterday with a brace in his team’s 3-2 win at Atalanta yesterday, the final day of topflight action before the World Cup. Veteran forward Dzeko struck nine minutes before the break to level Ademola Lookman’s penalty opener for the hosts, and then forced home his sixth league goal of the season 20 minutes later.
Jose Luis Palomino glanced in an own goal an hour into his Atalanta return after being cleared of doping offences, ensuring that Inter moved level on 30 points with second-placed Lazio and AC Milan.
Palomino pulled a goal back with 13 minutes remaining when he headed in at the right end, but Atalanta’s third straight defeat leaves them in sixth, 14 points behind league leaders Napoli.
Inter are 11 points off the pace but will stay in the Champions League positions until January as long as Juventus do not beat Lazio in the final Serie A match of 2022 on Sunday night.
Simone Inzaghi’s team host unbeaten Napoli in their first match after Serie A reconvenes in January following the World Cup and traditional Christmas break as they try to stay in the title race. Both Lazio and champions Milan, who host Fiorentina at the San Siro, can take the end-of-year gap between them and Napoli to eight points with wins in their respective matches.
Paulo Dybala made his first Roma appearance in over a month but it was not a happy return for the Argentina forward despite proving his fitness for the World Cup, as his team drew 1-1 with Torino.
Dybala came on with 20 minutes remaining at the Stadio Olimpico with Roma trailing to Karol Linetty’s 55th minute header and made an almost immediate impact.
The 28-year-old won a stoppage-time penalty which former Torino captain Andrea Belotti smashed off the post. Seconds later Nemanja Matic thumped in a long-range leveller after Dybala’s curling shot crashed off the bar.
Jose Mourinho’s side sit seventh, three points behind Inter in the race for the Champions League spots after another stodgy performance.
Poland international goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski suffered a reported broken ankle in Spezia’s 2-1 win at rock-bottom Verona which has almost certainly means him missing the World Cup.
Monza thumped Salernitana 3-0 to extend the gap between them and the bottom three nine points.