Substitute Khouma Babacar scored in stoppage-time to give ACF Fiorentina a controversial 2-1 win over 10-man Inter in the battle for third place in Serie A, while AC Milan boosted their bid for the final UEFA Champions League spot with a 2-1 win over Genoa on Sunday.
Fiorentina moved up to third, while Milan are sixth after Keisuke Honda scored one goal and helped set up another as his side extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches.
In Florence, Borja Valero canceled out Marcelo Brozovic’s opener for Inter and Babacar scored the winner just minutes after coming on, following a harsh second yellow card for Inter’s Alex Telles.
Photo: AP
“It’s a win which gives us so much encouragement,” Valero said. “It always gives you a really great push, against a team like this, like Inter, but we should remain calm, we still have so many games ahead and we will continue to do what we are doing, because we are doing well. The team never gives up and we showed that today, too.”
Fiorentina forward Mauro Zarate was sent off in stoppage-time for grabbing Jeison Murillo by the back of the neck, while Inter midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia was shown a red card after the final whistle for sarcastically applauding the referee.
Inter refused to speak to the media after the match. Roberto Mancini’s side have won just one of their past seven Serie A matches, dropping from first place to fifth.
Photo: AP
It was a better day for Inter’s city rivals, with Milan going seven matches unbeaten for the first time since April 2013.
“If we continue like this we can fight for a Champions League spot,” AC Milan manager Sinisa Mihajlovic said.
Also on Sunday, Torino won 3-1 at US Citta di Palermo as Ciro Immobile scored twice; Bologna won 1-0 at Udinese with a late goal from Mattia Destro; and UC Sampdoria and Atalanta BC drew 0-0.
Photo: EPA
Fiorentina started the brighter and only Telles’ goal-line clearance prevented Josip Ilicic from firing the hosts in front, but it was Inter who took the lead in the 26th minute, against the run of play, when Rodrigo Palacio pulled the ball back for the unmarked Brozovic to fire into the roof of the net.
Fiorentina leveled on the hour mark when Murillo could only nod Ilicic’s cross on for Valero, who scored with a diving header into the bottom-left corner.
The home fans called for a penalty four minutes later after a handball by Telles, but the referee waved the players’ appeals away.
Then it was Inter’s turn to be angered by a refereeing decision when Telles was shown a second yellow card and sent off in the 82nd minute. Television replays showed he got the ball in his challenge on Federico Bernardeschi.
Babacar netted the winner 3 minutes, 53 seconds after coming off the bench. Samir Handanovic spilled a snapshot by Zarate and, although Babacar had one attempt on the rebound flapped away by the goalkeeper, the Senegal forward scored at the second time of asking.
At the San Siro, a cross from Honda led to Carlos Bacca’s opener after five minutes.
The Japan international then scored midway through the second half with a bouncing long-range shot which appeared to surprise goalkeeper Mattia Perin.
It was Honda’s first league goal of the season, while Bacca has a team-high 13.
Midfielder Riccardo Montolivo nearly made it 3-0 with a similar long-range effort which bounced off the post.
Alessio Cerci pulled one back for Genoa in stoppage-time.
Mario Balotelli replaced Bacca in the 88th minute and Mihajlovic appeared angry with the striker when Milan risked conceding a potential equalizer in the closing minutes.
“We’ve got to finish these matches off,” Mihajlovic said. “We should have scored a third goal and instead we were risking it, but it’s also my fault. From now on, whoever won’t sacrifice themselves until the 94th minute won’t put their foot on the pitch again.”
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