Inter on Sunday missed a chance to keep the pressure on Juventus after being held 2-2 by AS Roma in the capital, leaving the way clear for the Turin giants to close in on a ninth consecutive Serie A title.
Romelu Lukaku’s penalty two minutes from time rescued a point for Antonio Conte’s Inter, who were second, five points behind Juventus, who had a game in hand.
Stefan de Vrij had got Inter off the mark at the Stadio Olimpico when he headed home an Alexis Sanchez corner after 14 minutes, but Roma captain Edin Dzeko set up Leonardo Spinazzola for the equalizer in first-half stoppage-time, and was again involved when Henrikh Mkhitaryan got the second in the 57th minute.
Photo: AP
Lukaku came off the bench and scored from the penalty spot after Spinazzola fouled Victor Moses.
It was a stalemate which does little to help either team and boosts Juventus’ chances of extending their record Serie A run.
“We have to get used to playing these big games with so much pressure, which is something Inter have lost in recent years,” said Conte, whose side have not won Serie A since 2009-2010, when they won the treble under Jose Mourinho. “I can’t blame my players for anything, today we faced a team in good shape.”
Elsewhere, SSC Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso was unhappy with the league’s tight schedule as his side beat Udinese 2-1.
Napoli are two points behind Roma in sixth after Matteo Politano blasted in the winner five minutes into stoppage-time to snatch all three points.
“It was an important victory, even if now we’re playing another sport which worries me,” Gattuso said.
“This is not football. Playing every three days and without fans is something different, the players are not robots,” he said.
At the bottom of the table, Brescia, in 19th, won 2-1 to condemn SPAL to a return to Serie B after two seasons in the top flight.
In another relegation battle Genoa beat US Lecce 2-1 to move four points clear of the southerners, who occupy the final relegation spot.
Genoa are four points behind Torino, who lost 2-0 at ACF Fiorentina.
City rivals UC Sampdoria are on the brink of securing Serie A survival after staging a thrilling comeback from two goals down to win 3-2 at Parma.
Fabio Quagliarella scored one and set up Federico Bonazzoli for the winner as Claudio Ranieri’s side won a third consecutive match for the first time this season.
Ranieri took over in October last year with the club sitting bottom of the table, but they have come back strong after the COVID-19 suspension, winning five of their past six games, and are 12 points above the drop zone with four games left.
Parma were two goals ahead at halftime thanks to Gervinho and an own-goal by Sampdoria goalkeeper Bartosz Bereszynski.
Julian Chabot pulled one back with his head two minutes after the break, before Quagliarella curled in his 11th of the season and then teed up Bonazzoli for the winner with 12 minutes to go.
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