Inter on Tuesday eased past SSC Napoli 2-0 to hold on to second place in Serie A ahead of Atalanta BC, who earlier fought back to beat Parma.
Juventus have already sealed their ninth straight league title, but three teams are fighting for second spot — Inter, Atalanta and SS Lazio — going into the last round of matches in Italy.
Inter have a one-point lead on Atalanta, with the two teams set to go head-to-head in their final match this season on Saturday.
Photo: AP
Danilo D’Ambrosio put Inter ahead after 11 minutes at San Siro, with Lautaro Martinez adding a second with 15 minutes to go against seventh-placed Napoli.
Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso admitted his side would need to find goal-scoring solutions before they face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 on Saturday next week.
“We have to work, we’re lacking a bit of soul,” said Gattuso, whose side have nothing to play for in the league, as they are already assured a place in the UEFA Europa League as a result of their Coppa Italia win.
“After the Coppa Italia we’ve performed well, but don’t have the knife between our teeth. Against Barcelona it will be a different story,” Gattuso said.
Atalanta reacted well after a difficult start in Parma, with Ruslan Malinovskyi and Papu Gomez’s second-half goals sealing a 2-1 victory.
“That was probably our worst first half of the season,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.
“After 12 matches at this rhythm, there could be drop in pace, but if we come back as good in the second half, it’s because we’re in form,” he said.
The Bergamo club’s former Swedish midfielder Dejan Kulusevski had opened the scoring for mid-table Parma just before the break, but Malinovskyi sent in a free-kick with 20 minutes to go, and Gomez grabbed the winner six minutes from time as Atalanta warmed up for next month’s Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Gasperini’s side are already assured of a Champions League spot next season and are targeting a club-best second-placed finish in the league.
Parma dominated early at home with Kulusevski, on loan from Juventus, putting the hosts ahead two minutes before the break.
Ivorian Gervinho broke through from midfield, sending the ball forward for 20-year-old Kulusevski, who fired in for his third goal in as many matches.
Atalanta struggled after losing defender Jose Luis Palomino, who pulled up injured and could be in doubt against PSG, but Malinovskyi finally got the equalizer with his free-kick passing through the Parma wall, and captain Gomez rifled in the winner to extend his side’s unbeaten league run to 17 games, with the club’s 98th league goal this season.
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