FOOTBALL – Matteo Politano struck late to give defending champions Napoli a hard-fought 1-0 home win over AC Milan in Serie A last night, lifting them to second in the standings.
It marked a fifth straight victory for Napoli, who moved to 65 points, seven behind leaders Inter Milan after their 5-2 win over AS Roma on Sunday. Milan are third with 63 points.
Both sides struggled to break down well-organised defences in a largely cagey encounter.
The breakthrough came in the closing stages when Mathias Olivera’s cross from the left was only partially cleared by Koni De Winter and Napoli substitute Politano fired in a left-footed volley from a tight angle.
Milan pushed for an equaliser but Santiago Gimenez was unable to keep his header down as it sailed over, summing up a frustrating night for the visitors.
“We conceded very few chances, so credit to them,” Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told reporters. “We were set defensively when we allowed the goal, and we need to be a bit quicker when taking our chances.”
Meanwhle, US midfielder Weston McKennie scored for Juventus to beat Genoa 2-0.
McKennie netted 17 minutes after kickoff to add to a fourth minute opener from Brazilian defender Bremer.
McKennie missed two chances to add to his tally and the woodwork also came to Genoa’s rescue when Jonathan David hit the post.
Genoa defender Aaron Martin missed a golden opportunity to bring the visitor back into the game with 15 minutes remaining when Mattia Perin got down brilliantly to save his penalty kick and his rebound.
The result enabled Juventus to close the gap on fourth-placed Como to one point. Como were held by Udinese to 0-0.
Cesc Fabregas’ men were on top for most of the game but could not find a way past Maduka Okoye in the Udinese goal.
The result brought Como’s five-game winning streak to an end in Serie A but the point kept alive their hope of winning a Champions League place.
Atalanta remained on track for a top four finish with a comprehensive 3-0 win at Lecce.
Giorgio Scalvini opened the scoring when he hammered home after some lovely footwork inside the box and former Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic doubled Atalanta’s lead early in the second half with some clinical finishing.
Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone kept his side in the game with several fine saves but he could do nothing about the third goal, a vicious strike from Giacomo Raspadori.
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