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In a locked encounter, there was no winner between Juventus and AC Milan (0-0), who may have lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Sunday.
Milan quickly lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic, replaced before the half hour mark.
AFP
AC Milan and Juventus were neutralized (0-0) in the locked poster of the 23rd day of Serie A, Sunday, allowing Inter Milan to further consolidate their leading position ahead of the Rossoneri and Naples, winners of the Salernitana (4-1).
The Nerazzurri, winners in the snatch of Venice (2-1) on Saturday, will rest during the international break on a mattress of four points in advance – and a game late to play – on Naples and Milan, ten on the ‘Atalanta (fourth) and eleven on Juventus (fifth).
Juve lock down
In a hollow San Siro with the maximum 5,000 spectators currently allowed in Italy, Milan and Juventus struggled to get the weekend lineup off the ground, with both teams focusing attention on defensive discipline first.
Juventus, solid and organized, still lacks offensive arguments, in the absence of Federico Chiesa, operated on Sunday after his rupture of a ligament in the left knee on January 9 and announced absent for seven months.
Milan, for its part, quickly lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic, replaced before the half-hour mark by Olivier Giroud before going to put an ice pocket at the level of the right Achilles tendon.
On a field well damaged by the accumulation of matches (eight in eighteen days since January 6), Milan was the most enterprising but Wojciech Szczesny kept a good guard in front of Rafael Leao (20th), the strong strike from Théo Hernandez (63rd) then the good header from Giroud (69th).
Juventus, on the other hand, blocked the formidable left lane of the Rossoneri (Leao / Hernandez) quite well while trying to come out cleanly with Locatelli or Dybala. But Alvaro Morata (50th) and Weston McKennie (85th) missed hold-up balls, during a match where Juve – not unlucky in the end – did not target a shot.
Badge like Maradona
Without Franck Ribéry, absent from the field since the start of the year due to Covid-19, the Salernitana did not exist in Naples. Despite a miraculous equalizer in the first period on his only shot of the match, the red lantern logically cracked, reduced to ten from the 51st minute.
Juan Jesus (17th), Dries Mertens on penalty (45th + 4), Amir Rrahmani (47th) then Lorenzo Insigne also on penalty for his return from injury (53rd) built the quiet victory of Napoli.
With his goal, his 115th with Napoli, Lorenzo Insigne equaled legend Diego Maradona’s total, becoming tied for third in club history behind Marek Hamsik (121) and Dries Mertens (now 144).
“I wanted to take the penalty (note: the second) but it was important for him, we must not forget what he did for us”, greeted Mertens on DAZN.
“We will miss him, but he wants to finish well,” added the Belgian international about his captain, who will leave Naples at the end of the season to discover the North American Championship with Toronto.
Abraham sees double
Behind Juve, Roma climbed to sixth place after their victory at Empoli (4-2) built thanks to a lightning first period (4-0 at the break). Tammy Abraham, with a double, confirmed his good form from the start of the year, as did Portuguese rookies Sergio Oliveira and Nicolo Zaniolo, the other scorers of the day.
The Giallorossi overtake Fiorentina (seventh) who, at ten for almost half an hour and without their striker Dusan Vlahovic, had to be satisfied with a point at the relegated Cagliari (1-1).
(AFP)