Inter Milan moved to the top of Serie A on Sunday thanks to a hard fought 2-1 victory away to Genoa, and Napoli and AC Milan’s failure to pick up three points, on another action packed weekend of Italian top flight football.
I Nerazzurri looked to be coasting in Genoa, 2-0 ahead at half time. Lautaro Martinez had already tested the hosts’ keeper with a low shot, arrowed towards the bottom corner, when Inter went ahead on six minutes. Martinez was the provider as Yann Bisseck fired his low shot home, and the Argentine ace made it 2-0 with a clinical finish as half time approached.
Things became a little nervy when Genoa’s Vitinha halved the deficit on 70 minutes, but Inter were always the more likely to add another goal and they saw out the win in relative comfort. I Nerazzurri finished the weekend top of the pile, on 33 points, with Milan on 32 and Napoli in third place on 31.
Napoli’s trip to Udinese turned out to be a game too far for Antonio Conte’s stretched squad as the 2025 champions went down 1-0 at the Dacia Arena. After a tight first half the hosts gained confidence in the second period and deservedly went ahead thanks to an emphatic finish from Jurgen Ekkelenkamp on 73 minutes. I Partenopei dominated possession but they looked jaded after an extended period without some key players, including summer signing Kevin De Bruyne and his Belgian team-mate Romelu Lukaku.
Without those two the visitors lacked that bit of quality in the final third and, while striker Rasmus Hojlund has been in good form of late, they didn’t manage a single shot on target, losing the shot count by 18 to seven. After the match Conte was sympathetic to his players, saying: “We weren’t able to change the momentum of the game. That means we struggled when we had the wind behind us. Unfortunately we’re stretched thin at the moment but I said to the lads we have to be good at managing these moments.”
The latest Serie A 2025 betting odds predict a three way race between Napoli and the two Milan clubs; and Conte will be hoping to get some bodies back soon.
Milan denied by controversial decision
After edging out Torino in a 3-2 thriller last week I Rossoneri must have fancied their chances of beating Sassuolo at home, and Milan will feel very hard done by as a bizarre refereeing decision may well have cost them three points and the top spot. 2-1 ahead thanks to a brace from 19 year old left back Davide Bartesaghi, Milan thought they had gone 3-1 ahead when Christian Pulisic poked the ball home after Sassuolo stopper Aro Muric had parried.
Milan’s celebrations were cut short when the referee blew for a foul earlier in the move. Ruben Loftus Cheek was the culprit but the video replays showed there was minimal contact between the Milan player and Sassuolo defender Fali Cande and VAR failed to intervene. And that decision proved costly when Armand Lauriente levelled for the visitors on 77 minutes.
Elsewhere Lazio stayed in touch with the leading pack thanks to a heroic display away to Parma as they won 1-0 with nine men. A slip in Serie A 2025 results over the last two weeks, just one point in two games, albeit against high flyers Milan and Bologna, has seen Lazio drift out of contention, but they showed plenty of mettle to earn a rare three points on the road after Mattia Zaccagni and Toma Basic had been sent off. Tijjani Noslin’s late goal won the points to lift Lazio up to eighth, with the teams from fourth to seventh still to play.
Bologna face Juventus on Sunday night and then, on Monday, two more Europe chasing clubs clash when AS Roma hosts Como.
Viola nightmare continues
Fiorentina weren’t the SBOTOP pick for relegation candidates at the start of the campaign; they have been European regulars in recent years but this time around La Viola is in a mighty relegation battle. And things took a serious turn for the worse when they lost 2-1 at home to Hellas Verona in a bottom two clash, and it was a brace from Gift Orban which did the damage and gave Hellas their second league win of the campaign, while La Viola remained winless.
Orban got his first when he beat David de Gea with a clever finish after a fast break and the young Nigerian striker could have made it 2-0 before the break, but he headed over when he should have hit the target. Fiorentina were handed a lifeline when Verona’s Unai Nunez deflected a shot into his own net, but any hopes of preserving a valuable point were ended by Orban, who converted from close range on 93 minutes.
Back to back wins have taken Hellas to within two points of safety, but Fiorentina are now eight below the drop zone and in serious peril.
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