Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates after scoring a goal throughout the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter on the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
MILAN — Inter Milan took a big step to keeping its Serie A crown on Sunday with a 2-0 win at title rival Atalanta.
Carlos Augusto and Lautaro Martinez scored within the second half to lift the league leader three points above second-placed Napoli and 6 points above third-placed Atalanta.
Napoli had earlier been held 0-0 at relegation-threatened Venezia.
The fight for the ultimate Champions League spot can be tight, with just six points separating six teams within the race for fourth place after more misery for Juventus, which lost 3-0 at Fiorentina.
READ: Inter Milan wins Serie A title in derby thriller with AC Milan
Top spot
It was a head-to-head clash for top spot in Bergamo, with Atalanta knowing that victory would move it level on points with Inter and Napoli.
Either side had great probabilities in an entertaining first half, with Inter going closest with lower than seven minutes on the clock.
Marcus Thuram was on the verge of wheeling away in celebration as he swept a finish past Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and toward the far corner, following good play with Lautaro Martinez. But his effort bounced off the bottom of the fitting post.
At the opposite end, Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer pulled off a improbable save to fingertip Mario Pasalic’s header over the bar.
Inter broke the deadlock within the 54th minute, immediately after play resumed following a delay of several minutes as a fan got medical treatment within the stands.
READ: Inter Milan winning run ends with shock Sampdoria defeat
A corner was whipped in from the fitting and Carlos Augusto rose relatively unmarked to move into the underside left corner.
It was only his third goal for Inter in two seasons on the club.
Lautaro thought he had doubled Inter’s lead within the 71st however the whistle had already been blown for a foul by him on Berat Djimsiti.
Atalanta’s possibilities of getting back into the match diminished nine minutes from time. Éderson was booked for dissent after which sarcastically applauded the referee, who showed the Atalanta midfielder a second yellow card after which a red.
Lautaro sealed the match six minutes later. Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was still protesting the Ederson decision and he was also sent off.
Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni was also sent off following a second yellow card.
Napoli held again
It was one other draw for Napoli — its fifth in its last seven matches.
Napoli almost got off to the proper start in Venice but Giacomo Raspadori’s effort got here off the left post within the fourth minute.
Venezia also had loads of probabilities, with the perfect opportunity coming three minutes from the break. Alex Meret did well to parry from Kike Pérez and Daniel Fila’s follow-up was cleared off the road by Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani.
Napoli went even closer on the stroke of halftime but Ionut Radu pulled off an outstanding save to know Romelu Lukaku’s header on the goalline.
It was a fourth straight draw for Venezia — with two of those coming against Atalanta and Lazio — but it surely remained in penultimate position within the standings, five points from safety.
Motta under pressure
Juventus coach Thiago Motta is under much more pressure after his team slipped out of the highest 4, shipping seven goals in two matches and scoring none.
Robin Gosens and Rolando Mandragora scored inside two minutes of one another in the primary half and Albert Guðmundsson added one other after the break as Fiorentina moved to inside five points of the highest 4.
Juve’s season was already in tatters after a dismal 4-0 loss at home to Atalanta last weekend. The Bianconeri had also been eliminated from the Champions League and Italian Cup.
Motta’s former team, Bologna, replaced Juventus in fourth after a formidable 5-0 drubbing of sixth-placed Lazio.
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Seventh-placed Roma beat Cagliari 1-0.
