Serie A: Inter Keep Pace With Napoli; Juve Lose Ground Again
Inter Milan solidified their grip on second place in Serie A with a commanding 3-0 victory over 10-man Empoli on Wednesday. The match marked another impressive performance for Simone Inzaghi’s side, who have now gone five league matches without defeat, following a thrilling 4-4 draw against Juventus just days earlier.
The turning point came in the 30th minute when Empoli’s Saba Goglichidze received a red card for a dangerous tackle on Marcus Thuram, leaving his team to battle with a numerical disadvantage for the remainder of the match.
Inter capitalized on this opportunity with a brace from Davide Frattesi, who found the net in the 50th and 67th minutes. His first goal came from a fortunate deflection, while the second showcased his composure in front of goal. Lautaro Martinez sealed the victory with a strike in the 79th minute, capitalizing on a defensive blunder from Empoli.
After the match, Inzaghi expressed his focus on the points dropped against Juventus rather than dwelling on his opponents. “I wasn’t thinking about Empoli or Napoli,” he said. “I was more concerned about the two points we lost at the weekend.”
Meanwhile, Napoli remains the team to beat, sitting four points clear at the top of the table with 25 points after their 2-0 victory over AC Milan on Tuesday. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia stole the spotlight with a stunning winning goal, further solidifying Napoli’s title ambitions.
Atalanta also enjoyed a successful night, climbing to third place with a 2-0 win over Monza. The Bergamo side secured their victory with late goals from Lazar Samardzic and Davide Zappacosta, bringing their tally to 19 points, just one ahead of Juventus, who struggled at home.
Juventus faced a disappointing 2-2 draw against Parma, dropping them to fourth place. The match started poorly for the hosts, as Enrico Del Prato scored an unmarked header just three minutes in. Weston McKennie leveled the score in the 31st minute, but Juventus was caught off-guard again just before halftime, allowing Simon Sohm to give Parma the lead. Timothy Weah brought Juventus back on level terms shortly after the break, but the draw left them seven points adrift of Napoli.
In another surprising result, promoted Venezia fought back from 2-0 down to defeat Udinese 3-2. Joel Pohjanpalo converted two penalties before Hans Nicolussi Caviglia completed the comeback, lifting Venezia off the bottom of the table.
