Serie A leaders Inter Milan claimed their fourth consecutive league win after beating Lecce 2-0 at the San Siro, ensuring they have a four-point lead over Juventus until after Christmas.
The hosts had plenty of chances to take the lead in the first half and Yann Aurel Bisseck nevertheless managed to break through just before the break.
Hamza Rafia had a header on the back foot as Lecce looked for an equaliser, but Nicolo Barella doubled Inter’s lead and the visitors were reduced to 10 in the closing stages when Lameck Banda was sent off.
Juventus kept up the speed thanks to a header from substitute Dusan Vlahovic in the 81st minute to give them a 2-1 win over Frosinone.
Juve teenager Kenan Yildiz had opened the scoring 12 minutes into his full Serie A debut, but saw it cancelled out by Jaime Baez six minutes into the second half.
Roma moved up to sixth thanks to a 2-0 win over nine-man Napoli, who slipped to seventh place after a nightmare moment that saw them concede goals to Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku, as well as Matteo Politano and Victor Osimhen, earlier in the day. It took place. It was announced that he signed a new contract that ties him to the reigning Serie A champions until 2026: expelled.
Bologna returned to the top four with a 1-0 victory over Atalanta, Lewis Ferguson becoming Scotland’s all time top-scorer in Serie A with his 11th goal in the competition.
Cagliari remain in the relegation zone after Antoine Makoumbou was sent off in the 51st minute at Verona, where the hosts took advantage of his sending off to secure a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Cyril Ngonge and Milan Duric.
– Turin Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) December 23, 2023
Udinese in Turin looked headed for a goalless draw until Oier Zarraga scored in the 81st minute, but their delayed opener was cancelled by home midfielder Ivan Ilic seven minutes later.
In La Liga, half-time substitute Marcos Llorente had an instant effect and returned Atlético Madrid to third place with a 1-0 win over Sevilla in Saturday’s only game.
The competition, scheduled for September but postponed due to weather conditions, remained blank until after the break, when Diego Simeone, who was celebrating his 12th anniversary as Atletico coach, swapped Nahuel Molina for Llorente.
His team took a slight lead in the second minute after Llorente, who had first seen a cross blocked by Sergio Ramos, deserved the rebound of the interception at his feet on the edge of the area and fired a shot into the goal. the far corner.
Substitute Caglar Soyuncu was sent off following a VAR review just 4 minutes after being brought on in the 66th minute to face Lucas Ocampos, but Atletico still managed to nullify the visitors’ risk and hold on for the win, leaving them with 38 points. with Barcelona, in fourth place, but with the merit of goal difference.
There has been no action in the Bundesliga or Ligue 1, which will resume their campaigns in 2024.
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