Inter Shock Juventus to Move Level with Leaders Milan Napoli Advance with 6-0 Route of Fiorentina
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14 Established 1961 Sports Tuesday, January 19, 2021 ‘Perfect’ Inter shock Juventus to move level with leaders Milan Napoli advance with 6-0 route of Fiorentina MILAN: Inter Milan shocked champions Juventus Scudetto,” warned Vidal, who won four league 2-0 to move level on points with Serie A leaders titles in as many years with Juventus. Romelu AC Milan on Sunday, boosting their hopes of a Lukaku then forced a save from Juventus goal- first league title since 2010. Arturo Vidal got his keeper Wojciech Szczesny on 24 minutes, with head to a Nicolo Barella cross in the 12th minute Lautaro Martinez spurning the chance to score on for his first league goal for Inter Milan against his the rebound. former club. Omnipresent midfielder Barella created another Barella added the second seven minutes after chance for Lukaku which Szczesny cleared, and the break as Inter claimed a first victory over the Polish keeper also denied Barella before Juventus since September 2016, ending a series of punching the ball off Lukaku’s head at full stretch. seven matches without a win. “It was a bad defeat, A superb Alessandro Bastoni through ball to we didn’t expect it, we couldn’t have put in a worse Barella paid off in the 52nd minute, with the pacy performance than this,” said Juventus coach Italy midfielder shaking off Gianluca Frabotta and Andrea Pirlo after his second league defeat this Giorgio Chiellini to blast home the second. season. “Our attitude was wrong, right from the Pirlo made a triple change just before the hour start. We were too passive, fearful, we only with Weston McKennie, Federico Bernardeschi and thought about the defensive phase.” Dejan Kulusevski coming off the bench. But Inter Inter are equal on 40 points with local rivals ‘keeper Samir Handanovic was rarely threatened, Milan, with Juventus seven points behind the top clearing a McKennie header on 61 minutes, and a two in fifth. “To win against a team like Juve you Chiesa effort three minutes from time. “It’s a slip- have to touch perfection,” said Inter coach up, but our ambition remains the same, there is still Antonio Conte after his first win in four meetings a long way to go,” warned Pirlo, whose side next against the club he led to the first three of their meet Napoli in Wednesday’s Italian SuperCup. current run of nine consecutive league titles. “I’m happy for the lads because these are games that Six-goal Napoli go third give you self-esteem and make you understand In Naples, Lorenzo Insigne scored twice and MILAN: Inter Milan’s Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal opens the scoring past Juventus’ Polish goal- that we’re on the right path. I’ve seen a credible set up another as Napoli thumped Fiorentina 6-0 keeper Wojciech Szczesny during the Italian Serie A football match Inter vs Juventus on Sunday Inter, and it is the greatest satisfaction after a to move third ahead of Roma who lost 3-0 to local at the San Siro stadium in Milan. —AFP year and a half of work”. rivals Lazio on Friday. Insigne got the first goal in the fifth minute at the Diego Armando Maradona Vidal sets the tone Stadium as Gennaro Gattuso’s side went four goals Castrovilli fouled Tiemoue Bakayoko. Insigne Milan with a goalless draw against lowly Genoa. Cristiano Ronaldo looked to have broken up in the first half. converted from the spot for his ninth goal this Gian Piero Gasperini’s side had won their first through for the away side after 11 minutes but Fiorentina missed chances to equalise with season. Substitute Matteo Politano completed three matches of the year with a total of 12 goals Federico Chiesa was ruled offside in the build-up. Napoli keeper David Ospina denying Franck the rout with a minute to go. “It looked easy but scored. Hans Hateboer rattled the post for And Chilean Vidal made no mistake for last sea- Ribery before Diego Demme, Hirving Lozano and it wasn’t,” said Gattuso as Napoli moved level on Atalanta after 65 minutes in the best chance for son’s Serie A runners-up two minutes later off Piotr Zielinski notched three goals for the hosts in points with Roma. the hosts who are sixth, eight points behind Barella’s perfect cross. the last nine minutes before the break. Atalanta missed the chance to move third, Milan. Genoa are 16th position, two points above “We’ve shown that we’re up to fighting for the Napoli were awarded a penalty after Gaetano dropping points before next week’s trip to AC the relegation zone. —AFP “It’s always tough when you are not Stones enjoying playing and you don’t perform as you can because you put too much pres- rebirth at sure on yourself,” added Stones. “I Bairstow, Lawrence went back to the basics, looked at myself first and looked at what I can seal seven-wicket Man City improve on in every aspect.” Guardiola hailed the impact Dias MANCHESTER: John Stones admitted has had on his center-back partner win for England he had to go back to basics to regain and is relieved that the defensive defi- Pep Guardiola’s faith after scoring ciencies that ruined his side’s title GALLE: After a seven-wicket win, a double-cen- twice as Manchester City thrashed tury innings, and two five-wicket hauls for the defense last season appear to have Crystal Palace 4-0 on Sunday. City’s been ironed out. “We don’t make mis- bowlers, England captain Joe Root still feels his charge up the table has taken them side “got away” with too many mistakes against Sri takes,” he said. “In the past, especially into second in the Premier League, last season we made a lot of mistakes. Lanka. England won the first Test in Galle yester- just two points behind leaders day with Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence nego- This season if the opponent scores a Manchester United with a game in goal, ok, but we make them do it. They tiating what Bairstow called a “tricky” finish after hand to come. give us this confidence that we can MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s English defender John Stones (center) losing three quick wickets before the overnight Stones’s partnership with Ruben close Sunday. score a goal and we don’t concede. jumps to head the ball to score the opening goal during the English Premier Dias has been pivotal to 12 clean League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Bairstow, who cracked a four to pass the win- Today we didn’t concede one shot on sheets in a 15-game unbeaten run and target and that is fundamental to our Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on Sunday. —AFP ning target, and Lawrence steadied the innings and the England defender also delivered scored the required 36 runs in less than 10 overs. game. Ruben helped us a lot and John, his first two Premier League goals for alongside Ruben, grew up.” The crumbling pitch gave Sri Lanka’s spinners the club after five seasons in points from their last two trips to the second of the night on the rebound hopes of claiming more wickets, but Bairstow (35) Etihad, but without the injured after Vicente Guaita saved from Dias’s Manchester. 100 assists for De Bruyne and Lawrence (21) took England to 76-3 after “Keeping these clean sheets is mas- Wilfried Zaha offered barely any initial powerful header. resuming at 38-3. Sri Lanka called a review on one City took full advantage of dropped attacking threat as the Eagles remain Guardiola could then afford the sive. It’s a platform for the lads to go points for both their biggest title chal- Dilruwan Perera ball to Lawrence — who missed a and express themselves up front,” said 13th in the table. luxury of handing De Bruyne and reverse sweep — but the TV replay found the lengers after United and Liverpool With Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Gundogan a rare rest for the final 20 Stones. “We are taking great pride in played out a disappointing 0-0 draw faintest edge before it hit his pads. keeping clean sheets and hopefully we Sterling short on goals and Sergio minutes ahead of Aston Villa’s visit in The win should have been a stroll after Sri earlier on Sunday. Despite not hitting Aguero absent after coming into close midweek. Sterling blazed a penalty can keep the run going.” the heights of back-to-back league Lanka collapsed to 135 in the first innings and The signings of Dias and Nathan contact with a positive coronavirus over the bar late on in Wednesday’s 1- England made 421 with a Joe Root double century. titles under Guardiola between 2017 case, Ilkay Gundogan’s goalscoring 0 win over Brighton when handed the Ake during the summer transfer win- and 2019, City have now won their last But the home side hit back with a determined 359 dow could have signaled the end of form of late has been a major factor in responsibility by De Bruyne. in their second innings before having England in eight games in all competitions. City’s revival. With the Belgian off the field, Stones’s time at the Etihad after he Kevin De Bruyne registered his trouble at 14-3 at one stage late Sunday. “These struggled for game time even when The German midfielder curled Sterling got another chance from a set- run chases are always a little bit nervy,” said the 100th City assist with the outside of home his fourth goal in seven games piece outside the box and this time Guardiola was short on center-back his right foot for Stones to nod home captain, who hit 228 in the first innings when he options last season following the into the top corner 11 minutes into the curled a brilliant free-kick into the top also saw six England batsman fall in a single ses- from close range to open the scoring second-half to end any doubt over the corner two minutes from time to round departure of Vincent Kompany and a on 26 minutes.