MILAN: AC Milan brought in high-profile players in the offseason, but it is a youth academy graduate who is proving the difference.

Patrick Cutrone scored again on Sunday to help Milan to a 2-1 victory against stubborn Cagliari to keep up their winning start in Serie A. It was the 19-year-old’s third goal in his last three matches.

Napoli, like Milan, have six points from two games after scoring three second-half goals to beat Atalanta 3-1. Three other teams have maximum points — Juventus and Inter Milan, who won on Saturday, and Sampdoria who beat Fiorentina 2-1 away.

Torino forward Andrea Belotti got off the mark in style by scoring his first goal of the season with an outrageous scissors kick as they beat Sassuolo 3-0, while newcomers SPAL claimed their first goals and first win.

Milan, who were bought by a Chinese-led consortium in April, have spent more than 200 million euros ($234 million) on players and they have now won all six competitive matches this season in Serie A and Europa League, scoring 15 goals.

Cutrone had already scored three of those and he added a fourth in the 11th minute, getting in front of his marker to tap in Suso’s wicked cross at the far post.

But Cagliari would not lie down and Joao Pedro equalised in the 56th minute after Milan lost possession while trying to play the ball out of defence.

But Spanish forward Suso, one of only three survivors from last season in the Milan starting line-up, sealed the points with a superbly-hit free-kick with 20 minutes left.

Napoli fell behind to a 15th minute header by Bryan Cristante at home to Atalanta and, despite playing with their usual panache, struggled to break down the visitors.

Piotr Zielinski finally levelled with an unstoppable shot in the 56th minute and they turned the game around five minutes later when Allan’s chipped pass was headed on by Lorenzo Insigne for Dries Mertens to volley in at the far post.

Marko Rog finished off a well-worked move for the third in the 87th minute.

Gianluca Caprari and Fabio Quagliarella, from a penalty, scored twice in a three-minute spell in the first half for Sampdoria, who survived several scares after Milan Badelj pulled one back early in the second half for Fiorentina.

The defeat put pressure on Fiorentina coach Stefano Pioli. Sacked by Inter three games before the end of last season, his new side now prop up the fledgling table.

Earlier, Belotti scored a stunning early candidate for Serie A’s goal of the season as Torino romped past Sassuolo.

Belotti, who scored 26 league goals last season and is one of the hottest properties in Italian football, opened the scoring in the 45th minute with a truly outstanding effort.

Nicolas NKoulou flicked the ball over a defender, slipped it to Lorenzo De Silvestri who sent over a long cross to the far post where Belotti, with his back to goal, launched himself into the air and connected with a perfectly-executed overhead volley.

Torino saw a penalty ruled out by the VAR before Adem Ljajic and Joel Obi scored late on. Sassuolo also had a penalty award revoked by the VAR.

There was further drama with league newcomers SPAL hitting their first Serie A goals in nearly 50 years, and claiming their first win of the campaign, with a 3-2 defeat of Udinese in Ferrara.

Strikes by recent signing Marco Borriello and Manuel Lazzarri, who has been with the club since their days in Serie D, had SPAL 2-0 up by the interval.

Udinese saw goals from Bram Nuytinck and French veteran Cyril Thereau, with an 87th-minute penalty, pull them level late on.

But Luca Rizzo, who had come off the bench, stunned the visitors with a 94th-minute winner.

Also, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s last-minute winner helped Lazio to a 2-1 win at Chievo Verona, while Crotone and Hellas Verona drew 0-0.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2017