MILAN: Inter Milan failed to score a goal in a Serie A match for the first time in almost a year as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Atalanta in an entertaining game on Sunday.

There were plenty of opportunities for both sides but no goals in Bergamo with goalkeepers Juan Musso and Samir Handanovic excelling between their respective sticks as Inter’s eight-match winning streak in Serie A was brought to an end, giving hope to the teams immediately below the defending champions.

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter moved two points above AC Milan and seven above third-placed Napoli. Atalanta, in fourth, remained eight points below the Nerazzurri.

For how the match went a point is good... We had good chances but they could also have scored, so I think that it was the right result,” Handanovic told DAZN.

Earlier Sergio Oliveira was decisive on his AS Roma debut after scoring the penalty which gave his new team an underwhelming 1-0 win over struggling Cagliari.

Oliveira, who was signed on loan from Porto on Wednesday, stroked home a 33rd minute spot-kick at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome after a handball by Dalbert was given following a VAR check to help Roma end a winless streak of three matches and move into sixth spot in Serie A.

Cagliari would have escaped the relegation zone had they made it three wins in a row, but are two points from safety after another new boy in Nani made an immediate impression by setting up David Okereke’s leveller seconds after coming on in 17th-placed Venezia’s 1-1 home draw with Empoli.

Empoli sit 11th, one point behind Hellas Verona who won an entertaining early match at Sassuolo 4-2 thanks to Antonin Barak’s hat-trick.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2022