MILAN: AC Milan will stay top of Serie A this weekend thanks to Friday’s 2-0 win over struggling Genoa after Inter Milan struck first with a 3-1 victory at Spezia.

Milan, who are reportedly to be sold to Bahrain based investment firm Investcorp, reclaimed the summit after briefly being bumped down to second before kick-off in front of over 70,000 fans at the San Siro.

But Leao’s cushioned 11th-minute volley from Pierre Kalulu’s cross and a Junior Messias strike with three minutes remaining were enough for Stefano Pioli’s side to move onto 71 points from 33 matches, two clear of Inter who have a game in hand.

Attention will now turn to third-placed Napoli who face in-form AS Roma on Monday evening hoping to move level on 69 points with Inter.

“The more games we play, the more important each match becomes,” said Messias. “We knew today wouldn’t be easy but we were good and we got the three points that make us want to keep fighting.”

Portugal forward Leao’s sumptous finish was the highlight of an otherwise uninspiring display which showed why Milan have struggled to put away Serie A’s lesser lights since the turn of the year.

Milan kept their seventh straight clean sheet in all competitions — having lost right-back Davide Calabria to a stomach bug shortly before kick off — but it was a night of few chances for the seven-time European champions.

Olivier Giroud’s miscued overhead kick in the 57th minute was the first truly good opportunity after Leao’s opener.

Leao then went close to doubling the hosts’ lead when he forced a good save from Salvatore Sirigu, but Messias put the home crowd into party mood when he smashed in the second after being denied by the Italy international in the Genoa goal.

“We have to make the pressure feel like nothing more than positive energy, because we are challenging for something that when we started working together was unthinkable,” said Pioli to DAZN.

Milan now face Inter in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday before travelling to Rome to face Lazio next weekend as takeover talk hots up.

Neither Milan nor Investcorp would comment over reports that the club was set to be sold by American investment fund Elliott for around one billion euros ($1.08 billion).

Elliott took control of the club in 2018 when previous owner Li Yonghong defaulted on a loan taken out to finance the 740 million-euro purchase of Milan from former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

A third straight win for Simone Inzaghi’s Inter confirmed their revival after a tricky February and March and kept them on Milan’s coattails.

“Today it was really important to win. We’re very happy but we need to carry on like this,” Inter midfielder Marcel Brozovic told DAZN. “We’re a good team, we’ve got six matches to go and we need to win all of them.”

It was Brozovic who opened the scoring for Inter with his first league goal of the season, and it was a spectacular effort for the man who makes Inter tick.

The Croatia midfielder met Danilo D’Ambrosio’s knockdown with a beautiful left-foot shot which flew past Ivan Provedel and set Inter on the road to victory.

Chances came and went as Inter looked for the crucial second goal, before Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez nudged one into the net in the 73rd minute to put his side in command.

A fine late goal from Spezia captain Giulio Maggiore ensured a tense final few minutes for the title chasers, but substitute Alexis Sanchez’s stoppage-time finish put the game to bed.

“I think it was a victory of maturity,” Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia. “We knew it would not be easy. I did not like the first 10 minutes, we gave them too many opportunities with the ball. But it was an important victory for us.

“We are creating a lot of chances, helping us to win the last three games, which is huge for our confidence.”

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2022