Stefano Pioli's AC Milan is yet to suffer defeat since league play resumed in June following the coronavirus shutdown.
Milan has earned 27 points from 11 games since the return to action, causing the club hierarchy to take a U-turn as preparations for next season go ahead. The board had reportedly offered the manager's job for 2020-21 to Ralf Ragnick, Head of Sport and Development Soccer for Red Bull.
AC Milan’s unbeaten streak since the restart reached 11 games on Wednesday (eight wins, three draws) following a 4-1 victory over Sampdoria. Zlatan Ibrahimović — giving more credence to his statement that Milan would’ve won the Scudetto had he signed last summer — scored a brace, giving him nine goals in 17 league appearances.
Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez came off the bench to score an impressive solo goal and complete a 2-0 win over Napoli which kept his side second in Serie A on Tuesday.
Inter, who gained some revenge for their Coppa Italia semi-final defeat by Gennaro Gattuso's side, took the field wearing their kit for next season which features zig-zagged black and blue stripes instead of the traditional straight ones.
The hosts went ahead after 11 minutes when Danilo D'Ambrosio turned the ball home from Cristiano Biraghi's cut back.
Juventus captured its ninth-straight Serie A title after defeating Sampdoria 2-0 on Sunday. Cristiano Ronaldo’s technical finish in first half stoppage time was enough for Juve as the club’s 36th Scudetto was claimed with two matches to spare. Federico Bernardeschi scored the insurance goal for Juve in the 67th minute after Emil Audero spilled a Ronaldo shot.
Juventus entered today’s game having won only one of its last five matches, whereas Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria had won five of its last seven to escape the pressures of relegation and climb to 14th in the table.
Hapless Sassuolo had four goals disallowed for offside, three of them following VAR reviews, in an unlucky 2-0 defeat by Napoli in Serie A on Saturday.
Elseid Hysaj put Napoli ahead in the eighth minute, the Albanian's first goal for the club on his 193rd appearance, with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Filip Djuricic had the ball in the net for Sassuolo in the 32nd minute but the linesman flagged and it was immediately disallowed for offside.
Parma midfielder Dejan Kulusevski gave another glimpse of his potential by curling in a stunning winner as they beat relegated Brescia 2-1 away in Serie A on Saturday.
The 20-year-old set up Parma's opening goal when he latched onto Gervinho's pass and pulled the ball back for Matteo Darmian to score in the 59th minute although Daniele Dessena pounced on a mix-up in the Parma defence to equalise three minutes later.
Atalanta's Serie A title challenge all but faded away on Friday after they were held to a 1-1 draw at AC Milan, leaving them five points adrift of leaders Juventus.
Second-placed Atalanta moved up to 75 points with two games left to play, while Juventus can win the Scudetto for the ninth successive season if they beat Sampdoria at home on Sunday. Juve also have a game in hand.
Atalanta fell behind to a superb free kick from Hakan Calhanoglu, who sent a vicious dipping effort sailing over keeper Pierluigi Gollini in the 14th minute.
Veteran forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice in the first half to give AC Milan a 2-1 win at 10-man Sassuolo on Tuesday as they remained unbeaten since the restart of the season and guaranteed a place in the Europa League.
The 38-year-old Swede got in front of his marker to head in from Hakan Calhanoglu's cross in the 19th minute and latched on to a through ball before rounding Andrea Consigli to add the second in first-half injury time.
Cristiano Ronaldo reached the landmark of 30 goals this Serie A season during Juventus’ 2-1 victory over Lazio on Monday. Only two players had ever reached the 30-goal milestone in Italy’s top division since 1960 — Luca Toni and Gonzalo Higuaín — but, remarkably, Monday’s match saw both Ronaldo and Lazio's Ciro Immobile hit that mark.
Ronaldo scored goal number 29 from the spot (his 12th successful penalty of the campaign) before adding number 30 after Paulo Dybala set him up for a tap-in.
The Ballon d'Or will not be awarded this year for the first time in its 64-year history after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the football calendar, organizers France Football magazine said on Monday.
The prestigious award, voted for by journalists, is an annual prize given to the best male footballer in the world since 1956. The women's Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 2018.