CREMONA: AC Milan moved closer to Champions League football next season after two late strikes gave them a 2-0 win at Cremonese on Sunday.
Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute with his shoulder before Rafael Leao’s simple finish in stoppage time gave the away side a result which flattered a drab display in Cremona.
Milan, who have been without European football this season, have little realistic hope of winning the Serie A title as the seven-time European champions are 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.
Next weekend’s Milan derby has little more than local pride riding on it with Inter speeding off into the distance with 11 games remaining in the league campaign.
Milan’s stated aim for the season, however, was qualification for the Champions League and Massimiliano Allegri’s team are on course for that objective.
“We have a huge goal to reach with teams behind us who continue collecting points,” said Allegri to DAZN.
“You have Como, Atalanta still have to play, Napoli won in the end and there are also Roma and Juventus. All we can do is take it one step at a time.”
Fifth-placed Como are nine points behind Milan, while AS Roma, seven points behind them in fourth, and next face Juventus.
Atalanta are five points off the Champions League spots in seventh after falling to a surprise 2-1 defeat at 10-man Sassuolo, their first in the league since the turn of the year.
Raffaele Palladino’s team are the only Italian side in the last 16 of Europe’s top club competition following their thrilling 4-3 aggregate triumph over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese are sliding towards relegation to Serie B after a 13th straight match without a win, the promoted outfit sitting outside the drop zone on goal difference.
Inter continue scudetto march
On Saturday, Inter bounced back from Champions League elimination with 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march towards the Serie A title.
Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead.
“We got the job done… in the end what matters is the team,” said Dimarco who has scored seven goals and set up 15 more in all competitions this season.
“If my goals and assists don’t give us trophies they won’t be worth very much. I’d rather have fewer goals and assists if it means us winning the league.”
Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.
Earlier on Saturday, Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Hellas Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.
Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.
But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli, third, a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.
“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN. “This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”
Napoli’s title defence is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.
Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.
Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals on Tuesday, strolled to a 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.
Cesc Fabregas’s team are are fifth, five behind Napoli.
Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2026
