Rome (AFP)
Barely cured of Covid-19, the hungry Zlatan Ibrahimovic offered the Milan derby to AC Milan on Saturday, now the only leader of Serie A after the defeat of Atalanta Bergamo against an impressive team from Naples (4- 1).
Two early goals for the Swedish star - his second double in two league appearances - gave the Rossoneri their fourth win in four matches.
And not a victory like the others: the first since 2016 in the league in the Madonnina derby against Inter (2-1).
"We made two careless mistakes on the goals, but we had a good game, we had a lot of chances, but we have to be more clinical, more efficient to achieve," regretted nerazzurro coach Antonio Conte .
Faced with a diminished internal defense (Skriniar and Bastoni absent due to Covid-19), it took less than twenty minutes for "Ibra" to make his mark: he obtained and then transformed in two stages a penalty (13th) before concluding a cross from Leao (16th).
Zlatan then signaled to the few hundred interstate tifosi to be silent.
Which found a little voice when Romelu Lukaku reduced the score (29th), but that was not enough against the irresistible Rossoneri since the post-containment resumption in June (20 matches without defeats, all competitions combined).
- Osimhen engaged -
"Ibrahimovic? Yes, he was exhausted, he asked me to go out but I did not listen to him! His mental contribution is fundamental", underlined Rossonero coach Stefano Pioli, also paying tribute to the tifosi who, by the hundreds , had gathered - masked - around the stadium to welcome the players.
Milan, with 12 points, is now the only leader in Serie A after the slap received by Atalanta in Naples.
The Neapolitans came back to the front in the most beautiful way after the green carpet loss to Juventus which they were fined for not going to Turin on October 4, due to two cases of Covid-19.
The case is not over - the Neapolitans have appealed - but it seems in any case to have increased tenfold the envy of the players of Gennaro Gattuso, who delivered a first half of high flight, despite the absence of Badge, wounded.
The activity of Bakayoko, sharpened for his first appearance in the Azzurro jersey, the speed of Mertens and the impact of Osimhen suffocated Atalanta from the start.
Lozano, up close (23rd) then a strike from the right in finesse (27th), concretized this domination.
With four goals this season, the Mexican has already scored as much as all last season.
Politano, from the left (29th), then Osimhen, from afar (43rd), finished knocking out the "Dea".
- Lazio collapses -
To celebrate his first Serie A goal, the Nigerian showed the cameras a message of support for the ongoing mobilization in his country against police violence.
Slovenian "Dea" striker Josip Ilicic was unable to prevent his side from sinking in his first appearance on the pitch after a three-month absence, following personal and psychological problems.
This first defeat prompted Bergamasque coach Gian Piero Gasperini to sound the "wake-up call" four days before the Champions League kick-off, with the Danes of Midtjylland.
An alarm already activated also on the side of Lazio, which, without Ciro Immobile, suspended, collapsed at Sampdoria Genoa (3-0).
A worrying second defeat before receiving Borussia Dortmund in C1 on Wednesday.
Juventus, without Ronaldo, in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19, moved in the evening to the promoted Crotone, with Buffon starting in goals for his 650th Serie A match, at the age of 42.
© 2020 AFP