Rome (AFP)

AC Milan, despite a rout at home against a dashing Atalanta Bergamo (0-3), on Saturday won the honorary title of winter champion by preserving at the end of the first leg two lengths over Inter Milan, hooked by Udinese (0-0).

The Rossonero club took the lead at the halfway point for the first time in ten years, during the 2010/11 season, which was also the season of their 18th and last scudetto.

If it is purely honorary, this title hails the recovery of the Milanese for a year, with the youngest team in Serie A in average age, led by a starving tutor at nearly 40 years, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The heavy defeat on Saturday against Atalanta, radiant at San Siro where it played its Champions League matches last season, however, comes as a reminder of how difficult it will be to keep this unexpected first place.

The Milanese, long undefeated, conceded their second defeat in less than three weeks, after the setback against Juventus (1-3).

The "Dea", led by a sparkling Josip Ilicic, had more legs and more ideas.

Cristian Romero opened the header with a header (26th) in the first period.

Ilicic, after several occasions, obtained and converted a penalty after an elbow from Franck Kessié (53rd).

And Duvan Zapata concluded the beautiful Bergamasque afternoon (77th), a few moments after touching the post.

It's a great operation for Atalanta, which is provisionally placed in 4th place, seven points behind the leader.

- Angry tale -

Still handicapped by a few important absences, including its Turkish leader Hakan Cahlanoglu (coronavirus), AC Milan remained silent for the first time in the league season.

More worrying: the opportunities were quite rare, even if Zlatan Ibrahimovic was close to equalizing (41st) and if the rookie Mario Mandzukic could also have scored just after coming into play (70th).

The only consolation: Inter have - again - missed the opportunity to steal first place by failing to win in Udine.

Antonio Conte's team, yet fully pumped up by their victory over Juventus (2-0) last weekend, confirms their difficulties away from home, with two points in the last three trips.

Lautaro Martinez (23rd), Nicolo Barella with a superb volley (29th) and Achraf Hakimi (76th) yet had the goal that would have offered the title of winter champion at the end of their feet.

What annoy Antonio Conte, excluded at the end of the match.

Behind the Milanese mano a mano, Roma cling to their third place.

Despite the stormy atmosphere since the elimination in the Italian Cup this week against La Spezia, the Giallorossi have rebounded not without difficulty against this same Spezia (4-3).

- Roma without Dzeko -

The victory snatched away in added time thanks to Lorenzo Pellegrini (90 + 2nd), just after the equalization at 3-3 of La Spezia, gives a little air to the coach Paulo Fonseca, who came with great strides to congratulate the scorer in the middle of a scrum of relieved Romans.

"A moment of great emotion, it would have been really unfair not to win this game. It shows that we are all together," said Fonseca.

The Portuguese coach was in the heart of the turmoil after the two successive losses against Lazio (0-3) in the derby then in the round of 16 of the Italian Cup on Tuesday - elimination punctuated by a blunder from the Roman bench with six changes performed instead of the five maximum allowed.

The captain and scorer Edin Dzeko was also left in the stands of the Olimpico stadium, after these few tormented days internally, officially dismissed for muscle fatigue but in fact sanctioned for being virulently opposed to his coach, according to several media.

The 19th day will continue on Sunday with in particular the matches of Juventus and Naples, four days after the Supercopa won by the Bianconeri (2-0): at home against Bologna (12th) for Cristiano Ronaldo and co and on the ground of the Hellas Verona (9th) for Gennaro Gattuso's men.

© 2021 AFP