Rome (AFP)

AC Milan regained the lead in Serie A, ahead of Inter and Juventus, easily beating the red lantern Crotone (4-0) on Sunday, with the key to a brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored his 500th and 501st club goals.

In this match of the 21st day, behind closed doors, the San Siro stadium sounded hollow and Crotone held up well for half an hour against a very restless Ibrahimovic and a little grumpy, as usual, when the ball did not reach him. was not served on a platter.

Until the veteran Swedish (39) showed the way by opening the scoring: an unstoppable shot from the right, in the small net of Crotone, after a perfect one-two with the young Brazilian Leao on the left side of the surface (1-0, 30th).

Asked at half-time by Sky Sport, Ibrahimovic wanted to put things into perspective, in his own way: "It means that I have scored a few goals in my career. The important thing is to continue, to help the team of the best possible way. My job is to score and create situations to score ".

It was still necessary to make the break, to definitively reassure the leader of Serie A. And it was Ibrahimovic who took care of the job, while the defense of Crotone had left him alone at six meters (2-0 , 64th).

The count is therefore 501 goals in a little over 20 years, current series, which makes a sacred average.

- Two lengths from Cristiano -

With AC Milan, "Ibra" has already scored 14 goals this season in 11 Serie A matches, including only three from the penalty spot.

It's only two goals short of stainless Juventus leader Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, who scored his 16th personal league goal on Saturday against AS Roma.

The score was weighed down by the Croatian Ante Rebic, also author of a double, like Zlatan, but in only two minutes (69th, 70th).

Then Zlatan came out smiling in the 77th minute, replaced by another Croatian, Mario Mandzukic.

"The Scudetto? The decisive matches will come later, now you just have to resist all the pressures, it's a privilege," reacted Stefano Pioli, AC Milan coach.

"The top seven in the standings are all capable of fighting for the title and the top four places. Our goal is to expect the best (from our rivals) and to win every game," added the Italian coach who expects "a delicate period, with a lot of matches".

Inter went to beat Fiorentina on Friday (2-0), then Juve had done the same, on the same score, Saturday in Turin against AS Rome.

King Zlatan's Milan still have the situation well in hand, thanks in particular to their veteran scorer.

In the last two matches on Sunday evening, Lazio obtained a short (1-0), but precious victory over the reignable Cagliari, which allows him to take 5th place at the expense of Naples beaten on Saturday at Genoa.

And Parma, the penultimate, was punished (3-0) at home by Bologna.

© 2021 AFP