AC Milan

The Serie A title rice between Derby della Madonnina rivals Internazionale and AC Milan reached a crescendo this weekend when Inter, trailing 2-0 early, scored four straight against Empoli to win 4-2 and establish a one-point lead over Milan ahead of the Rossoneri's difficult away trip to Hellas Verona on Sunday.

Like Inter, Milan played with fire early and went behind in the 38th minute to an excellently worked Verona goal.  

Trailing Lazio 1-0 at halftime at Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday night, AC Milan was witnessing the crushing end of its Serie A title chase. 

If the result held, Inter would stay top of the table with a game still in hand, and you wouldn't be on the Nerazzurri messing up twice in their final five matches with the most difficult test being a trip to 12th-place Udinese.

With 10 Serie A matches remaining, AC Milan is top of the table following Sunday's nervy 1-0 victory over Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Inter is two points back of Milan and maintains a game in hand, but the Rossoneri are one step closer to a first Scudetto since 2011 while Napoli, which entered the match level on points with Milan, likely now sees its wait for a first league title since 1990 extended. 

The moment of the match was provided by Olivier Giroud in the 49th minute. 

Ex-Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko called on Thursday for more aid and other measures in support of victims of the Russian invasion of his homeland.

Widely regarded as his country's greatest ever player, Shevchenko said global soccer authorities had done the right thing in banning Russia from international competitions, though the sport was currently the last thing on his mind.

SALERNO — Serie A leaders AC Milan averted a shock defeat to basement club Salernitana on Saturday, with Ante Rebic rescuing a 2-2 draw with a late strike from long range.

Ante Rebic!

Milan fight back. pic.twitter.com/GMIQiqxW35

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 19, 2022

ROME - AC Milan climbed to the top of the Serie A table with a 1-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday, when an early strike from in-form winger Rafael Leão proved decisive at San Siro.

Stefano Pioli’s side jumped ahead of Inter Milan and Napoli, who drew 1-1 in Naples on Saturday, to go top with 55 points.

It completed a superb week for Milan, in which they defeated rivals Inter in the Milan derby and hammered Lazio 4-0 in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals, leaving Inter one point behind with a game in hand and Napoli two points back in third place.

Saturday’s Milan derby did anything but disappoint as AC Milan defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in an incredibly entertaining game. Olivier Giroud netted two late goals for the Rossoneri to stage a dramatic comeback. The biggest hero of the game might have been goalkeeper Mike Maignan who had several brilliant saves.

Maignan’s finest hour came in the first half when he momentarily halted an Inter counterattack with a slide tackle 20 yards out of his goal. With the ball at his feet Maignan then had the audacity to attempt to chop the ball past both attackers.

ROME - Derby matches have shaped the coaching careers of Simone Inzaghi and Stefano Pioli in the past, but the stakes are higher than ever when the former apprentice and master face off in a crucial Milan meeting on Sunday.

Four points separate leaders Inter from third-placed AC Milan ahead of their San Siro clash, although the champions have a game in hand against Bologna to come.