Inter Milan moved to within a point of Serie A leaders Napoli after a 2-1 victory at Verona on Sunday, sealed by a stoppage-time own goal.
Napoli, the defending champions, were held to a 0-0 draw by Como on Saturday, allowing Inter the chance to close the gap at the top. The visitors took the lead in the 16th minute when Piotr Zielinski fired home a powerful volley from the edge of the box after Verona failed to clear a corner.
Verona, still without a win this season, equalised five minutes before half-time through Giovane. The second half was played in heavy rain and seemed destined to end level until Verona defender Martin Frese turned a Nicolo Barella cross into his own net three minutes into added time.
“It was one of those matches that’s easier to lose than win but we did okay, we showed character,” said Inter coach Cristian Chivu after the match.
Goal-scorer Zielinski praised Chivu’s influence on the team, saying, “His message is sinking in, you get moments like this in a season, when it’s hard to win.”
Napoli remain top of the table with 22 points, while Inter sit second on 21. Roma can move two points clear at the summit if they secure an away win against AC Milan later on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Fiorentina’s poor run continued as they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Lecce, leaving them winless after 10 league games. Torino and Pisa drew 2-2, while on Saturday Luciano Spalletti made a winning start as Juventus manager as his side beat Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese 2-1.
