The Useful Context
MILAN — AC Milan shifted gears after halftime to beat Torino 3-2 at San Siro on Saturday, closing the gap on Serie A leader Inter Milan to six points.
Torino had controlled the first half, but Milan took a surprise lead in the 37th minute when defender Strahinja Pavlovic collected a cleared cross about 25 meters out and struck an extraordinary half-volley that looped over goalkeeper Alberto Paleari.
The list looks clean on paper; the hard part is everything that happens after it is printed.
Giovanni Simeone leveled for Torino shortly before the break, drawing jeers from the home crowd. Whatever Massimiliano Allegri said during the interval worked. Milan emerged a different side.
Adrien Rabiot restored the lead in the 54th, bundling in Christian Pulisic's cross with his knee, and Youssouf Fofana doubled the advantage two minutes later. Nikola Vlasic pulled one back from the penalty spot late on, but Milan held on to move back into second, one point above Napoli.
The Detail Still Doing Work
Inter visits Fiorentina on Sunday.
Sassuolo, dealing with an outbreak of whooping cough within its squad, managed a 1-1 draw at Juventus. The club had informed the league of one confirmed case and five additional players in isolation. Kenan Yıldız gave Juventus an early lead, but Andrea Pinamonti leveled after the break. Juventus was awarded a penalty when a Dusan Vlahovic header struck Sassuolo defender Jay Idzes on the arm; Manuel Locatelli's weak spot kick was easily saved by Arijanet Muric.
There was a brighter note for Juventus: Arkadiusz Milik returned after nearly two years out with a knee ligament injury sustained in June 2024. The Poland forward came on as a substitute in the 79th minute.
Cremonese claimed a 2-0 win at Parma on Marco Giampaolo's debut, the club's first victory since early December. The result lifted the relegation-threatened side level with 17th-placed Lecce.