The Pressure Shows Up Early
MILAN — Napoli secured a spot in next season's Champions League, but the race for the other two places remains remarkably open with one round left in Serie A.
Napoli beat already-relegated Pisa 3-0 on Sunday with goals from Scott McTominay, Amir Rrahmani and Rasmus Højlund. Antonio Conte's side will finish in the top four, sitting on 73 points.
The trophy did not need much decoration; the season had already done most of the talking.
AC Milan and Roma both won to move onto 70 points in third and fourth. Juventus and Como sit two points behind them, creating a four-team fight for the two remaining Champions League berths. Milan host Cagliari while Roma travel to Hellas Verona. Juventus visit Torino in the derby and Como go to Cremonese. All matches kick off simultaneously, as they did in the penultimate round.
Inter Milan wrapped up the title with three rounds remaining and celebrated with the trophy after a 1-1 draw against Hellas Verona at San Siro — its final home game. The club also won the Italian Cup last week, securing the double for the first time since 2010.
Christian Pulisic came off the bench in the 76th minute to help AC Milan secure a 2-1 win at Genoa. The United States forward had missed the previous match with a lower-back issue but returned earlier than expected, setting up Zachary Athekame's goal five minutes after entering. Pulisic hasn't scored in 18 league matches since December 28.
The Detail That Tilts It
Roma won its derby against Lazio 2-0, though the game descended into chaos with brawls breaking out after each goal. Wesley and Nicolò Rovella were sent off after exchanging punches. Gianluca Mancini headed in both goals from corners.
Juventus lost 2-0 at home to fierce rivals Fiorentina, drawing jeers from its own supporters. Como edged past Parma 1-0, keeping Cesc Fàbregas' side in contention for a Champions League spot just seven years after playing in Italy's fourth division.
Elsewhere, Cremonese won at Udinese but remained a point below safety. Lecce scored deep in stoppage time to beat Sassuolo 3-2 and will host Genoa in the final round. Cagliari beat Torino 2-1 to secure Serie A survival, while Bologna won at Atalanta.
The relegation battle also concludes next weekend with Cremonese, Lecce and one other club set to drop to Serie B.