ROME: The much-hyped clash between Juventus and AC Milan turned out to be a lopsided one, as Milan ended its nine consecutive Serie A defeats against Juve with a comfortable 3-0 away victory on Sunday.
It was a head-to-head for Champions League qualification as both sides, along with Atalanta, were level on 69 points before Sunday's game. Federico Chiesa returned to action for Juve while Zlatan Ibrahimovic led Milan's forward line. The home side failed to manage one shot on target in the first half, while Milan broke the deadlock in stoppage time as BrahimDiaz cut inside to finish with a stunning curler. The Rossoneri should have doubled the lead in the 57th minute as Diaz won a penalty when his attempt struck Giorgio Chiellini's arm, but Franck Kessie saw his attempt saved by Wojciech Szczesny. Milan was forced to replace Ibrahimovic as the talisman limped off in the 65th minute, but substitute Ante Rebic quickly made impact with another blockbuster, as the Croatian gathered the ball before unleashing a missile which left Szczesny stranded. It was not over yet, as FikayoTomori sealed the match with a powerful header in the 81st minute, marking the Chelsea loanee's first goal for Milan.
Milan now is still level with Atalanta who crushed Parma 5-2, while Juve dropped to fifth.
Also on Sunday, Roma, who appointed Jose Mourinho as head coach for next season, staged a second-half show to conquer relegated Crotone 5-0, with both Borja Mayoral and Lorenzo Pellegrini grabbing a brace.
In Sunday's other fixtures, Sassuolo beat Genoa 2-1, Cagliari won 3-1 away to Benevento, while Hellas Verona drew with Torino 1-1. Agencies
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