Inter Milan produced a devastating performance to demolish Sassuolo 5-0 at the MAPEI Stadium on Sunday, extending their lead at the top of Serie A to eight points, while Juventus needed a 96th-minute header from Pierre Kalulu to rescue a 2-2 draw against Lazio in a dramatic Matchday 24.
Yann Aurel Bisseck opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Marcus Thuram doubled the advantage in the 28th. Lautaro Martinez added a third in the 50th minute, with Manuel Akanji making it four just three minutes later. Nemanja Matic received a red card in the 60th minute to compound Sassuolo's misery, and Luis Henrique completed the rout in the 89th minute. Inter now sit comfortably on 58 points from 24 matches.
At the Juventus Stadium, Lazio appeared headed for a stunning victory after Pedro and Gustav Isaksen struck either side of halftime to give the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead. Weston McKennie halved the deficit in the 60th minute, sparking a sustained Juventus fightback, but it took until the 96th minute for defender Pierre Kalulu to head home the equalizer and salvage a point for the Bianconeri.
Napoli produced a remarkable display to beat Genoa 3-2 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris despite playing with ten men for the final 14 minutes. Rasmus Hojlund scored twice, including a dramatic stoppage-time penalty, while Scott McTominay also found the net. Juan Jesus was dismissed in the 76th minute, but Antonio Conte's side showed tremendous character to grab a late winner and climb to 49 points, just one behind second-placed AC Milan.
Bologna suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Parma, with Tommaso Pobega scoring the only goal in the 22nd minute. Lecce claimed a crucial relegation victory with a 2-1 win over Udinese, Lameck Banda scoring a stunning free kick in the 90th minute. Fiorentina and Torino played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, with Guillermo Maripan heading home a 94th-minute equalizer for the visitors.
The Serie A title race appears increasingly one-sided, with Inter's dominant form putting them firmly in control. AC Milan sit second on 50 points with a game in hand, while Napoli's dramatic victory lifted them to third on 49. Juventus remain fourth on 46 points, still in contention for the Champions League but trailing Inter by 12 points.
The battle for European qualification promises to provide the most compelling storyline in the remaining weeks, with Juventus, Roma, and Como separated by just five points in the fight for the top four. At the other end, Lecce's vital win offered a lifeline in the relegation battle, while Sassuolo's heavy defeat did nothing to ease concerns in Reggio Emilia.
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