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Substitutes put Inter Milan on brink of Serie A title

Published:Sunday | May 2, 2021 | 12:22 AM
Inter Milan's Achraf Hakim (second from left) celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Italian Serie A match between Crotone and Inter Milan at the Ezio Scida Stadium in Crotone, Italy, yesterday. Inter won 2-0.
AP
Inter Milan's Achraf Hakim (second from left) celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Italian Serie A match between Crotone and Inter Milan at the Ezio Scida Stadium in Crotone, Italy, yesterday. Inter won 2-0.

ROME (AP):

Inter Milan won at last-placed Crotone 2-0 yesterday to give them a chance to clinch the Serie A before the weekend ends.

Inter moved 14 points clear of Atalanta with four games to play. If Atalanta don't win at Sassuolo today, Inter will clinch their first title since 2010.

Crotone were relegated.

Christian Eriksen scored midway through the second half on a play begun with a backheel flick from fellow substitute Alexis Sanchez. Four minutes after the subs went on, Romelu Lukaku took Sanchez's creative pass and left it for Eriksen to score with a drive that deflected in off a defender.

Achraf Hakimi sealed it for Inter by finishing off a counterattack in stoppage time.

It took another piece of Conte's well-connected puzzle, the new defensive trio of Milan Škriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni, to produce another clean sheet.

The "LuLa" strike tandem of Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez accounted for two shots off the post.

Stefano Sensi, another usual bench member, got a rare start and was involved in several first half chances.

Earlier, a late equalizer from Riccardo Saponara earned Serie A debutant Spezia a much-needed point at Hellas Verona in a 1-1 draw. Spezia, based in Liguria, moved three points clear of the relegation zone.