European roundup: Milan capitalise on Inter’s slip up while Atlético win again

A brilliant strike from Ismaël Bennacer earned Milan a 1-0 victory at Cagliari on as Stefano Pioli’s side maintained their three-point lead at the top of Serie A.

Second-placed Napoli’s comeback victory over Udinese earlier on Saturday put the pressure on Milan to respond, and they endured a frustrating first half in Sardinia, wasting several chances to break the deadlock. It took the visitors until the 59th minute to find what proved to be the winner, and it was worth the wait as Olivier Giroud laid the ball off for Algeria international Bennacer to volley into the net from the edge of the penalty area.

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Milan, who are chasing their first Serie A title since 2011, survived a major scare late on as Leonardo Pavoletti’s last-gasp header came off the crossbar.

“We aren’t used to just managing matches,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia. “We are usually scoring more goals but the team did well today even when they had to grit their teeth. We are doing very well but we know that there are four teams that can win the Scudetto. Now comes the [international] break and we will have to work well to be ready for the return to action.”

Internazionale dropped more points when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina at San Siro. The game was goalless at half-time, with Inter’s Samir Handanovic called into action to stop long range efforts. Fiorentina’s Pietro Terracciano denied Edin Dzeko from close range before Lautaro Martínez’s strike was disallowed for offside.

The visitors’ sustained pressure paid off early in the second half when Gaetano Castrovilli cut open Inter’s defence. His pass found Nicolas Gonzalez in the penalty area, and the forward’s quick