ROME - The first round of Serie A matches after Inter Milan’s coronation last week were a goal-filled affair, with the champions beating Sampdoria 5-1, Roma walloping Crotone 5-0 and Atalanta managing a 5-2 victory away against Parma.

  Meanwhile AC Milan beat Juventus 3-0 in what may prove to be a crucial match in the battle for a Champions League spot next season - leaving Milan third and Juventus fifth, but only three points behind.

  After a tight first half at Juve’s Allianz Stadium, it was Milan to finally break the deadlock in the first minute of added time, through a brilliant shot curled into the top corner from the edge of the box by Spain’s Brahim Diaz. The second half saw Juve massively step up their attacking efforts though their best chance chances were saved by Milan keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

  A penalty for Milan in the 58th minute was missed by Franck Kessie, much to Juve’s relief, though Milan soon put the match to sleep with goals in the 78th and 82nd minute, by Ante Rebic and Fikayo Tomori.

  Napoli, competing for the fourth Champions League spot, secured a crucial 4-1 victory away to 17th place Spezia on Saturday. Napoli opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a well-played team goal set up by Giovanni Di Lorenzo neatly finished by Piotr Zielinski. Victor Osimhen just eight minutes later added a second with a solo run after finding himself with the last defender behind him and half the pitch to run into.

  Nigeria’s Osimhen, who has now scored seven goals in eight matches, made it 3-0 in the 44th minute, set up by a Lorenzo Insigne free kick which seemed to catch the Spezia defence napping.

  Spezia managed to get one back in the second half, Roberto Piccoli snapping up a rebounded shot and sloppy defending on Napoli’s part, before the visitors managed to get their fourth and final through substitute Hirving Lozano in the 79th minute.

  Elsewhere on Saturday Fiorentina beat Lazio 2-0, with a Dusan Vlahovic brace denying Lazio their third win on the trot.

  Roma’s five past last-place Crotone all came in the second half, giving them their first Serie A win in five matches. Two each from Borja Mayoral and Lorenzo Pellegrini and one from Henrikh Mkhitaryan were the five nails in Crotone’s coffin, whose relegation has by now been guaranteed.

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