PIX: Roma hand Milan major blow; Juve down Napoli

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January 26, 2026 09:57 IST

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IMAGES from Serie A matches played on Sunday.

AS Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini celebrates scoring their first goal with Robinio Vaz during their match at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy

IMAGE: AS Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini celebrates scoring their first goal with Robinio Vaz during their match at Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy . Photograph: Matteo Ciambelli/Reuters

AC Milan's title hopes suffered a blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw by AS Roma in a rain-soaked clash in the capital on Sunday that left Inter Milan five points clear at the top of the Serie A standings.

Second-placed Milan moved to 47 points, while Roma climbed to third on 43, level with Napoli, who suffered a 3-0 defeat earlier on Sunday.

Inter had cranked up the pressure in the title race with a 6-2 comeback win against Pisa on Friday.

 

Roma had several chances to grab the opening goal in the first half, but Milan keeper Mike Maignan was in inspired form, producing a reflex save on the line to deny the hosts just before the break, with his performance earning him the Man-of-the-Match award.

After a difficult first half, Milan made the breakthrough in the 62nd minute when Koni De Winter rose to glance home a header from a cross, sparking wild celebrations on the visitors' bench.

However, the home crowd were roaring 12 minutes later when Davide Bartesaghi was penalised for handball and the referee pointed to the spot, with Lorenzo Pellegrini making no mistake to level for Roma.

Neither side could break the deadlock in the closing stages, with Roma dominating possession and Milan waiting for an opening on the counter.

The visitors had a late scare when the ball struck Christian Pulisic’s arm. The incident, however, was waved away by the referee as his arm was tucked against his body, and the sides shared the spoils.

Juventus close in on top four

Juventus' Jonathan David scores their first goal against Napoli at Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy

IMAGE: Juventus' Jonathan David scores their first goal against Napoli at Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy. Photograph: Alberto Lingria/Reuters

Juventus claimed a statement 3-0 home win over an injury-hit Napoli on Sunday to boost their top-four hopes in Serie A, with goals from Jonathan David, Kenan Yildiz and a late strike from Filip Kostic.

The win moved Juventus to 42 points, one behind third-placed Napoli and 10 adrift of leaders Inter Milan. Juventus sit fifth, level on 42 points with AS Roma in fourth.

The visitors arrived with a growing injury list, having lost goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to a muscle problem he suffered in training, while David Neres was ruled out following recent surgery, with Matteo Politano, Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour already absent.

Juventus showed their ambition when Khepren Thuram sent a curling effort from the edge of the box against the woodwork, with the rebound bouncing clear.

After dominating the early stages, the hosts were rewarded in the 22nd minute when Manuel Locatelli floated a clever pass into the area, which David controlled with his chest before finishing from a tight angle.

Yildiz nearly doubled the lead three minutes later when he broke through and fired a low shot past Napoli keeper Alex Meret, but Alessandro Buongiorno produced a crucial goal-line clearance to deny him.

After an intense first half, the match slowed after the break, with both sides seemingly conserving energy for a late push.

Yildiz got his goal in the 77th minute when he timed his run to meet a through ball from Fabio Miretti inside the box before calmly sending the ball past Meret to double Juventus’ lead and seal the match.

Napoli's night got worse in the 86th minute when Kostic's long shot seemingly took Meret by surprise, with the ball going into the bottom corner.

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