With just three games left, Juventus have a four-point lead and could wrap up a seventh straight league title next weekend. Koulibaly, the hero who scored the last-gasp header that kept Napoli’s ambitions alive with a 1-0 win over Juventus in Turin last week, was sent off after just eight minutes.
Argentina forward Simeone — the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone — scored all three goals in a spectacular display to keep Fiorentina’s Europa League hopes alive. Maurizio Sarri’s side fell four points behind Juventus who battled past 10-man Inter Milan in a 3-2 San Siro thriller on Saturday night with two late goals in three minutes. Massimiliano Allegri’s side play at home against Bologna on Saturday and could win the Scudetto if Napoli fail to win at home against Torino on Sunday.
Meanwhile, AC Milan returned to winning ways with a 2-1 success at Bologna keeping Gennaro Gattuso’s side in the chase for European football next season. Milan had dropped out of the Europa League places into seventh after a six-game winless streak including last week’s shock defeat to bottom club Benevento.
But first-half goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Giacomo Bonaventura ensured Milan — one point behind sixth-placed Atalanta, who beat Genoa 3-1 — keep touch with the Europa League places.
Saturday’s defeat to Juventus damages Inter’s hopes of Champions League football next season as they stay fifth behind Roma, third after beating Chievo 4-1, and Lazio who were playing Torino in late match last night.
In the battle against relegation, SPAL moved out of the bottom three win a 3-1 win against Verona, who now look destined for the drop. A late Bacary Sagna goal grabbed a 3-3 win for Benevento against Udinese, who had looked set to earn a first win under new coach Igor Tudor after a 12-match losing streak cost predecessor Massimo Oddo his job during the week.
Chievo, whose coach Rolando Maran was fired yesterday, drop into the relegation zone with just three games to play. Meanwhile, Marcello Trotta and Nigerian forward Simy scored a brace each as Crotone beat Sassuolo 4-1 to move away from the drop zone.
Italian Serie A results
Crotone 4 (Trotta 3, 31, Simy 16, 89) Sassuolo 1 (Berardi 45+2-pen)
Verona 1 (Valoti 13) SPAL 3 (Fares 45+4-og, Felipe 71, Kurtic 90+3)
Benevento 3 (Viola 23, Coda 76-pen, Sagna 90) Udinese 3 (Widmer 13, Lasagna 78, 79)
Bologna 1 (De Maio 74) AC Milan 2 (Calhanoglu 34, Bonaventura 45+1)
Atalanta 3 (Barrow 16, Christante 22, Ilicic 74) Genoa 1 (Veloso 81)
Sampdoria 4 (Praet 7, Quagliarella 26, Kownacki 45+4, Ramirez 87) Cagliari 1 (Pavoletti 49)
Fiorentina 3 (Simeone 34, 62, 90+3) Napoli 0
Played Saturday
AS Roma 4 (Schick 9, Dzeko 40, 67, El Shaarawy 65) Chievo 1 (Inglese 88)
Inter Milan 2 (Icardi 52, Barzagli 65-og) Juventus 3 (Costa 13, Skriniar 87-og, Higuain 89)