LAUTARO MARTINEZ RETURNS FROM TWO-MONTH INJURY LAYOFF TO BLAST INTER NINE POINTS CLEAR
Lautaro Martinez returned from injury to score twice as Inter Milan hammered Roma 5-2 to move nine points clear in Serie A.
Inter Milan took a huge leap toward clinching the Serie A title after hammering Roma 5-2 on Sunday. The win snapped their recent shaky form and pushed them nine points clear at the top.
AC Milan is still close behind, with a tough trip to Napoli. Both teams face a big challenge if they want to stop Inter from grabbing their 21st league trophy.
Lautaro Martinez made his return after almost two months out, and you could tell he made a difference. He scored twice and looked sharp. Marcus Thuram chipped in with his first goal for the club since February. That helped Inter shake off their mini-slump in style.
Before Martinez got injured against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, Inter were picking up points pretty easily. Since then, they’d only managed eight points from five games.
After the game, Martinez said, “Tonight was a big match for us… We had to come out with the right attitude and personality. I’m happy for my teammates, because it was the win we deserved.”
Hakan Calhanoglu smashed in a bending rocket right on halftime, and Nicolo Barella added his second league goal of the season, sealing the victory and hurting Roma’s Champions League chances even more.
Roma’s now sixth in the table, three points behind Como, who play Udinese next. They’re tied with fifth-placed Juventus, who face Genoa at home.
Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini summed up the night, saying, “It was a game of two halves. In the first, I saw a lot of good things, even if the final result makes everything look different. Losing in Milan to this Inter team can happen, even if it shouldn’t be by such a margin.”
Inter just look like a different team with Martinez leading the attack. He wasted no time, smashing in a goal from Thuram’s pass barely a minute into the game.
Calhanoglu then blasted one in from 30 meters to put Inter back ahead just as Roma looked like they might go into the break level, thanks to Gianluca Mancini’s header in the 40th minute.
That goal fired up Inter. They stormed back after the break, and within ten minutes, Martinez and Thuram had pretty much killed the match. Martinez calmly put away his 16th league goal in the 52nd minute, again off a pass from Thuram. Not long after, Thuram headed in from Calhanoglu’s corner.
Barella capitalised on sloppy Roma defending just past the hour mark, fighting his way through and burying Inter’s fifth. Lorenzo Pellegrini got one back for Roma in the 70th minute, but by then it hardly mattered.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table, Cremonese fell into the relegation zone after losing 2-1 to Bologna, and Pisa moved closer to the drop with a 1-0 home defeat against Torino.
SUNDERLAND FRONTRUNNERS FOR JHON LUCUMí AS BOLOGNA DIRECTOR CONFIRMS SUMMER EXIT
Sunderland targets Lucumí and Jonathan David to sustain their top-flight momentum and European ambitions in 2026.
Sunderland have emerged as the frontrunner in the race to sign a Serie A player who appears set to leave his current club.
The Black Cats have developed a solid approach to remaining competitive in the top flight, putting an end to the kind of struggles promoted teams have faced in recent seasons.
They’re even within reach of qualifying for European competition this season, trailing sixth-place Chelsea by just five points. Notably, Sunderland will face Chelsea on the final day of the campaign, adding extra significance to that gap.
Over the past two years, Sunderland’s project has gained considerable appeal in the Premier League, bringing in players like Brian Brobbey and Granit Xhaka while also showing interest in others such as Jonathan David.
Acquiring someone of Jonathan David’s calibre would capture Sunderland’s ambitions since their return to the top tier. Their aims go beyond merely avoiding relegation or settling for a mid-table finish, setting a standard other clubs might want to mirror.
But David isn’t the only target on their agenda. Sunderland is also looking to strengthen its defence once the summer transfer window opens.
While Daniel Ballard and Nordi Mukiele have put in strong performances in their first Premier League season, injuries have highlighted the club’s lack of depth in defence.
Because of this, the club has shifted attention back to a longer-term target. Reports from Italy, as picked up by Sport Witness, suggest Sunderland is now leading the race to sign Jhon Lucumi, who is close to departing Serie A side Bologna.
Bologna’s sporting director, Giovanni Sartori, has openly acknowledged that it would be pointless to deny Lucumi’s likely exit this summer. This honesty might smooth Sunderland’s path after they failed to agree on terms with Bologna last summer when Lucumi was already a top target.
Given that Como scout Ben Mattinson described Lucumi as “excellent” in 2024, it’s clear why Sunderland remains interested. Securing him would represent another bold move, and with Bologna’s stance now more transparent, negotiations may prove less challenging this time around.
NAPOLI ISSUES "DISCIPLINARY ACTION" WARNING AFTER ROMELU LUKAKU FAILS TO REPORT BACK
Napoli issues a sharp response after Romelu Lukaku fails to return from Belgium, threatening indefinite suspension.
Napoli has issued a sharp official response after Romelu Lukaku failed to return to training following the international break. The Belgian striker stayed in Belgium despite instructions from the club, prompting the team's leadership to consider serious disciplinary measures.
Something clearly broke down in communication. While his teammates came back after their national duties, Lukaku remained in his home country. This unusual absence led Napoli to publicly criticise him, an uncommon move for a club of their stature.
The heart of the issue seems to be Lukaku’s choice to focus on personal recovery away from the club’s medical team. Although he withdrew from the Belgian squad last week due to fitness concerns, he decided to work with private trainers instead of coming back to Napoli. This decision reportedly lacked the club’s approval.
Napoli’s management made no effort to hide their frustration with Lukaku’s defiance. The board is now looking at options like imposing a heavy fine or even removing him from the first-team squad completely.
In their official statement, the club declared: “SSC Napoli can confirm that Romelu Lukaku did not respond to today’s call to return to training. The club reserves the right to consider taking the appropriate disciplinary action, as well as to determine whether the player will continue to train with the team for an indefinite period.”
The matter has grown beyond a simple sports dispute. Napoli’s legal advisors are reviewing the striker’s contract closely. According to reports from Sky Sports via Football Italia, lawyers are assessing whether Lukaku’s “indefinite” absence could warrant harsher penalties, beyond just a fine for a missed week. If things aren’t resolved soon, the club might fully sideline him.
This issue arises at a tough moment for Napoli, who are gearing up for an important domestic clash. They will face AC Milan on Monday in a game that could influence the standings at the top of Serie A. Currently, Napoli sits third with 62 points from 30 games, just behind Milan in second by a single point, while Inter leads the table with 69 points.
