AC Milan on Wednesday registered a dominating win over Parma in Serie A to keep their hopes for a Europa League berth next season alive. Table-toppers Juventus, on the other hand, squandered a two-goal lead in their dramatic 3-3 draw against Sassuolo.
After Jasmin Kurtic gave Parma the lead in the first half, Franck Kessie, Alessio Romagnoli and Hakan Calhanoglu scored in the second half at the empty San Siro Stadium to strengthen their hold at the seventh spot in the points table with 53 points.
Kurtic scored for the visitors in the 44th minute to give his team an unexpected lead. However, it took the hosts just 10 minutes to bring parity in the contest as Kessie saw the back of the net in the 55th minute after Calhanoglu had assisted him.
Milan took the lead for the first time in another four minutes and Calhanoglu was the provider again as he found Romagnoli for the latter to score in the 59th minute. The final nail in Parma coffin was put by Calhanoglu himself as he scored Milan’s third in the 77th minute.
Juventus, on the other hand, were left disappointed by a spirited Sassuolo side at the Mapei Stadium. However, with 77 points, they still stand seven points clear of Atlanta at the top of the Serie A points table.
With the strike of Danilo in the fifth minute, Juventus took a lead which was extended by Gonzalo Higuain in the 12th minute. However, the home team returned one back when Filip Djuricic scored at the half-hour mark.
After the break, Sassuolo shook Juventus at the core and took a lead with two goals in four minutes. After Domenico Berardi curled a free-kick into the back of Juventus net in the 50th minute, Francesco Caputo blasted in another one past the touring keeper Wojciech Szczęsny.
Desperate to save themselves from an embarrassment, Juventus went all guns blazing in the remaining minutes of the game. Their efforts paid dividends as Alex Sandro netted an equaliser in the 64th minute.