MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan took a significant step to keeping its Serie A crown on Sunday with a 2-0 win at title rival Atalanta.
Carlos Augusto and Lautaro Martinez scored in the second half to lift the league leader three points above second-placed Napoli and six points above third-placed Atalanta.
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Inter Milan's Carlos Augusto celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Saturday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's Carlos Augusto celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Saturday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez scores a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez celebrates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Fiorentina's Robin Gosens, left, celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium, Italy, Sunday March 16, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' head coach Thiago Motta looks down during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium, Italy, Sunday March 16, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Romelu Lukaku, left, is challenged by Venezia's Fali Cande during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori, centre left, and Venezia's Kike Perez challenge for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Scott McTominay, right, and Venezia's Joel Schingtienne vie for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Romelu Lukaku, right, is challenged by Venezia's Fali Cande during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli had earlier been held 0-0 at relegation-threatened Venezia.
The fight for the final Champions League spot is also tight, with just six points separating six teams in the race for fourth place after more misery for Juventus, which lost 3-0 at Fiorentina.
It was a head-to-head clash for top spot in Bergamo, with Atalanta knowing that victory would move it level on points with Inter and Napoli.
Both sides had great chances in an entertaining first half, with Inter going closest with less than seven minutes on the clock.
Marcus Thuram was on the verge of wheeling away in celebration as he swept a finish past Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi and toward the far corner, following good play with Lautaro Martinez. But his effort bounced off the base of the right post.
At the other end, Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer pulled off a fantastic save to fingertip Mario Pasalic’s header over the bar.
Inter broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, immediately after play resumed following a delay of several minutes as a fan got medical treatment in the stands.
A corner was whipped in from the right and Carlos Augusto rose relatively unmarked to head into the bottom left corner.
It was only his third goal for Inter in two seasons at the club.
Lautaro thought he had doubled Inter’s lead in the 71st but the whistle had already been blown for a foul by him on Berat Djimsiti.
Atalanta’s chances of getting back into the match diminished nine minutes from time. Éderson was booked for dissent and then sarcastically applauded the referee, who showed the Atalanta midfielder a second yellow card and then a red.
Lautaro sealed the match six minutes later. Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was still protesting the Ederson decision and he was also sent off.
Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni was also sent off following a second yellow card.
It was another draw for Napoli — its fifth in its last seven matches.
Napoli almost got off to the perfect start in Venice but Giacomo Raspadori’s effort came off the left post in the fourth minute.
Venezia also had plenty of chances, with the best opportunity coming three minutes from the break. Alex Meret did well to parry from Kike Pérez and Daniel Fila’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani.
Napoli went even closer on the stroke of halftime but Ionut Radu pulled off a superb save to grasp Romelu Lukaku’s header on the goalline.
It was a fourth straight draw for Venezia — with two of those coming against Atalanta and Lazio — but it remained in penultimate position in the standings, five points from safety.
Juventus coach Thiago Motta is under even more pressure after his team slipped out of the top four, shipping seven goals in two matches and scoring none.
Robin Gosens and Rolando Mandragora scored within two minutes of each other in the first half and Albert Guðmundsson added another after the break as Fiorentina moved to within five points of the top four.
Juve’s season was already in tatters after a dismal 4-0 loss at home to Atalanta last weekend. The Bianconeri had also been eliminated from the Champions League and Italian Cup.
Motta’s former team, Bologna, replaced Juventus in fourth after an impressive 5-0 drubbing of sixth-placed Lazio.
Seventh-placed Roma beat Cagliari 1-0.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Inter Milan's Carlos Augusto celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Saturday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's Carlos Augusto celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Saturday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez scores a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez celebrates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Inter at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Stefano Nicoli/LaPresse via AP)
Fiorentina's Robin Gosens, left, celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium, Italy, Sunday March 16, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' head coach Thiago Motta looks down during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium, Italy, Sunday March 16, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Romelu Lukaku, left, is challenged by Venezia's Fali Cande during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori, centre left, and Venezia's Kike Perez challenge for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Scott McTominay, right, and Venezia's Joel Schingtienne vie for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Romelu Lukaku, right, is challenged by Venezia's Fali Cande during a Serie A soccer match between Venezia and Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium, in Venice, Italy, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)
KOCANI, North Macedonia (AP) — As families gathered outside a hospital for updates, Tomco Stojanov had already been given the devastating news. His 25-year-old son, Andrej, had been killed Sunday in a nightclub fire that left dozens dead, many trampled during a desperate bid to escape.
“Thank you for your condolences, but my pain is incurable. The wound is incurable,” Stojanov said, holding up a photograph of his son, clean shaven and wearing a suit jacket. "He died while returning and entering to save other people. And he was pushed, run over, that’s how my son died."
North Macedonia is grappling with the loss of dozens of young lives in Sunday's nightclub inferno in the eastern town of Kocani, while trying to hold those responsible to account and prevent another calamity.
Fire tore through the overcrowded Club Pulse during a live concert, leaving 59 people dead and more than 150 injured from burns, smoke inhalation and being trampled in the panicked escape toward the building’s single exit.
Videos showed sparkling pyrotechnics on the stage hitting the club's ceiling and igniting the blaze as a band played.
The fire that shook the nation of 2 million — where close-knit extended family bonds made the disaster personal to many — was the latest in a string of deadly nightclub fires around the world. People as young as 16 were among the casualties, and the nation declared seven days of mourning.
“We are all in shock, and I am shocked myself: as a mother, as a person, as a president,” North Macedonian President Gordana Davkova Siljanovska said in an address to the nation Sunday night.
Authorities say they are investigating allegations of bribery surrounding the nightclub that was crammed with young revelers and at double capacity. And North Macedonia’s government ordered a sweeping three-day inspection to be carried out at all nightclubs and cabarets across the country, starting Monday.
State prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said a preliminary inspection of the nightclub had revealed numerous safety code violations including a lack of emergency exits, an insufficient number of fire extinguishers and improper access for emergency vehicles.
The fire caused the roof of the single-story building to partially collapse, revealing the charred remains of wooden beams and debris.
“The omissions are significant. I can confidently say that this is a failure of the system,” the prosecutor told reporters, also noting the lack of an overhead extinguisher system and fire alarms and the use of flammable materials to line the inside walls.
The country was in mourning as people watched harrowing scenes in the town of 25,000 people, where rescuers for hours carried out their grim task of removing the charred bodies of clubgoers.
A state coroner said the bodies were being brought for identification in batches from morgues due to the high number of people killed.
Flags around the country have been lowered to half-staff, and the death toll may rise further, with 20 of the injured in critical condition, Health Minister Arben Taravari said.
Neighboring and nearby countries — Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey — along with a number of others have already accepted some 50 patients with the most serious injuries, while several countries are also sending medical teams to North Macedonia, officials said.
“All patients who have been transferred abroad are currently in stable condition. We hope it stays that way and that we will receive positive news from abroad,” Taravari said.
Officials said 10 people remain in police custody for questioning in Kocani, some 115 kilometers (72 miles) east of the capital, Skopje. Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski added that a preliminary inspection revealed the club was operating without a proper license. He said the number of people inside the club was at least double its official capacity of 250.
Condolences poured in from leaders around Europe as well as from the office of the hospitalized Pope Francis.
Late Sunday, Kocani's residents held a candlelight vigil in support for mourning families, waiting in long lines to light church candles.
Beti Delovska, an economist from Skopje, said North Macedonia has never experienced a tragedy like this, with dozens of young people vanishing in minutes. And she noted that many young people with bright futures had already left the nation, in search of opportunities elsewhere.
”(North) Macedonia is on its death bed,” Delovska said. “We have no more credible institutions, the health system is completely dismantled, education is poor, judiciary is partisan and corrupted to the bone. … I do believe now that only God can save (North) Macedonia.”
Testorides reported from Skopje, North Macedonia
People wait in line to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
People wait in line to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
People wait in line to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Relatives of victims leave a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Relatives of victims leave a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Relatives of victims leave a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Relatives of victims leave a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Relatives of victims leave a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Relatives of victims leave a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Relatives of victims leave a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A woman writes in a condolence book for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People wait in line to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A woman cries while waiting in line to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A woman cries while waiting in line to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A woman writes a condolence message for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A toy and flowers are placed next to condolence books for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People wait in line to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire are written in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People wait to write condolence messages for the victims of a massive nightclub fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Youngsters light candles for the victims of a massive nightclub fire early Sunday in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Tomco Stojanov who said his son Andrej died in the fire holds his portrait outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Tomco Stojanov who said his son Andrej died in the fire holds his portrait outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A charred ventilator on the wall of a nightclub building, damaged following a massive fire early Sunday in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A charred ventilator on the wall of a nightclub building, damaged following a massive fire early Sunday in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Support beams are charred in the partially collapsed roof of the building of a nightclub, damaged following a massive fire early Sunday in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
The building of a nightclub is damaged following a massive fire early Sunday in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A cyclist goes past a banner reads: "Kocani" hanging from a fence outside the St. Clement Christian Orthodox church in Skopje, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub in the town of Kocani, early Sunday. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
A woman walks past North Macedonia flags flapping in the wind at half staff in front of a Government building in Skopje, North Macedonia, Monday, March 17, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub in the town of Kocani, early Sunday. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
People wait in lines to light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People wait in lines to light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Girls cry as they light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Girls cry as they light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People wait in lines to light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People hug as they wait in lines to light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
An aerial photograph shows the damaged roof of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
An aerial photograph shows the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Macedonian Interior Minister Pance Toskovski speaks to media after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
Police officers hold plastic bags on the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People wait in lines to light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Maria Taseva, a 19 years-old survivor, who said her sister died in the fire, sits outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A firefighter inspects a nightclub after a massive fire in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
A woman cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in a nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Women cry and hug outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
An aerial photograph shows the site of a nightclub in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A man cries outside a hospital in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
People hug as they wait in lines to light candles in the town of Kocani, North Macedonia, Sunday, March 16, 2025, following a massive fire in the nightclub early Sunday. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
