Serie A title race down to Inter and Napoli after Atalanta loses again

ROME (AP) — Victor Osimhen left in September. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia departed in January.

Now it’s almost April and Antonio Conte’s Napoli — somehow — is still in contention for the Serie A title.

Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku scored first-half goals, Alex Meret saved a second-half penalty kick from Santiago Gimenez, and Napoli beat visiting AC Milan 2-1 on Sunday for a statement victory.

Luka Jovic pulled one back for Milan in the 84th to set up a tense finale during which Milan came close to equalizing.

The result kept Napoli within three points of Serie A leader Inter Milan, which edged Udinese 2-1 earlier.

It’s developing into a two-team title race after third-placed Atalanta lost its second straight game, falling 1-0 at Fiorentina to drop nine points back.

While Lukaku has filled the void left by Osimhen after the Nigeria striker left to sign a loan deal with Galatasaray, it has taken a group effort to replace Kvaratskhelia’s output after the winger signed with Paris Saint-Germain.

One player picking up playing time in Kvaratskhelia’s absence has been Politano. He seized upon a ball over the top from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and evaded three defenders to blast in a long-range shot 63 seconds in at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Then Billy Gilmour set up Lukaku all alone in front of the goal to double the advantage after less than 20 minutes – helped by poor positioning from Milan defender Kyle Walker.

It was Lukaku’s 400th goal for club and country.

Milan remained ninth.

Goalkeeper Yann Sommer made two clutch saves in Inter's win.

Marko Arnautovic took advantage of a rare start at center forward, opening the scoring early in the first half by redirecting in a cross from Federico Dimarco with one touch.

Davide Frattesi quickly doubled the lead with a nearly identical goal.

Center back Oumar Solet pulled one back for Udinese midway through the second half with a long, curling shot for his first Serie A goal.

Sommer then palmed away a dangerous effort from Lorenzo Lucca to preserve the lead.

Sommer also made a save on a close-range effort from Solet in stoppage time, after which vehement protests from Simone Inzaghi resulted in the Inter coach being sent off.

Arnautovic replaced Lautaro Martinez, who picked up a knock with Argentina.

Inter, which faces Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, also sorely missed injured center back Alessandro Bastoni.

Atalanta was also beat 2-0 by Inter before the international break.

Fiorentina striker Moise Kean scored his 16th goal of the season at the end of the first half with a solo action.

“In terms of the title race, I would say we’re done,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said. “It was an impossible dream that I think had already faded away during the match with Inter.”

Also, Cagliari beat last-placed Monza 3-0.

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Napoli's Billy Gilmour controls the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Napoli and AC Milan at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, southern Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. Sport - Soccer . (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli players react after a goal by AC Milan's Luka Jovic (not shown) during a Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Milan at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, southern Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. Sport - Soccer . (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Fiorentina's Moise Kean, left, on his way to score during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Atalanta at Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Fiorentina's Moise Kean celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Atalanta at Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence, Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez sits on the bech before the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Udinese at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Udinese's goalkeeper Maduka Okoye fails to save a goal by Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Udinese at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Udinese at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Inter Milan's Marko Arnautovic reacts after he scored during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Udinese at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez hugs goalkeeper Yann Sommer after a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Udinese at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — One person was killed Sunday as Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, while the death toll from Friday’s deadly attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih continued to rise.

The Kyiv victim was found close to the strike's epicenter of the attack in the city's Darnytskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. A further three people were injured in the strike, which sparked fires in several nonresidential areas, damaging cars and buildings.

In a statement on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the intensifying Russian attacks showed that there is still insufficient international pressure on Moscow.

He said Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones and more than 30 missiles at Ukraine in the past week alone.

“These attacks are (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s response to all international diplomatic efforts. Each of our partners — the United States, all of Europe, the entire world — has seen that Russia intends to continue the war and the killing," Zelenskyy said.

"That is why there can be no easing of pressure. All efforts must be aimed at guaranteeing security and bringing peace closer.”

Zelenskyy also said that the missiles fired into Ukraine had been launched by Russian ships stationed in the Black Sea. While U.S. negotiators announced on March 25 that both Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to a Black Sea ceasefire, the Kremlin has pushed for some Western sanctions against Russia to be lifted before such an agreement comes into force.

“This is one reason why Russia distorts diplomacy and will not agree to an unconditional (Black Sea) ceasefire: They want to retain the opportunity to strike at our cities and our ports from the sea,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “A ceasefire at sea is not only about free navigation and maritime food supplies, it is, above all, about security.”

Meanwhile, officials said that the death toll from Friday's attack on Kryvyi Rih had continued to grow, with 20 dead — including many children — and a further 75 wounded.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih's military administration, declared three days of mourning, starting on April 7. He said that there was “pain in the hearts of millions of people”.

“Together we will stand. And no matter how difficult it is, we will win,” he said. “The enemy will be punished for every Ukrainian and for every mother's tear.”

A team from the U.N. Human Rights Office in Ukraine visited the impact site Saturday to document the damage and establish the identities of the nine children killed in the attack. They described it as the deadliest single verified strike harming children since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Local authorities said the Kryvyi Rih strike damaged 44 apartment buildings and 23 private houses.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Friday that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high explosive warhead on a restaurant where a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors was taking place.

Russian military claimed that the strike killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The military’s claims could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims.

Elsewhere, Russian troops fired 23 missiles and 109 strike and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Sunday. Thirteen missiles and 40 drones were shot down, while 53 decoy drones were jammed and did not reach their destinations, it said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its air defenses had destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones, including eight over the Rostov region and two over the Kursk region.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)