The race for the Champions League qualifying spots is getting tighter in Serie A.
Roma, Atalanta and Lazio all won on Sunday to move within three points of Inter Milan and Juventus, who occupy the final qualifying positions for European soccer’s top club competition.
Second-place AC Milan is only another point further ahead, and nine points behind runaway Serie A leader Napoli.
Roma beat 10-man Fiorentina 2-0, Lazio won at Sassuolo by the same score for its first victory of the new year, and Atalanta destroyed Salernitana 8-2.
Paulo Dybala scored both goals in Rome — both on assists from Tammy Abraham. Fiorentina had to play most of the match with 10 men after Dodô was sent off in the 24th minute following a second yellow card.
Jérémie Boga’s stunning goal in the fifth minute set Atalanta on the way to a lopsided 8-2 victory against Salernitana.
Boulaye Dia leveled just five minutes later but the floodgates then opened and Atalanta was 5-1 up by halftime.
Lazio had started the year poorly, losing at Lecce and then conceding two goals late on to draw 2-2 against Empoli last weekend. They lost key forward and captain Ciro Immobile in the 15th minute at Sassuolo but won 2-0.
Lazio struggled to carve out scoring chances but was handed the opportunity to break the deadlock right at the end of the first half when Sassuolo defender Jeremy Toljan blocked Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s header with an outstretched arm.
Mattia Zaccagni struck the resulting penalty into the bottom left corner. Lazio had chances to double its lead but didn’t manage to until stoppage time when Milinkovic-Savic nodded on a long goal kick and Anderson caught Sassuolo defender Ruan Tressoldi napping to rush into the area and round goalkeeper Gianluca Pegolo before depositing into an empty net. It was Sassuolo’s sixth defeat in its past seven matches and left it seven points above the relegation zone.
M’Bala Nzola’s firsthalf penalty was enough to give Spezia a 1-0 win at Torino to go nine points clear of the drop zone. Bologna fought back to win 2-1 at Udinese.
