Rafael Leao scored two goals for AC Milan in their 2-0 victory over Lecce, following his successful performance in the Champions League earlier in the week. Romelu Lukaku also scored two goals for Inter Milan, leading them to a 3-0 win against Empoli.
Leao, who had a great performance in the Milan derby Champions League semi-final, scored the first goal and slinked past two Lecce defenders to score the second with 18 minutes left.
Stefano Pioli’s team is currently not in the Champions League spots and is behind Roma in goal difference. They are two points ahead of Inter Milan after a 3-0 victory against Empoli, which was secured by Romelu Lukaku’s two goals in the second half. Roma will be playing against Atalanta on Monday night.
Milan and Inter are competing for a spot in next year’s top European club competition. Milan started the day in fifth place, and this was after Juventus’ 15-point penalty for illegal transfer activity was reversed on Thursday.
Juve might be given a new points penalty, but they are waiting for a ruling from the FIGC appeals court. They have a chance to move up to second place if they win against Napoli. Lazio lost to Torino on Saturday.
Lecce is now in a serious battle to avoid relegation as they have only gained one point from their past eight matches and have seven games left to play.
Marco Baroni’s team is just above the relegation zone by two points. They could have had a chance to win on Sunday if Lameck Banda hadn’t missed a close-range header that hit the post in the 19th minute.
Lecce has a difficult schedule ahead as they will be playing against Spezia and Verona, who are just outside and inside the relegation zone, and will also have to face Juventus and Lazio in their upcoming games.
Lukaku scored his first non-penalty goals of the season in Italy and thanked the Italian Football Federation for reversing his one-game suspension after being sent off in a previous match against Juventus.
Lukaku is permitted to participate in the second leg game at San Siro on Wednesday, which is good news for Inter as Sunday’s performance suggests.
Lukaku said that the pardon is a positive development for Italian football and he just wants to take a break and get ready for the upcoming game.
On Sunday, the 29-year-old player scored two goals for Inter, bringing his total league goals to five since he returned on loan from Chelsea. He also assisted in Lautaro Martinez’s goal, which sealed the team’s victory.