European football: Two late own goals return Inter to top of Serie A but Milan lose at home
Inter returned to the top of Serie A with a 2-0 win at bottom side Venezia, helped by two late own goals. The result leaves Inter level on 25 points with Lazio before Saturday’s much-anticipated Milan derby, while Milan’s unbeaten league start ended in a 4-2 home defeat to Bologna.
At San Siro, Samuel Mbangula scored a hat-trick on his full debut for Bologna, who came from behind after Milan teenager Alphadjo Cisse scored twice. An own goal by Milan’s Davide Bartesaghi helped turn the match, and Bologna moved up to 11th on 11 points. Elsewhere, Stuttgart and Freiburg both scored late German Cup winners; Wednesday’s Copa del Rey matches were postponed after a deadly rail crash in Spain.
In short
- Two late own goals lifted Inter above Venezia.
- Mbangula’s hat-trick handed Milan their first league defeat.
- Copa del Rey fixtures were postponed after a deadly rail crash.
Explained simply
Serie A is Italy’s top men’s football league. Each team plays the others home and away, earning three points for a win and one for a draw; the team with the most points at the end of the season wins the title. Inter and AC Milan are separate clubs from the same city, and both play at San Siro, making their meetings among the league’s most closely followed matches.
A derby is a match between local rivals, so the Milan derby draws attention beyond the points at stake. Inter’s position near the top and Milan’s results help shape the title race, while Bologna are another Serie A club seeking to climb the table. The Italian league is one of several domestic competitions taking place across Europe, alongside cup tournaments such as Germany’s DFB-Pokal.
Europe Football Geopolitics Politics Sport World