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Alexis Sánchez scored two goals for Inter Milan to win 2-1 at Parma, putting the Serie A leaders six points clear at the top of the standings.
Both teams had chances to score in the first half, with Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic forced into a good save by local Jasmin Kurtic, while Inter’s Romelu Lukaku failed to convert from a good position just before half-time.
Antonio Conte’s team showed their quality after the break as Sánchez, who just started his ninth league game of the season clinging to a loose ball to score in the 54th minute. The Chilean forward added a second eight minutes later, conceding at home after some brilliant work from Lukaku.
Parma cut the deficit with Hernani’s close-range shot in the 71st minute, but Inter endured another vital victory in their bid for a first Scudetto in 11 years. Parma stayed in 19th place, six points behind safety, and haven’t won the league since November.
Inter’s sixth consecutive league win brought the leaders to 59 points, six ahead of Milan and ten ahead of Juventus. “We are in a very good position, we are ahead of everyone,” Conte said afterward. “There has been a significant improvement but there are 13 games left and the Italian championship is a battle. We cannot lose points, we have 13 finals to play ”.
“I’m like a lion, the more I play, the better I feel,” Sánchez told Sky Sport Italia.
“We have to fight to win the Scudetto. We have to think of ourselves and not make mistakes. The players have grown a lot in recent months ”.
Athletic Bilbao secures double place in the Cup final
A goal in extra time by Alex Berenguer sealed Athletic Bilbao’s victory over Levante in the Copa del Rey semifinal, meaning the Basque team will play two Cup finals in April.
Athletic will play against Real Sociedad in the postponed final of last season’s Copa del Rey on April 4 before facing Barcelona in this year’s final fifteen days later. His coach, Marcelino, could also complete a unique hat-trick of cup wins after winning the Cup in 2019 with Valencia.
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Roger Martí put Levante ahead in the 17th minute with a shot from close range, before Raúl García leveled from the penalty spot after half an hour. Athletic had the best of the second half and extra time, but had to wait until 112, when Berenguer’s long-distance shot was deflected from Nikola Vukcevic.
