ROME: Inter Milan warmed up for their Champions League semi-final showdown with AC Milan with an entertaining 4-2 win over Sassuolo on Saturday while their city rivals floundered 2-0 at Serie A strugglers Spezia.

Milan remained fifth in the standings with 61 points while Spezia remained in the relegation zone but moved on to 30 points, level with 17th-placed Verona.

A Romelu Lukaku brace on his 30th birthday, a further strike from Lautaro Martinez and an unfortunate Ruan Tressoldi own goal were enough for Inter to claim a seventh straight win in all competitions and move level on 66 points with second-placed Juventus.

Inter hold a 2-0 lead over Milan ahead of Tuesday’s second leg and Simone Inzaghi’s side look almost certain to reach their first Champions League final since they last won it in 2010.

Their chances of qualifying for next season’s edition of Europe’s top club competition were also greatly improved by Saturday’s win, which came after top four rivals Lazio, Milan and Atalanta all dropped points.

Meanwhile, defender Przemyslaw Wisn­ie­wski and midfielder Salvatore Esposito helped Spezia earn their first win in nine games and move them closer to safety.

“It’s normal that the Champions League is on our minds and it’s normal that we were disappointed with the result of the first leg,” Milan manger Stefano Pioli said.

“But we know that the season comes from both the championship and the Champions League and this defeat complicates our future.

“Now we don’t have many chances left to be positive this season. Tuesday is a great opportunity, we have to believe we can beat Inter.”

It was the first time since 2017 that Milan had lost to opponents in the bottom three places in the standings.

Earlier, Atalanta dropped one place to seventh earlier on Saturday after losing 1-0 at 15th-placed Salernitana who sealed the win in stoppage time through midfielder Antonio Candreva.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2023