Pro Sports

Inter ends year with 7th straight win and control of Serie A

Posted December 22, 2021 6:00 am

By ANDREW DAMPF

Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Torino at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

ROME (AP) - Seven straight wins. Six straight without conceding. Eleven straight unbeaten.

Inter Milan concluded the year with a 1-0 win over Torino on Wednesday to confirm its control of Serie A and intention of securing consecutive Italian league titles.

While Inter had already secured the lead for the season's halfway point entering the holiday break, it was a welcome victory a day after the club's offices were raided by finance police amid an ongoing investigation into false accounting.

Denzel Dumfries scored from the edge of area to conclude a counterattack after taking a backheel pass from Edin Dzeko during the first half at the San Siro. It was the third goal in four matches for the Netherlands right back.

'œWe're happy with how we've ended the year. It's easy for everyone to say that Inter is the favorite but that wasn't the case in the summer,'ť first-year Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said, recalling the doubts surrounding the club following the departures of previous coach Antonio Conte and standout players Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.

'œThe club did well to get players useful for my style of play,'ť Inzaghi added.

Inter remained four points ahead of city rival AC Milan, which won 4-2 at Empoli with a brace from Franck Kessie and a goal each from Alessandro Florenzi and Theo Hernandez.

Third-place Napoli dropped seven points behind Inter after losing 1-0 at home to relegation-threatened Spezia, which benefited from an own-goal from Napoli defender Juan Jesus.

Spezia did not produce a single shot on goal.

Napoli was missing captain Lorenzo Insigne, who tested positive for COVID-19.

ROMA HELD

Manolo Gabbiadini scored 10 minutes from time to secure a 1-1 draw for Sampdoria at Roma.

Eldor Shomurodov had put Roma ahead eight minutes earlier on his third attempt after his first two shots were blocked.

Gabbiadini then scored from close range following a corner.

Roma is sixth, six points behind Atalanta and the final Champions League berth in Jose Mourinho's first season with the Giallorossi.

Roma is level on points with seventh-place Fiorentina, which drew 1-1 at Hellas Verona. Gaetano Castrovilli equalized for the Viola with a diving header following an opener from Kevin Lasagna.

IMMOBILE POSITIVE

Lazio won 3-1 at Venezia despite missing striker Ciro Immobile, who has the coronavirus. Pedro, Francesco Acerbi and Luis Alberto scored for the Roman club.

Also, Bologna won 3-0 at Sassuolo with goals from Riccardo Orsolini, Aaron Hickey and Federico Santander. It was the fourth goal this season for Hickey, a Scotland midfielder in his second season in Italy.

Serie A resumes Jan. 6.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf

Inter Milan players celebrate after winning the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Torino at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Inter Milan won 1-0. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries scores his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Torino at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

Inter Milan's head coach Simone Inzaghi, second from left, celebrates with his players after winning the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Torino at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Inter Milan won 1-0. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

Torino's Wilfried Singo prepares to kick the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Torino at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries waves his fans as he leaves the filed during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Torino at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

Fiorentina's Nicolas Gonzalez and Verona's Nicolo Casale, left, battle for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Hellas Verona and ACF Fiorentina at the Bentegodi stadium in Verona, Italy, Wednesday Dec. 22, 2021. (Claudio Martinelli/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Bologna's Roberto Soriano, right, and Sassuolo's Davide Frattesi battle for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Bologna at the Mapei stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy Wednesday Dec. 22, 2021. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Spezia's goalkeeper Ivan Provedel celebrates during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Spezia in the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Napoli's Piotr Zielinski, center, in action during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Spezia in the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

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