Olivier Giroud paved the way for AC Milan, who took control of the Italian championship by winning in Naples 1-0 thanks to a goal full of opportunism from the Frenchman.
The Rossoneri, the only leaders, now have a mattress of three points ahead of the Neapolitans pushed back to the last step of the podium after this last match of the 28th day.
But Stefano Pioli’s men are only two steps ahead of their neighbors Inter, who have played one game less – a meeting to be rescheduled against Bologna.
In a closed match, poor in shots, the opening at the Diego-Maradona stadium came from a badly repelled long free kick: an uninspired strike from Milan’s right side Davide Calabria turned into an offering for Olivier Giroud who deflected in one step into the nets of David Ospina (49th).
Ibrahimovic back
A goal all the more fortunate as the French world champion, before his eighth goal of the season in Serie A, had almost given up his place after the first period. Zlatan Ibrahimovic warmed up for a long time all half-time to be ready to replace the striker of the Blues, victim of a gash above the left ankle after a late intervention from Kalidou Koulibaly (25th).
Olivier Giroud finally gave way to Ante Rebic (68th) due to a sprained other ankle.
And “Ibra”, affected in recent weeks by an Achilles tendon, had to wait for the last minutes (89th) to take his first steps on the ground since January 23. The end was more animated but the Milanese held the shock and washed away the insult of the defeat in the first leg at San Siro (1-0).
This first Neapolitan defeat since mid-December in Serie A puts an end to a series of eight matches without defeat. But the band of Lorenzo Insigne retains four more units than its first pursuer, Juventus Turin, which continued its rise on Sunday.