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Inter Milan cruised to a 3-1 win at home to Cagliari thanks to goals from Marko Arnautovic, Lautaro Martínez and Yann Aurel Bisseck to keep their grip on top spot in Serie A on Saturday.
Inter are six points clear of second-placed Napoli, who host lowly Empoli on Monday, with six rounds to go.
Arnautovic put the hosts ahead after 13 minutes by blasting the ball home from close range. Roberto Piccoli had the chance to pull Cagliari level when he found himself one-on-one with Inter keeper Yann Sommer. However, the Swiss goalkeeper reacted swiftly, parrying the effort away.
Seconds later, Martínez doubled Inter’s lead in the 26th minute, timing a perfectly weighted pass to break through the Cagliari defence before delicately chipping keeper Elia Caprile, who seemed to hesitate too long before rushing out.
Martínez could have made it a third goal before the break but his acrobatic bicycle attempt went just wide of the post.
Cagliari pulled one back three minutes into the second half when Piccoli was left unmarked and sent a header into the ground that bounced into the top left corner.
The visitors’ momentum was punctured in the 55th minute, however, when Inter’s Bisseck rose highest at a corner to head their third and effectively seal the match.
Piccoli came agonisingly close to cutting the deficit for the visitors late in the match, his close-range shot heading goalwards, only for Inter defender Stefan de Vrij to stretch and deftly nod the ball over the bar.
First-half goals by Teun Koopmeiners and Kenan Yildiz helped Juventus to a 2-1 win at home against relegation-threatened Lecce as new coach Igor Tudor remains unbeaten on Juve’s bench.
Koopmeiners gave Juventus the lead after two minutes, scoring with a low strike inside the far post, and Yildiz doubled the advantage after the half-hour mark as he capitalised on a brilliant team play.
Lecce pulled a goal back in the 87th minute through Federico Baschirotto, who scored with a powerful header following a free-kick.
Juventus moved provisionally up to third on 59 points from 32 games. They are one point above fourth-placed Atalanta, who host Bologna, in fifth and with 57 points, on Sunday. Lecce are two points above the relegation zone.
In Spain, Barcelona extended their lead at the top to seven points with a 1-0 win at Leganés thanks to an own goal by defender Jorge Sáenz that took their unbeaten La Liga run to 13 matches.
Following a tense first half with chances for both sides, Barça went in front after the break when Raphinha’s cross for Robert Lewandowski was inadvertently deflected into the net by Leganés defender Sáenz and it proved to be the winner.
Lewandowski, chasing his 100th goal for the Catalans, later saw his header from Raphinha’s cross go wide before he was replaced by Ferran Torres after 67 minutes.
The hosts looked to have levelled when Dani Raba headed home Adria Altimira’s cross but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Hansi Flick’s side moved to 70 points above second-placed Real Madrid, who have 63 and visit Alaves on Sunday. Leganés remain second-bottom on 28, two points off the safety zone.
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