Milan regain lead in Italy as Athletico wins Madrid derby

AC Milan came from behind to beat Hellas Verona and regain the lead in the Italian league.

Verona took the lead against visitors AC Milan on Sunday night but strikes from Sandro Tonali shortly before and after the break pegged them back to put the Rossoneri top of the table ahead of rivals Inter with an eventual 3-1 victory.

It was Davide Faraoni who opened the scoring, nodding in a neat Darko Lazovic cross at the back post but the lead was to last less than ten minutes.

In the final minute of added time at the end of the first half, Milan managed to release Rafael Leao on the left and the Portuguese forward wasted no time in taking on the full-back and driving towards the box where his low cross was steered home by Tonali.

In the 49th minute, Tonali scored again but again it was all about Leao who, this time, picked up the ball in his own half on the counter and outran the Verona defence before squaring across goal for Tonali to tap home.

Milan put the icing on the cake five minutes from the end when Alessandro Florenzi played a one-two with fellow substitute Junior Messias and rifled a fine low shot across goal and beyond Lorenzo Montipo.

The win means Milan restore their two-point lead atop Serie A with two games to play and their celebrations at full time showed just how vital this win could be.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid are the runaway champions of LaLiga Santander but Atletico played like a team with a point to prove on Sunday night and their 1-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano should give them a boost ahead of the off-season, as well as going a long way to securing Champions League football for next season.

Atletico Madrid had the better of it in the first half, clearly hungrier than their rivals, with the newly-crowned champions fielding a much-changed side, perhaps with a view to giving the likes of Luka Modric and Karim Benzema as much rest as possible ahead of the Champions League final.

After threatening on a number of occasions, the home side finally got their reward in the 40th minute through the lively Yannick Carrasco from the spot.

Matheus Cunha drove through the middle and was bundled down in the box by Jesus Vallejo. The referee initially waved play on, to the displeasure of the raucous home support at the Wanda Metropolitano, but a delayed VAR check gave them what they wanted.

The goal woke the champions up somewhat and Toni Kroos flashed a shot wide from distance as Los Blancos looked to restore their pride, but in truth it was Atleti who remained on top and with better composure could have increased their lead before the break.

As the second half began, it was Los Colchoneros once again who liked more like they meant business. With a top four spot not yet secure, their motivation was clear, as it any extra incentive should be required in a derby.

Antoine Griezmann, introduced at the interval for Angel Correa looked keen to make an impression and he linked up well with his teammates and had the crowd gasping shortly before the hour mark when he shot narrowly over from distance.

Moments later Carrasco really should have doubled his and Atleti's tally after Marcos Llorente played him in after a good run. The Belgian's first-time shot, however, sailed over the bar.

Griezmann would go even closer later on as Los Rojiblancos looked to kill the game before Real Madrid found a second wind towards the end as they pushed to avoid a derby defeat.

Marco Asensio went close with a free kick, but Jan Oblak had it reasonably well covered. As Los Blancos sought to find a way through, the absence of Benzema perhaps became more and more telling.

That Carlo Ancelotti left the French striker on the bench shows where his priorities are right now, but it is also another indicator of how much his team rely on the 34-year-old.

Ultimately, the better team won on the night in a derby that was keenly contested despite the fact title has already been decided. For Atleti, the three points could be crucial, but so too might the pride that this win gives them coming at the end of a disappointing campaign.