Milan lose ground in Atalanta stalemate

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan lost ground on leaders Juventus and second-placed AS Roma after being held to a lacklustre goalless draw at their San Siro stronghold on Saturday by Lombardy rivals Atalanta.

Milan stay third two points behind Roma and six off leaders Juventus, with the top two going head to head later Saturday in Turin.

But Milan’s third spot is now under threat from Napoli, fourth, and Lazio, fifth, who play Sunday against Torino and Fiorentina respectively.

The rivals from the Lombardy region in northern Italy had been looking to recover from disappointing recent results with the hosts harbouring slim title hopes after last weekend’s defeat to Roma. 

And Milan missed two chances to take three points with Luca Antonelli off target just before the break and Colombian Carlos Bacca’s effort held six minutes from time.

Atalanta, sitting sixth, played it safe after back-to-back loses, and contented themselves with a point as they remain undefeated in three visits to the San Siro.

Earlier Georgian forward Levan Mchedlidze scored a double to give Empoli just their third win of the season in a a 2-0 win over Cagliari.