Striker\u2019s last-gasp header seals 2-1 win for Inzaghi\u2019s side over relagation-threatened Venzia
\n MILAN
\nEdin Dzeko headed Inter Milan five points clear at the top of Serie A on Saturday with his last-gasp strike in a 2-1 win over Venezia, while a severely depleted Atalanta held Lazio to a goalless draw.
\nThe champions were heading for a frustrating draw at the San Siro after Nicolo Barella had levelled Thomas Henry\u2019s early opener for the away side, but Bosnian forward Dzeko struck in the 90th minute with his first goal in nine matches in all competitions to snatch a dramatic win which extends Inter\u2019s lead on AC Milan.
\nDzeko\u2019s winner relieves the pressure on a tired-looking Inter, who were below their best against spirited opposition who had come into the game hit with a host of Covid-19 cases.
\n\u201cThere aren\u2019t any easy games… we came from two matches which went to 120 minutes and a tough draw in Bergamo (against Atalanta). Every now and again you\u2019re going to struggle,\u201d Dzeko told DAZN.
\n\u201cMy goals had been lacking but when the team wins that\u2019s the important thing. It was great scoring right at the end.\u201d
\nDefeat was a crushing blow for Venezia who sit 17th, two points above the relegation zone.
\nFamed for their flamboyant attacking displays, fourth-placed Atalanta showed their tougher side as they came away from the Stadio Olimpico with a point despite having a huge chunk of their first-choice line-up missing through injury or Covid positives.
\nGian Piero Gasperini\u2019s side, who hold the last Champions League spot, can however be overtaken by Juve who are two points behind in fifth ahead of their showdown with Milan at the San Siro.
\nThey held off Lazio in an uninspiring opening period which featured no shots on target, but even though Duvan Zapata, Josip Ilicic, Luis Muriel and Ruslan Malinovskyi were all out they caused some small scares for the hosts, with Aleksey Miranchuk twice going close after the break.
\nAfter the match Gasperini confirmed that Ilicic was again struggling with mental health issues, saying he\u2019s been having \u201cups and downs\u201d after suffering with similar issues in 2020.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s never easy for me to talk about this because it\u2019s extremely personal, but I can say we will always be by his side,\u201d he told to Sky Sport Italia.
\nLazio were frustrated by their well-organised opposition \u2013 with Merih Demiral a stand-out performer in the Atalanta defence \u2013 and the exasperation reached new levels in the 64th minute when Mattia Zaccagni smashed a low drive off the post.
\nBeyond an Adam Marusic flash shot which flew just put the upright, that was it for incident and both sides had to settle for a draw which will give more satisfaction to the away side, with Lazio up to sixth but still seven points off the top four and booed off the field by their fans.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a missed opportunity. We needed to win at all cost because I don\u2019t think the next time we play Atalanta they\u2019ll be without so many of their best players,\u201d Sergej Milinkovic-Savic told DAZN.
\nEarlier Genoa played out a goalless draw with Udinese in the struggling Serie A side\u2019s first match under new coach Alexander Blessin.
\nThey stay second-bottom in Serie A after their 20th match without victory, on 13 points, five behind Venezia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Striker\u2019s last-gasp header seals 2-1 win for Inzaghi\u2019s side over relagation-threatened Venzia MILAN Edin Dzeko headed Inter Milan five points clear at the top of Serie A on Saturday with his last-gasp strike in a 2-1 win over Venezia, while a severely depleted Atalanta held Lazio to a goalless draw. The champions were heading for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[3306,808,3307],"class_list":{"0":"post-240394","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-edin-dzeko","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-serie-a"},"yoast_head":"\n