Serie A midweek round-up: Mbangula's hat-trick sinks Milan as Lazio and Inter stay level

The talking points

Mbangula's hat-trick leaves Amorim facing the derby under fire

Milan were 2-1 up at half-time against Bologna. They lost 4-2. Samuel Mbangula, 22, scored after eight minutes, Bologna then fell behind to two goals in 13 minutes from the 20-year-old Cissè, and the second half belonged to the visitors.

The game turned on substitutions. Fikayo Tomori went off with a thigh injury early in the second half and Rúben Amorim sent on Modric, while Raffaele Palladino brought on Miranda and Cambiaghi. Within two minutes Bologna had turned it round: Bartesaghi put through his own net on the hour and Mbangula made it 3-2 two minutes later, then completed his hat-trick with four minutes left. ANSA singled out Zortea as almost unplayable on the right.

Milan had around two-thirds of the ball and still conceded four. It was their first league defeat of the season and they finished it to whistles, with Gerry Cardinale in the stands. Amorim did not hide: "I didn't recognise the team," he said. Palladino called it "a beautiful night, truly magical."

Cardinale told La Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday that Amorim is "absolutely not at risk" and that he chose him himself. Milan are fifth, seven points off the top, and the next game is Inter on Saturday night, with Tomori a doubt.

Lazio score six and miss two penalties

Lazio went to Sassuolo with three days' rest and were 3-1 up after 16 minutes. Taylor scored in the second minute, Isaksen in the 13th and Floriani Mussolini in the 16th, his goal given on review after first being flagged offside. Thorstvedt's red card on 31 minutes, for a studs-up challenge on Zaccagni, left Sassuolo chasing the game with ten men.

Zaccagni scored on the stroke of half-time and Noslin added two after the break, which made the final score 6-2 despite Sassuolo's goalkeeper Turati saving penalties from Zaccagni and Frattesi. Zaccagni also set up two and won a penalty, and Isaksen and Taylor each scored and assisted.

It was Lazio's fifth league win in a row and roughly 10,000 of their fans made the trip, according to Corriere dello Sport. Gennaro Gattuso said he was taking "the mentality" home with him. Alberto Aquilani, whose side are five games without a win, said Sassuolo "owe an apology."

Inter keep pace without scoring a goal of their own

Inter matched Lazio's three points, but it was hard work. Without Lautaro Martínez, they were outplayed for long spells at the Penzo, and Venezia had two goals ruled out for offside, from Lauerbach and Adams. Provedel made a string of saves and tipped a late Busio shot on to the post.

Both Inter goals were own goals: Moreno turned Marcus Thuram's low ball into his own net, and a Calhanoglu corner went in off a Venezia shoulder for the second. Cristian Chivu was frank: "we played badly and Venezia were unlucky," he told ANSA.

Inter and Lazio both have 25 points from nine games, eight wins and a draw each. Venezia stay bottom on three.

Juventus are outplayed in Genoa

Luciano Spalletti went to Genoa with eight players missing, and his side were two down inside half an hour. Ehizibue's shot was deflected in off Cambiaso on 12 minutes, and Baldanzi, who had set that one up, scored the second on 28 minutes after Vitinha beat Kalulu. Spalletti sent on Zhegrova and Woltemade at half-time, and Juventus had 16 shots without scoring.

Sky Sport Italia's numbers show why the opening goal mattered: Juventus have not won any of their last 13 Serie A games after conceding first. It was Genoa's first league win over Juventus since May 2022, and Daniele De Rossi said these were "wins that have been a long time coming."

Spalletti went further than most managers would. "We have to apologise to the fans for this performance," he said, as reported by Football Italia, and on the club's own site he said Juventus "were outplayed in every area." They are eighth, 11 points off the top, with Napoli at home on Sunday.

Napoli win without Allegri and lose Lobotka

Massimiliano Allegri dropped his appeal against a two-match ban before the trip to Monza, joking that he might be given four games instead. Marco Landucci took the bench.

Hojlund scored after ten minutes and Varela equalised before half-time. Politano's goal straight after the restart changed the game, as Landucci said afterwards, and Rafa Marín, with his first goal for the club, and Kevin De Bruyne made it three goals in 19 minutes. The cost was Stanislav Lobotka, who went off with an ankle injury after 17 minutes. "We'll be without Lobotka for a while," Landucci admitted.

Napoli are seventh on 14, level with Juventus, and Allegri will also miss Sunday's game in Turin.

Player of the week

Samuel Mbangula, Bologna. A hat-trick at San Siro, with goals on 8, 62 and 86 minutes, from a player who had not scored in the league since November 2025. It was also his first away goal in Serie A, and the second and third came after Milan had led 2-1 at half-time.

Under pressure

Luciano Spalletti. Juventus have lost two of their last three league games, 3-0 at home to Lazio and 2-0 in Genoa, and Football Italia reported that the defeat on Wednesday fuelled calls for his dismissal. He asked his players to apologise to the fans. Napoli come to Turin on Sunday with Juventus 11 points behind the leaders.

All the results

Serie A, matchday 9

Como scored three times in the last ten minutes in Turin, the last of them from Baturina in stoppage time. Frosinone's 5-1 against Lecce, with two from Birligea, lifts the promoted side to sixth. Fiorentina came from a goal down to lead Atalanta 2-1 before Zalewski equalised, and stay 18th.

Where the tables stand

• 1. Inter 25
• 2. Lazio 25
• 3. Roma 21
• 4. Como 20

Inter and Lazio both won and are still level at the top. Como moved into the top four at Milan's expense: Milan are fifth on 18, with Frosinone a point behind them. Napoli and Juventus are both on 14. At the bottom, Venezia have 3 points, and Udinese, Fiorentina and Parma are on 5.

The AI's corner

The AI called ten games and got the result right in five, without a bullseye.

• Bullseyes: 0
• Right results: 5 (Lazio, Roma, Inter, Genoa and Frosinone wins)
• Wrong: 5

Its best call was its boldest: Genoa to beat Juventus, when it went 2-1 and the real score was 2-0. Its worst miss was Milan 2-0 Bologna, a game Bologna won 4-2. It also had two draws, in Turin and in Monza, that turned into comfortable away wins for Como and Napoli.