CREMONA: AC Milan moved clo­ser to Champions League football next season after two late strikes gave them a 2-0 win at Cremonese on Sunday.

Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute with his shoulder before Rafael Leao’s simple finish in stoppage time gave the away side a result which flattered a drab display in Cremona.

Milan, who have been without Euro­pean football this season, have little realistic hope of winning the Serie A title as the seven-time European cha­m­pions are 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Next weekend’s Milan derby has little more than local pride riding on it with Inter speeding off into the distance with 11 games remaining in the league campaign.

Milan’s stated aim for the season, however, was qualification for the Cham­pions League and Massi­miliano Allegri’s team are on course for that objective.

“We have a huge goal to reach with teams behind us who continue collecting points,” said Allegri to DAZN.

“You have Como, Atalanta still have to play, Napoli won in the end and there are also Roma and Juventus. All we can do is take it one step at a time.”

Fifth-placed Como are nine points behind Milan, while AS Roma, seven points behind them in fourth, and next face Juventus.

Atalanta are five points off the Champions League spots in seventh after falling to a surprise 2-1 defeat at 10-man Sassuolo, their first in the league since the turn of the year.

Raffaele Palladino’s team are the only Italian side in the last 16 of Eur­ope’s top club competition following their thrilling 4-3 aggregate triumph over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese are sliding towards relegation to Serie B after a 13th straight match without a win, the promoted outfit sitting outside the drop zone on goal difference.

Inter continue scudetto march

On Saturday, Inter bounced back from Champions League elimination with 2-0 win over Genoa which continued their march towards the Serie A title.

Federico Dimarco’s brilliant volley just after the half-hour mark and Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty were enough for Inter to extend their already huge lead.

“We got the job done… in the end what matters is the team,” said Dimarco who has scored seven goals and set up 15 more in all competitions this season.

“If my goals and assists don’t give us trophies they won’t be worth very much. I’d rather have fewer goals and assists if it means us winning the league.”

Inter, whose fans unloaded a collection of anti-Milan chants in anticipation of the derby, have dropped just two points in 15 league matches and have been a cut above the rest in Italy’s top flight this season.

Earlier on Saturday, Romelu Lukaku kept Napoli on course for a Champions League spot with a last-gasp winner in the champions’ 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Hellas Verona, the Belgium forward’s first goal of the season.

Lukaku forced home Giovane’s cross to snatch the win for third-placed Napoli with the last kick of the game at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.

Napoli had looked like dropping points in northern Italy when Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro levelled Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener in the 65th minute.

But Lukaku, who only played his first game of the season in late January, gave Napoli, third, a huge win with both Como and Atalanta pushing for a top-four placing.

“I was a dead player before coming here,” said Lukaku to DAZN. “This season has been difficult, but we’ve got to aim high.”

Napoli’s title defence is all but over as they trail Inter by 14 points after an injury-ravaged season.

Verona, under interim coach Paolo Sammarco following the sacking of Paolo Zanetti earlier this month, are 10 points from safety after a 12th straight match without a win.

Como, who face Inter in the first leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals on Tuesday, strolled to a 3-1 victory over strugglers Lecce to continue their push for a first-ever qualification for European football.

Cesc Fabregas’s team are are fifth, five behind Napoli.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2026

DURBAN: Sadaf Shamas starred with the bat while skipper Fatima Sana delivered an all-round show to help Pakistan women thrash South Africa in the third and final One-day International for a 119-run consolation victory at the Kingsmead Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Sadaf scored a 71-ball 97 (16 fours and a six) while Fatima added a late 60 off 41 (three fours and five sixes) to boost the visitors to 306 before Sadia Iqbal’s 3-41 and Fatima’s 2-29 saw South Africa bundled out for 187.

Put in to bat first, Pakistan lost opening batter Gul Feroza early before Sadaf and Sidra Amin (41) stitched a 130-run partnership.

Pakistan stood at 164-3 following the duo’s departure but lost two quick wickets, which required a rescue effort of sorts and Fatima, along with Najiha Alvi were up to the task.

The pair put up 65 for the sixth wicket before Najiha was dismissed in the 48th over. Fatima brought up her fifth ODI half-century and remained unbeaten.

For the Proteas, Sune Luus bagged 3-42 while Nonkululeko Mlaba returned figures of 2-56.

In reply, Tasmia Rubab (1-19) provided Pakistan with the first breakthrough as she dismissed Tazmin Brits in her first over.

Fatima continued the momentum with her pace as she bagged the scalps of her counterpart Laura Wolvaardt and Luus for a duck in space of three deliveries to reduce the hosts to 7-3 after two overs.

First drop Faye Tunnicliffe (47) and top-scorer Annerie Dercksen (54) then stitched an 85-run alliance for the fourth wicket, before the former was out caught and bowled by Nashra Sundhu (2-25).

Sinalo Jafta (33) joined Dercksen at the crease and put together 50 runs before being removed by Sadia.

Umm-e-Hani (2-35) sent Dercksen back in the hut six deliveries later to leave the hosts 147-6 after 27 overs.

Sadia struck again in the 30th over to dismiss Nadine de Klerk before Umm-e-Hani bagged her second wicket to remove Chloe Tryon as Pakistan sealed the match.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2026

Sanju Samson’s sparkling unbeaten 97 kept alive India’s dream of retaining the T20 World Cup at home as they knocked out the West Indies with a five-wicket win in Kolkata on Sunday to set up a semi-final against England.

Samson hit 12 fours and four sixes in his superb 50-ball knock in the winner-takes-all final Super Eights match to thrill a capacity 67,000 fans at a pulsating Eden Gardens.

After the West Indies smacked 70 off the last five overs to score 195-4 after being asked to bat, India lost two early wickets but were always up with the required rate.

Samson, opening for the second match in succession, led the way.

When India slipped to 41-2, he was joined by captain Suryakumar Yadav (18) and the pair added 58 for the third wicket.

Tilak Varma was next to join Samson and scored 27 off 15 before departing in the 15th over with the score 141-4 and India still needing 55.

Samson stood firm and though Hardik Pandya fell for 17, India reached the target with four balls to spare to spark celebrations and fireworks.

Jason Holder and Rovman Powell earlier put on an unbroken stand of 76 for the fifth wicket to help the West Indies set the defending champions a target of 196 to stay alive.

The West Indies sprang a surprise at the top of the order, promoting Test captain Roston Chase to open alongside T20 skipper Shai Hope.

That enabled them to bring in an extra spinner, Akeal Hosein, with regular opener Brandon King left out.

In their defeat to South Africa last week, the West Indies slumped to 83-7 but the new-look opening partnership was more assured.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy got the first breakthrough, bowling Hope for a sluggish 32.

Shimron Hetmyer raced to 27 off 12 balls before falling to the faintest of edges off Jasprit Bumrah to make it 102-2.

After Chase fell for 40 and Sherfane Rutherford followed, Powell and Holder launched their brutal late assault.

Powell finished on 34 not out from 19 balls with two sixes and three fours, while Holder was unbeaten on 37 off 22 balls with three sixes and two fours.

It could have been better for India but they dropped three regulation catches in a sloppy fielding display, including Chase when he had made just 15.

South Africa, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, beat Zimbabwe by five wickets earlier on Sunday and will face New Zealand in Kolkata in the first semi-final on Wednesday.

The final is in Ahmedabad next Sunday.