European roundup: Inter slump to defeat again as Atalanta close gap

Internazionale lost more ground in the race to finish second in Serie A after they slumped to their third successive defeat when they were beaten 1-0 at home by Fiorentina. While Napoli hold a 19-point advantage over second-placed Lazio, Inter could have pulled level with Maurizio Sarri’s side on 52 points had they won.

“There is great disappointment, we lost two consecutive home matches. We need to work more, starting with me,” Inter’s manager, Simone Inzaghi, said. “Fiorentina are a quality squad, the lads did all they could. It’s just like this at the moment, we need to be more determined, because we had so many chances to score and we should’ve taken them.”

Fiorentina could have taken the lead after 12 minutes but a brilliant double save from André Onana kept out Gaetano Castrovilli’s volley. Inter then missed a gilt-edged chance after 20 minutes when Henrikh Mkhitaryan shot straight at the goalkeeper, Pietro Terracciano, with the follow-up overhead kick hitting the side-netting.

Romelu Lukaku could have put Inter ahead four minutes into the second half but the Belgian failed to tap in a cross from six yards. Fiorentina’s Giacomo Bonaventura was then in the right place after a rebound from a corner and headed the ball into the net from close range to give his side the lead after 53 minutes.

Inter squandered a chance to draw level six minutes later, with Nicolò Barella’s powerful half-volley from the edge of the box hitting the bar. They remain third with 50 points, with fourth-placed Milan only two points behind and with a game in hand – but that is away at Napoli today.

Nicolò Barella goes close for Internazionale against Fiorentina. Photograph: Matteo Bazzi/EPA

In the day’s early game, Atalanta went fifth overnight with a 3-1 win at bottom-placed Cremonese. Atalanta are now only two points behind Inter. Juventus were hosting Verona in the late match.

In Germany, most attention was on Der Klassiker, with Bayern Munich beating Borussia Dortmund 4-2 in Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge of the Bavarian side, who went top as a result. But Union Berlin struck three times in 17 minutes in the second half to cruise to a 3-0 victory over struggling VfB Stuttgart, tightening their grip on third spot and staying in the mix for the Bundesliga title.

The sensational Berliners, who are enjoying their best season, scored on the break with Sheraldo Becker’s eighth league goal of the campaign six minutes after the restart. Kevin Behrens then doubled their advantage from close range in the 65th. His effort was initially overruled by VAR but that decision was subsequently corrected and the goal stood.

Only three minutes later Behrens broke clear down the right wing and whipped the ball into the box only for the Stuttgart midfielder Genki Haraguchi to slide in and send it into his own goal as he tried to clear it.

Union are on 51 points, four behind Bayern and two behind Borussia Dortmund.

This story will be updated