MILAN (AP) — AC Milan boosted its chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League and moved back into second spot in Serie A with a 1-0 win at last-placed Hellas Verona on Sunday.
Adrien Rabiot scored the only goal of the match shortly before halftime.
The Rossoneri had been left nervously looking over their shoulders after back-to-back losses against Napoli and Udinese. But the victory lifted Milan eight points above fifth-placed Como and back into second after Napoli's loss against Lazio the previous day.
Juventus can move back to within three points of Milan with a win over Bologna later. Milan hosts Juventus next week.
Milan and Napoli are 12 points behind Serie A leader Inter Milan with five rounds remaining. If Inter beats Torino next Sunday and both Milan and Napoli fail to win, the Nerazzurri would clinch the title.
Rabiot was by far the best player of the first half and he broke the deadlock in the 41st minute. The France international won the ball in midfield and then spread it to Rafael Leão, before racing into the area to receive the through ball back and swept it into the bottom right corner.
Matteo Gabbia was making his first appearance after two months out with injury and thought he had doubled Milan’s lead in the 74th but it was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.
Gabbia also denied Verona a huge goalscoring chance at the other end.
Verona was 10 points from safety.
Cremonese remained without a win at home in Serie A since early December after it was held to a 0-0 draw by Torino and could drop into the relegation zone.
Cremonese was a point above 18th-placed Lecce, which plays Fiorentina on Monday.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
The Best Cymbidium and Orchid Show and Sale held in the San Francisco Peninsula will be the … Read moreAnnual Cymbidium & Orchid Show and Sale hosted by the Gold Coast Cymbidium Society & Peninsula Orchid Society
“Side-splittingly funny and brilliantly chaotic” Read moreThe Play That Goes Wrong
What is a fantasy in music—a form, or a freedom shared between performers? Read moreViolin Fantasie: Polina Sedukh, violin, Irina Behrendt, piano
CA Is Burning said:
Providing Feedback said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.