AC Milan striker Rafael Leao scored a brace as they trashed leaders Napoli at the San Siro. Milan currently has 51 points, one more than fourth-placed Inter Milan and four more than second-placed Lazio. Napoli leads the table by 20 points. Brahim Diaz provided a through ball to Leao, who took a touch and chipped it delicately over Napoli goalie Alex Meret after 17 minutes. Diaz increased the lead eight minutes later, receiving a cross inside the box, throwing a dummy that left Napoli defender Mario Rui stranded, and deflecting the ball into the net.
AC Milan effectively ended the game 14 minutes into the second half when Leao sprinted into the area, twisted and spun past three Napoli defenders, and fired home. Alexis Saelemaekers added a fourth goal after 67 minutes with a solo effort that saw him get past four players and through Meret’s legs. Meanwhile, AS Roma defeated Sampdoria 3-0 on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico, moving into fourth position in Serie A with two second-half goals from Georginio Wijnaldum, Paulo Dybala, and Stephan El Shaarawy.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid beat Real Valladolid 6-0, cutting Barcelona’s La League lead to 12 points. Karim Benzema scored three goals in seven first-half minutes. Benzema now has 14 league goals this season and is second on the list of top scorers, three behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. Rodrygo’s opening after 22 minutes on a slick counter-attack opened the floodgates as Benzema took command at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring a first-half hat-trick for Real Madrid for the first time in his career.
Benzema opened the scoring with a diving header from a Vinicius Jr cross, narrowly missing contact with the far post, and the Brazilian also set up the second goal with a simple ball for the French striker to finish from the edge of the box. The 35-year-old finished his hat trick by adjusting his move into the six-yard box to pivot on the spot and grab a Rodrygo cross from behind him to score with his back to the goal. Rodrygo picked up another assist in the second half when Marco Asensio played a one-two with the Brazilian striker before blasting home, and Eden Hazard set up the final goal when he pounced on a sloppy pass and found Lucas Vazquez.
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