Lazio forward Ciro Immobile equals scoring record; Inter 2nd

Lazio forward Ciro Immobile equalled the Serie A scoring record for a single season when he was on target in his side's
Lazio forward Ciro Immobile equals scoring record; Inter 2nd

MILAN: Lazio forward Ciro Immobile equalled the Serie A scoring record for a single season when he was on target in his side's 3-1 loss at Napoli in their final game of the season on Saturday.

In a game which finished with an angry exchange between members of the two team benches, the 30-year-old took his tally to 36 goals, equalling the record set by Gonzalo Higuain for Napoli in the 2015-16 season.

He also finished the season five goals clear of the next leading scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus.

Tempers boiled over at the end as Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso and his counterpart Simone Inzaghi were involved in a heated argument and Gattuso had to be restrained as he ranted at another member of the Lazio staff.

Lazio finished fourth with 78 points and Coppa Italia winners Napoli ended the season seventh with 62 points.

Inter Milan clinched second place in Serie A, disparagingly described by coach Antonio Conte last month as the "best of the losers", when they ended Atalanta's 19-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 away win.

Danilo D'Ambrosio and Ashley Young scored in the opening 20 minutes as Inter finished the season with 82 points, one behind champions Juventus who lost their final game 3-1 at home to AS Roma.

Atalanta, whose last defeat was at home to SPAL in Serie A in January, finished third with 78 points and were topscorers with 98 goals -- two short of becoming the first side to score 100 in a season since 1950-51.

The hosts appeared to have one eye on their Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain on August 12.

AC Milan veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a penalty saved but later scored as his side finished the Serie A season with a 3-0 win over Cagliari.

The 38-year-old, possibly playing the final match of his second stint at the club, took his tally to 10 league goals since returning in January and became the oldest player to score 10 or more goals in a Serie A season.

The Swede's contract ended with Saturday's match although he could extend it into next season according to some Italian media reports.

AC Milan went ahead with an own goal by Ragnar Klavan in the 11th minute. Rafael Leao hit the post from a narrow angle but the ball bounced off the Estonian defender and into the net.

Leao also rattled the crossbar before Milan were awarded a penalty for handball by Sebastian Walukiewicz one minute before halftime. However, Ibrahimovic's spot kick was saved by Alessio Cragno.

Ibrahimovic made amends when he scored with an emphatic finish from Samu Castillejo's pass in the 55th minute, and Castillejo exchanged passes with Giacoma Bonaventura to score the third two minutes later. Milan, unbeaten since the season restarted in June, finished sixth with 66 points and will play in the Europa League qualifying rounds next season. Agencies 

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