Inter Milan rout 10-man Udinese 4-0, keep CL hopes alive

Udine (Italy), May 6 (IANS) Inter Milan on Sunday routed a 10-man Udinese 4-0 in the 36th round of Serie A, keeping their hope of a 2018-19 Champions League berth alive.

After Inter's 2-3 loss in the previous round to defending champion Juventus, Sunday's victory turns the heat back on for Roma and Lazio, which are one point ahead of Inter and hold third and fourth place respectively, reports Efe.

Inter needs to win its two remaining Serie A matches, provided that Roma or Lazio suffers a defeat, to reach fourth place in the Italian league and secure a spot in the next edition of the Champions League.

Inter never gave Udinese an option in the first half of Sunday's match, with defender Andrea Ranocchia netting the opening goal in the 12th minute.

Midfielder Rafinha Alcantara added the second goal two minutes before the end of the first half, while Inter captain Mauro Icardi scored the third during first-half stoppage time and Borja Valero added a fourth in the 71st minute.

Udinese, which earned a single point in the league table in its last 12 matches, was left with 10 men after its midfielder Seko Fofana was sent off just four minutes into the second half.

Rafinha had not scored a goal since February 26, 2017, while Icardi has 28 goals and is only one goal behind the Serie A's top scorer, Lazio forward Ciro Immobile.

Inter has secured fifth place in the Serie A table, while Lazio will host Atalanta and Roma will visit Cagliari later on Sunday.

Udinese suffered its 12th defeat in the last 13 rounds and is only three points clear of the relegation zone.