Pro Sports

RebiÄ‡ nets swift hat trick as Milan beats Torino 7-0

Posted May 12, 2021 7:00 am

By DANIELLA MATAR

AC Milan's Ante Rebic scores during the Serie A soccer match between Torino and AC Milan at the Olympic stadium in Turin, Italy, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (Spada/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

MILAN (AP) - Ante RebiÄ‡ netted a 12-minute hat trick in the second half to help AC Milan rout Torino 7-0 in Serie A on Wednesday and strengthen its chances to qualify for the Champions League.

Theo HernÃ¡ndez also scored twice as Milan remained level on points with second-place Atalanta, which beat Benevento 2-0.

The two are two points above Napoli and three above fifth-place Juventus, which won 3-1 at Sassuolo. There are two rounds remaining in Serie A and the top four qualify for next season's Champions League.

Milan was without star striker Zlatan IbrahimoviÄ‡ but HernÃ¡ndez gave it the lead in the 19th minute and Samu Castillejo hit the woodwork before Franck KessiÃ© converted a penalty in the 26th.

It took until early in the second half before Milan extended its advantage through Brahim DÃaz and the floodgates then opened.

HernÃ¡ndez doubled his tally in the 62nd and RebiÄ‡ netted his first five minutes later.

BUFFON TO THE RESCUE

World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon announced on Tuesday that he will leave Juventus at the end of the season. Until then, the 43-year-old Buffon is still rescuing his side.

Buffon saved an early penalty from Domenico Berardi before goals from Adrien Rabiot, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala secured the win for Juventus.

Lazio also still has a chance of qualifying for the Champions League after Ciro Immobile scored in stoppage time to help it to a 1-0 win against already-relegated Parma.

Lazio is five points behind fourth-place Napoli but has a match in hand.

RELEGATION BATTLE

Spezia and Cagliari boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation by drawing against Sampdoria and Fiorentina, respectively.

Spezia is level on points with Torino, which has played a match less than most of its rivals, and four points above 18th-place Benevento.

Cagliari is five points above the bottom zone.

Elsewhere, newly-crowned champion Inter Milan beat Roma 3-1 and Genoa won 2-0 at Bologna.

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This story has been corrected to show that Milan and Atalanta are two points above Napoli and not one.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

AC Milan's Ante Rebic passes the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Torino and AC Milan at the Olympic stadium in Turin, Italy, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (Spada/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

AC Milan's Brahim Diaz celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the Serie A soccer match between Torino and AC Milan at the Olympic stadium in Turin, Italy, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (Spada/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scores the third goal of his team during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, left, celebrates his goal with his teammate Andrea Pinamonti during a Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) The Associated Press

Juventus goalie Gianluigi Buffon, left, reacts after saving a penalty during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus at the MApei stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (Filippo Rubin/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Juventus goalie Gianluigi Buffon gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Juventus at the MApei stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. (Filippo Rubin/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

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