MILAN - Mauro Icardi ended 2016 in style as he scored two goals to help Inter Milan beat Lazio 3-0 in Serie A Wednesday in coach Stefano Pioli’s first match against his old team.
Icardi almost had a hat trick but hit the post with nine minutes remaining.
Inter Milan remained seventh, four points below fourth-placed Lazio, which missed the chance to move second in the standings ahead of the rest of the final round before the winter break.
It was the first time Inter had won five consecutive home matches since May 2011.
Pioli, who was sacked by Lazio in April, replaced the fired Frank de Boer last month.
PSG bounces back
Paris St Germain demolished visiting Lorient 5-0 in its last match of the year Wednesday to rebound in style from a three-game winless streak in Ligue 1.
Thomas Meunier and Thiago Silva scored either side of a Zargo Toure own goal, while Edinson Cavani and Lucas rounded off the scoring as third-placed PSG moved on to 39 points from 19 games, five behind leader Nice, which was held to a goalless draw at Girondins de Bordeaux.
Nice finished with nine men after Mario Balotelli and Younes Belhanda were sent off in stoppage time.
Monaco is second on 42 points after goals by Radamel Falcao and Tiemoue Bakayoko earned it a 2-1 home victory against Caen.
Lyon, which has a game in hand, is fourth on 34 points after goals by Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir gave it a 2-0 home win against Angers, while sixth-placed Olympique de Marseille (30) notched up its fourth straight win by beating Bastia 2-1 away.
Ligue 1 will resume on Jan. 13.
Bayern dominant
Bayern Munich put upstart RB Leipzig firmly in its place by sweeping to an emphatic 3-0 home win, with all the goals coming in the first half, in a disappointingly one-sided top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash Wednesday.
Bayern, German champion a record 26 times, and Leipzig, playing in the top flight for the first time, went into the match level on points at the top and amid huge expectations.
Yet an anti-climactic game was effectively over as a contest in just half an hour as Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso put Bayern ahead and the visitors had Emil Forsberg shown a straight red card.
A Robert Lewandowski penalty on the stroke of halftime made it 3-0 before, mercifully for Leipzig, Bayern took its foot off the pedal.
Bayern’s win meant it reached the winter break with 39 points from 16 games, three ahead of its opponent which lost for only the second time this season. Hertha Berlin’s 2-0 win over Darmstadt took it third with 30 points.
Hoffenheim remained the only unbeaten side in the Bundesliga although it will be kicking itself after conceding a late equalizer at home to Werder Bremen in a 1-1 draw which left it fifth with 28 points.
Two goals from Florian Niederlechner gave promoted Freiburg a 2-1 win at Ingolstadt, which kept it eighth, and Cologne drew 1-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the Rhine derby. - Agencies
