Roma, AC Milan, Inter win; Lazio held in Serie A

AS Roma, AC Milan and Inter Milan won, while Lazio played a goalless draw on the second day of the first-round action in the Serie A football season.

Roma successfully kicked off the new Serie A season by defeating Atalanta 1-0 at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium on Sunday, reports Efe.

Serbian defender Aleksandar Kolarov, who joined the capital club from Manchester City this summer, scored the lone winning goal in the 31st minute to secure the first away victory for last season's runners-up.

"The fact that we didn't concede and that the team worked as I asked them to is very pleasing to me. I saw a side out there that wanted to bag all three points. That's the mentality of a top side," Roma chief coach Eusebio Di Francesco was quoted as saying by Roma's website.

"Those at the top often have to win ugly - that's what we had to do today. I know this team can develop even further".

AC Milan fielded as many as eight new signings for their Serie A debut in a 3-0 away victory over Crotone with the goals coming from Franck Kessie (fourth minute), Patrick Cutrone (18th) and Suso (23rd) at the Ezio Scida Stadium.

"I am proud and have to continue like this. I am happy I had the opportunity to take the penalty, the boss told me to take it. I would like to score more than I did last season. Last year I started the campaign with a brace, this year scoring a goal: I want to keep it up," Kessie told Milan's website.

In Milan, Argentine striker Mauro Icardi's brace -- a sixth-minute penalty and a 15th-minute header goal -- fired Inter Milan to a 3-0 triumph over Fiorentina. Croatian winger Ivan Perisic added a third in the 79th minute to kill the game.

"We've worked well during pre-season and it shows. We have a strong squad and we must fight to keep winning. We fell off a bit during the second half but we still managed to achieve what the coach asked of us," Icardi told Inter's website after the win.

Elsewhere, Lazio were held to a frustrating draw against newly-promoted side Spal, while Bologna and Torino played a 1-1 stalemate.

Chievo defeated Udinese 2-1, while Sampdoria overcame Benevento 2-1. Genoa too were held to a goalless draw against Sassuolo.

--IANS

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