European football: Inter close in on title after beating Como in seven-goal thriller

Q: How did Napoli's draw against Parma affect their Serie A title chances?

Napoli's 1-1 draw with Parma significantly reduced their chances of retaining the Serie A title, leaving them nine points behind Inter Milan with only six matches remaining.

Q: What was the outcome of the Genoa vs. Sassuolo match?

Genoa won 2-1 against Sassuolo, moving nine points clear of the relegation zone after both teams had players sent off in a tumultuous match.

Q: What is the significance of Inter's upcoming match against Como?

Inter's match against Como is crucial as a win would solidify their position at the top of Serie A, increasing their lead to nine points over Napoli.

Napoli’s Serie A title defence suffered a blow with a 1-1 draw at Parma, which gave Inter the chance to move nine points clear at the top. Last weekend’s win over Milan had reopened the prospect of retaining the title but a draw at the Stadio Ennio Tardini has made that feat less likely with six matches remaining in their season.

Antonio Conte’s team were on the back foot within 36 seconds. That was how long it took for Gabriel Strefezza to race on to Nesta Elphege’s knock-on and beautifully curl home Parma’s opener. Scott McTominay’s drilled finish on the hour mark gave Napoli a draw, but they struggled to break down the hosts who were content to sit deep and soak up the pressure and deny the away team a sixth straight league win.

Parma are level on 36 points with Genoa, who also took a step towards safety with a tumultuous 2-1 win over Sassuolo in the day’s early fixture. Both teams were down to 10 men for the second half following a tunnel bust-up.

Caleb Ekuban tapped home Genoa’s winner with six minutes remaining in front of a typically passionate crowd at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris who watched their team move nine points clear away from the relegation zone in 13th.

Genoa’s Icelandic midfielder Mikael Ellertsson and Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi were sent off after a row blew up just after the half-time whistle, with the hosts leading through Ruslan Malinovskyi. Inter visit Como on Sunday night.

In Germany, Union Berlin have named Marie-Louise Eta as manager, making her the first female head coach in Bundesliga history, after Steffen Baumgart was sacked on Sunday.

Marie-Louise Eta will be in charge at Union Berlin until the end of the season. Photograph: Miguel Vidal/Reuters

Eta becomes the first female top-flight coach of a men’s team in a major European league. The 34-year-old, who was the first female assistant coach in the Bundesliga, will take over for the remainder of the season. “I am delighted the club has entrusted me with this challenging task,” Eta said in a statement.

Baumgart was sacked early on Sunday morning after the club’s form flatlined in the second-half of the season, with Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by last-placed Heidenheim the final straw. Union have won just two games since Christmas and sit seven points above the relegation playoff spot.

“We’ve had an absolutely disappointing second half of the season,” their sporting director, Horst Held, said in a statement. “Our situation remains precarious and we desperately need points to stay in the league. The performances in recent weeks don’t give us the confidence we could turn things around with the current setup.”

As a player with Turbine Potsdam, Eta won the Champions League in 2010 along with three Bundesliga titles. She has already committed to take over Union Berlin’s women’s Bundesliga team from summer.

Women have managed men’s football teams in the lower divisions but never in the top flight. The German third tier club Ingolstadt are coached by Sabrina Wittmann, while the French second-tier club Clermont were managed by Corinne Diacre for three seasons until 2017.