Serie A leader Napoli beats Lecce amid flares and delays to move closer to title

MILAN (AP) — Napoli didn’t let flares and delays affect its performance as Antonio Conte’s side ground out a 1-0 win at Lecce to take firm control of Serie A on Saturday.

Giacomo Raspadori scored the only goal to keep Napoli three points ahead of second-placed Inter Milan, which beat Hellas Verona 1-0.

Napoli needs only seven points from the remaining three rounds to win its second league title in three years.

“It’s an important step, I can’t lie,” Conte said. “We’re on track and we want to stay there until the end.

“Nobody will remember if we finish second or if we had a good season. History must be written and you do it by winning: The others read it.”

There was a tense atmosphere in Lecce and plenty of banners and chants insulting the league’s governing body as fans were furious Lecce was forced to play against Atalanta just three days after the death of club physical therapist Graziano Fiorita.

There was a moving minute’s silence before the match but the tension boiled over after kickoff when fans threw flares and fireworks onto the field, causing the match to be temporarily halted in the sixth minute.

Play was going to continue after about four minutes but there was another delay to repair the bottom of the net, where a firework burned a hole.

Napoli thought it got off to the perfect start when Romelu Lukaku had the ball in the back of the net after 100 seconds but it was ruled out for offside.

The visitors did take the lead in the 24th after Raspadori was bundled over right on the edge of the area and he dusted himself down to curl a free kick into the bottom right corner.

Lecce reacted well and Kialonda Gaspar headed a corner onto the crossbar but, despite laying siege to the goal, it couldn’t find the equalizer and remained just a point above the relegation zone.

Despite the importance of the match against Verona, Inter made wholesale changes ahead of the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona on Tuesday.

Captain Lautaro Martínez was injured and was one of 10 changes to the starting lineup from last week’s thrilling 3-3 draw at Barcelona. Defender Yann Bisseck was the only player retained.

Inter nevertheless got off to a quickfire start when Kristjan Asllani drilled a penalty into the bottom right corner in the ninth minute after Verona defender Nicolás Valentini handled the ball.

Inter’s first win in six matches followed a dismal run that shattered its dreams of a treble as it was beaten by AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinals and lost two Serie A matches on the bounce.

Verona was six points above the relegation zone.

Parma had to postpone its celebrations of securing Serie A safety after losing at home to Como 1-0.

Gabriel Strefezza scored in the 79th and some truly awful misses left Parma six points above the drop zone.

Cagliari was only a point above Parma and also still not safe after losing to Udinese 2-1.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Inter Milan players celebrate after Inter Milan's Kristjan Asllani scored his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Hellas Verona at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Inter Milan's Kristjan Asllani scores on a penalty kick during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Hellas Verona at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Inter Milan's Kristjan Asllani, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Hellas Verona at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, center top, watches from the tribune during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Hellas Verona at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Lecce's Nikola Krstovic kicks the ball during the Italian Serie A soccer match between US Lecce and SSC Napoli, at the Via del Mare Stadium, in Lecce, Italy, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori celebrates scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between US Lecce and SSC Napoli, at the Via del Mare Stadium, in Lecce, Italy, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Giovanni Evangelista/LaPresse via AP)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.

Another 119 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:

— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”

— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.

—“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.

Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”

— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.

People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)