Napoli triumphs over Lazio but match ends in chaos with three red cards. Inter top of Serie A

MILAN (AP) — Napoli recorded a comfortable 2-0 win at Lazio amid a chaotic finish to their Serie A match on Sunday as the defending champion continued its good form from the end of 2025.

Leonardo Spinazzola and Amir Rrahmani scored in the first half of Napoli’s first match of 2026 as Antonio Conte's side remained third, a point behind AC Milan and two points below Inter Milan, which beat Bologna 3-1.

Inter hosts Napoli next weekend.

There was a bad-tempered finish to Napoli's match, with three red cards in the final 10 minutes.

Lazio defender Adam Marušić and Napoli counterpart Pasquale Mazzocchi were sent off after getting into a scuffle, that descended into a brawl with Conte trying to separate the two sides.

Lazio forward Tijjani Noslin had already been sent off in the 81st minute following a second yellow card.

Napoli had ended last year in fine form with a 2-0 victory over Cremonese, shortly after winning the Italian Super Cup.

The visitors took the lead in the 13th minute. Matteo Politano twisted and turned down the right flank before putting in a cross for Spinazzola to volley home.

Napoli doubled its advantage in the 33rd when Rrahmani headed a Politano free kick into the bottom right corner.

The only negative note for Napoli — apart from the red card — was the sight of David Neres having to be helped off in the 70th minute after the in-form winger went down with an apparent ankle problem, adding to the team’s already lengthy injury list.

Lautaro Martínez scored one goal and set up another as Inter avenged a recent defeat to Bologna in the Italian Super Cup semifinals.

Lautaro set up the opener for Piotr Zieliński shortly before halftime and headed in Inter's second goal shortly after the break.

Marcus Thuram bundled in a corner before Santiago Castro netted a late consolation for Bologna.

Fiorentina started the year by getting only its second win of the season, snatching a 1-0 victory over midtable Cremonese to move to within three points of safety.

Substitute Moise Kean — who had only come off the bench eight minutes earlier — scored in stoppage-time, tapping in a rebound after Cremonese goalkeeper Emil Audero could only parry Niccolò Fortini's header.

Hellas Verona lost 3-0 at home to Torino to leave the three teams in the relegation zone all on 12 points, although Verona has played a match less than Fiorentina and Pisa.

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

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, right, scores his side's second goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Inter and Bologna in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Inter and Bologna in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Pasquale Mazzocchi, left, and Lazio's Adam Marusic during the Italian Serie A soccer match between SS Lazio and SSC Napoli in Rome, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Pasquale Mazzocchi, right, and Lazio's Adam Marusic are separated by Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte during the Italian Serie A soccer match between SS Lazio and SSC Napoli in Rome, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Leonardo Spinazzola celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between SS Lazio and SSC Napoli in Rome, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte during the Italian Serie A soccer match between SS Lazio and SSC Napoli in Rome, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Amir Rrahmani celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between SS Lazio and SSC Napoli in Rome, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a runoff for the Republican nomination for South Carolina governor, while U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham won his own primary outright Tuesday in his pursuit of a fifth term in November.

President Donald Trump early on gave his endorsement of Graham, a political confidant and regular golfing partner of the president, despite their on-again, off-again relationship. Graham also had secured the support of some leading state Republicans, Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster, to plow a path to another nomination.

Addressing Trump in his victory speech, Graham said "I’m going to help you change this world and change this country.” He has been outspoken in favor of military action against Iran.

However, Evette only secured a runoff berth in the governor's race a week after garnering Trump's endorsement. She will face Wilson in the June 23 primary. Others in the race included U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman. Mace quickly threw her support to Wilson for the upcoming primary.

No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades, and Republicans in recent history typically have taken statewide seats by double-digit margins.

When he last ran in 2020, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent by a 10 percentage point margin. This year, he'll face Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews in November.

Competition among Republicans for Trump’s support seemed more intense than any other facet of the primary campaign.

Even before Evette received the president's endorsement, she frequently featured photos and videos of herself with Trump in campaign materials. She was backed by McMaster, the term-limited outgoing governor, a longstanding ally of Trump whose support telegraphed the president's own.

Mace also wanted Trump's support, and he endorsed her congressional reelection in 2024 even though she criticized his actions of Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Norman, among the most conservative members of the House and a member of the Freedom Caucus, strongly supported Trump in the president’s first term. But in the 2024 campaign, Norman stumped for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley instead of Trump.

Rom Reddy, a coastal businessman who has eschewed campaign donations and self-funded his effort, had touted his lack of political experience as an asset, drawing comparisons between Trump and himself.

South Carolina’s other top contest Tuesday saw Graham clinching the Republican nomination without need of a runoff.

Although their relationship has undulated through the years, Graham has remained close with Trump, who fulfilled the senator's longstanding wish for direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Graham cheered Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and recently said he often speaks to the president about the ongoing conflict.

Among Graham's primary foes was Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, who said Graham wasn't conservative enough to represent the state. Calling himself an “America First” candidate, Lynch campaigned as a Trump supporter. However, the president has called him a “lunatic” and a “disaster for the Republican Party."

Democrats haven’t won the governor’s office or a Senate seat in South Carolina for decades.

Andrews, the Charleston pediatrician, ran unsuccessfully against Mace in 2022. Now running for Senate against Graham, she's challenged what she’s characterized as Graham’s waffling positions over the course of his political career.

She is among the Democrats hoping to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Trump this year.

In the governor's race, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson won the Democratic nomination in the South Carolina governor’s race.

Johnson has represented a district in the Columbia area for three terms. Seen as a rising star in the state party, Johnson was tapped to give this year’s Democratic response to McMaster’s state of the state address. McMaster has been in office since Nikki Haley left her term early to join the first Trump administration.

Democrats have not won a general election for governor in South Carolina since 1998, and Republicans have controlled all statewide-elected offices in the state for more than a decade.

This story has been corrected to show Jermaine Johnson won the Democratic nomination outright for South Carolina governor and is not entering a runoff.

Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks after winning the Republican primary on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks after winning the Republican primary on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette speaks during the final rally of her GOP primary campaign for governor on Monday, June 8, 2026, in Greer, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

FILE - U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., takes questions from reporters following a South Carolina gubernatorial GOP candidate debate on April 1, in Newberry, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)

FILE - Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, R-S.C., takes questions from reporters after receiving the endorsement of Gov. Henry McMaster, R-S.C., in the 2026 GOP gubernatorial primary, Feb. 12, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)

FILE - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks with supporters after filing his reelection paperwork, March 16, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)