VERONA, Italy, April 19 (Reuters) - AC Milan earned a 1-0 win away to Hellas Verona on Sunday, strengthening their grip on a top-four spot and Champions League place rather than reopening a title race all but settled by Inter Milan's commanding lead at the top of Serie A.
Milan are second in the standings, level on 66 points with third-placed Napoli and 12 points adrift of Inter, while fifth-placed Como sit eight points back with five games left.
Verona are virtually condemned to relegation, bottom of the table and 10 points from safety, a fact Milan fans were only too happy to remind them of, with chants of "Serie B, Serie B" throughout the match.
The game was played at a sluggish pace. Milan looked in control but their slow build-up play created little until Adrien Rabiot netted the game's only goal four minutes from the break.
When Milan beat Verona 3-0 at the San Siro at the end of December, they were a single point behind Inter, with a Scudetto battle involving five sides in full flight, but the run-in is turning into a procession for the leaders.
RETURN TO EUROPE
Milan did beat Inter in March, but then lost three of the next four including a humbling 3-0 home defeat to Udinese last weekend and Massimiliano Allegri's side will have to settle for a return to European football next season.
The first shot on target came after half an hour of play, Rabiot's effort easily gathered by keeper Lorenzo Montipo, but the Milan midfielder made no mistake when played through by Rafael Leao, slipping his shot under the onrushing keeper.
Verona had a chance to level on the stroke of halftime, Rafik Belghali beating the offside trap and through one-on-one with the keeper, but could not find a way past Milan's Mike Maignan.
Belghali continued to be Verona's danger-man after the interval, trying his luck from distance with a shot that went narrowly wide of the post, as Milan sat back and allowed the hosts plenty of opportunity to come forward.
The game, however, much like Verona and Milan's campaigns, petered out with a whimper rather than providing any late drama.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
