Results from round 29:
Serie A table:
A decisive win for Spezia puts Cagliari in more trouble
Spezia move up to 15th place with an assertive performance over Cagliari, in which it was clear their team wanted it more.
After four straight defeats, Spezia had to pick themselves up quickly and got back running, offering Cagliari their second consecutive defeat.
Martin Erlic and Rey Manaj scored, after Daniele Verde missed the opportunity to score the opener even earlier, with Alessio Cragno saving his penalty kick.
Embed from Getty Images10 men Sassuolo see their winning streak end
After winning complicated games against Fiorentina and Inter, the Neroverdi fell on the easiest hurdle, being held to a draw by Salernitana.
The hosts got a surprise lead with Federico Bonazzoli, but it was soon overturned with goals by Gianluca Scamacca and Hamed Junior Traore. The latter scored his fourth goal in the last six games and is in a great period of form.
However, Giacomo Raspadori’s two yellow cards in quick succession reopened the contest for the last half-hour. Sassuolo even hit the crossbar and had big opportunities, before Salernitana managed to pick up a point thanks to Milan Djuric.
Embed from Getty ImagesWojciech Szczesny has turned into a penalty saver
Juventus get another win, extending their unbeaten streak to 15 league games. Maya Yoshida’s own goal and Alvaro Morata’s penalty put them in front by two goals.
Sampdoria had the chance to pull a goal back when Antonio Candreva prepared to take a penalty kick, but Wojciech Szczesny saved another one, the third consecutive and helped his team maintain the lead.
Abdelhamid Sabiri’s deflected free-kick eventually pulled one back, but it was too late, and Juventus even managed to score a third, with Morata’s second.
Milan can dream
A controlled win is just what they need at this time of the year, with Milan beating Empoli 1-0 thanks to an early goal by centre-back Pierre Kalulu.
With Inter dropping points once again, Milan are now in full control of their fate and are gaining more and more the status of favourites.
All their last four wins have been with a goal margin and this is perhaps showing just how clinical and willing to win Milan have become.
Lucas Torreira proves crucial in Fiorentina’s win
Fiorentina get a big win in the fight for Europe against Bologna, with the top four by now out of sight. After overcoming two scares, with Roberto Soriano and Riccardo Orsolini striking the woodwork, Fiorentina were aided by Kevin Bonifazi’s red card for fouling Lucas Torreira.
Torreira hit the post from distance, before finally finding a goal that gave la Viola all three points.
The Uruguayan had missed a series of chances in the previous game against Verona, which condemned his team to a draw, but finally redeemed himself with the winner.
Embed from Getty ImagesNapoli keep their hopes alive
After losing in the title clash against Milan, Napoli had to win a difficult game against Verona to keep in the title fight.
Victor Osimhen scored two goals to put the Azzurri in front, but it wasn’t a walk in the park, as Verona’s Davide Faraoni’s late goal prepared Napoli to a tough end to the game.
However, Verona eventually ended the game with nine men and Napoli could resist until the end, remaining within three points of Milan.
Pellegrini maintains Roma’s unbeaten run
Udinese’s hopes to get a surprise win against Roma were ended by Lorenzo Pellegrini’s penalty in stoppage time, which secured Roma a point.
Udinese looked sharp and moved in front with Nahuel Molina’s precise effort and the Friulani had a lot of chances to score a second goal.
However, Roma won a late penalty and are now eight games without defeat.
Embed from Getty ImagesEven Atalanta cannot escape Genoa’s drawing curse
Atalanta slowed down heavily in the second round of games, only managing 10 points in nine games. Genoa, instead, got their seventh consecutive draw, fifth goalless and all of which without either team scoring in the second half.
Atalanta were relatively poor, despite having two major chances, but it was Genoa who looked more convincing. This chance may have been the last one for Atalanta in order to hope for a top four finish.
Genoa have the third longest open unbeaten streak and are the teams with the most clean sheets in 2022. However, these numbers seem irrelevant in front of the reality which sees them six points off 17th place.
Sanchez’s goal may be Inter’s final wakeup call
Inter are proving to be a one-man team, which massively struggles at creating play when Marcelo Brozovic is not on the field. Once again, the Nerazzurri showed the worst face of themselves after such a great first round of games.
Alexis Sanchez’s 93rd minute equaliser against Torino may just have given them a last hope to win the title, as with six points in the last six games, Inter were looking to be defeated again against Torino.
Ivan Juric’s team played a great game, with Gleison Bremer, the most wanted centre-back in Italy, scoring early and limiting attacking threats. The Granata were very upset when they were denied a likely penalty that could have put the game in the bag.
Lazio yet again keep a clean sheet
A penalty by the league’s top goalscorer Ciro Immobile is enough for Lazio to move past Venezia and finally settle in fifth place.
It’s the sixth clean sheet of 2022 for a team that managed to turn the situation around after looking to leak on several occasions at the back.
Venezia, instead, encounter another struggle and remain with just five points since the new year. Desperation seems inevitable should this trend continue, as the Lagunari’s next three games against Sampdoria, Spezia and Udinese are now becoming ever more crucial.
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