By Edoardo Stella.
Results from round 24 of the 2020/21 season:
Serie A table:
Parma on their way back, but Spezia snatch a draw
Parma are showing signs of improvement under Roberto DāAversa, but they still miss the victory. For the third match in a row they score first, after having scored just two goals in the previous 10 games.
However, after Yann Karamoh and Hernani put the Ducali 2-0 up, Spezia came back, with a brace from Emmanuel Gyasi.
Parma are winless in 15 games and are set to host league leaders Inter on Thursday. Can they pull off an upset and return to victory?
Embed from Getty ImagesBig win for Bologna and Sinisa Mihajlovic
Lazio canāt pick themselves up after the poor defeat against European Champions Bayern Munich, as they lose 2-0 against Bologna.
Mihajlovic finally gets a win against the top teams, thanks to goals from Ibrahima Mbaye and Nicola Sansone. Mbaye stood up after replacing suspended left-back Aaron Hickey, as Lukasz Skorupski saved a penalty from Ciro Immobile.
Itās soon to say Lazio are in a results crisis, considering they had won seven of the previous eight Serie A games, but just after it looked like Simone Inzaghi had managed to add consistency to his team, Lazioās charge slows down.
Cristiano Ronaldo cannot carry Juventus on his own
Ronaldo added another goal to his prolific league tally, but Juventus once again fail to be convincing, as they are stopped by Hellas Verona. Ronaldo was again on the scoresheet, but it looks like Juventus have other issues going forward.
They only have the sixth-best attack and whilst it looks like any player can find the net, there isnāt one to fully support Ronaldo with regular goals.Ā
It was a goal by Antonin Barak to give the hosts a well-deserved 1-1 draw, considering they hit the woodwork twice. Verona keep proving they are a strong team, as they had also snatched a point at the Allianz Stadium earlier this season.
Atalanta move in the top four with the ever-present Gosens
Robin Gosensās eighth league goal of the season in 20 games adds to Ruslan Malinovskyiās opener, as Atalanta return to Champions League places after beating Sampdoria.
Sampdoria tried to give Atalanta a run for their money, but they eventually succumbed to La Deaās superiority.
Gosens, especially, is putting up consistent goalscoring performances as a wing-back, as his 17 goals in the last two Serie A season without taking set-pieces are impressive numbers. In the top five leagues, thatās at least four more than any other defender.Ā
Embed from Getty ImagesLuca Gottiās work puts Udinese closer to the Top 10
Coach Luca Gotti proved his critics wrong, after some people had pointed the finger at him following the start of the season. Udinese played with great maturity like a top team, they were tough to beat at the back, even if they have issues going forward.
Ilja Nestorovski rescued the Friuliani with a late header that stunned Fiorentina. Just as we mention Udineseās consistency, we can mention Fiorentinaās failure to collect regular points.
Even after Cesare Prandelli has been appointed, La Viola, whose aim was to challenge for Europe, keep struggling in the bottom half of the table.
Extremely important win for Cagliari
It was a must-win game for Cagliari and Crotone, two teams stuck in the relegation zone who desperately needed points.
Leonardo Semplici, on his first game in charge, manages to do what his predecessor Eusebio Di Francesco couldnāt in his previous 16 games, that is winning a match.
Crotone put up a good display, but Cagliari finally displayed cynicism and even if Joao Pedro scored again, Leonardo Pavoletti found a precious goal, both for his form and Cagliariās battle.
Attack and defence: Inter looking stronger than ever
Inter keep their four points lead at the front of the Serie A on Milan, even managing to increase the gap on Juventus. They put up an important display against one of the most in-form teams: Genoa.
The Grifoni couldnāt do anything to contain Romelu Lukaku, who scored from a Lautaro Martinez assist and assisted Matteo Darmian. The few times Genoa pushed forward, they were stopped by Interās defence, who got their sixth clean sheet in seven games.
Inter are looking very strong at this point of the season, can they keep it up and avoid getting on top of their heads? Surely, the pressure of having the biggest chance in 10 years will be a big obstacle to overcome for Antonio Conte.
Napoli remaining attached at the bottom of the top seven
Itās tough, but not yet over. Napoli remain in seventh, but very close to all the teams above, as victory over Benevento gives them precious points. Dries Mertens scores on his first start in over two months, as Matteo Politano sealed the win in the derby.
Benevento keep slipping, as they are now 16th after featuring in the top 10 for some time. Filippo Inzaghi will need to pick up points in the following games against Verona, Spezia and Fiorentina to avoid being pulled back in the relegation battle.
Napoli, instead, although they havenāt looked very sharp, could really find themselves in Champions League places with little more effort.
Milan are still in the title hunt
Anything other than a win for Milan would have meant not only giving up on the Scudetto dream, but also risking to lose a place in the top four. Coming after a difficult period, the Rossoneri had none of it in an open game against Roma.
Milan received their 15thĀ penalty of this Serie A season and scored with Franck Kessie and Ante Rebic, but put up a good display that showed the team is not breaking apart. It was a game that would have been won by the team that made fewer mistakes.
Roma, who are specialists in making errors, wasted too many chances and gifted Milan the two goals. Jordan Veretoutās beauty wasnāt enough, as the Giallorossi scored a mere four points in nine matches against teams in the top eight.Ā
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