By Edoardo Stella
Results from round 32 of the 2020/21 season:
Serie A table:
Hellas Verona’s poor form continues
Only 11 points won in the second-half of the season and a goal drought that is deeply affecting the team. Verona gift three precious points to a troubled Fiorentina despite having an incredible amount of chances.
Dusan Vlahovic scored a penalty and former-man Martin Caceres doubled. Eddie Salcedo found his first of the season, as Verona’s woes continue.
Embed from Getty ImagesGiacomo Raspadori leads Sassuolo to a superb win
There is another team who is suffering a major decrease in form, that being Milan, particularly when playing at home. The game had actually started pretty well and Hakan Calhanoglu had put the Rossoneri ahead with a beauty, as Milan continued to appear in control of the game.
It all changed when young Giacomo Raspadori came in, scoring a brace that left Milan stunned and gave Sassuolo their third win in a row.
Five of Milan’s six league wins in 2021 have come inside their stadium, as Milan only scored eight points in the last 10 games there.
Intense draw between Bologna and Torino
1-1 between the two sides, who would have benefited both, had Cagliari not won their game.
Musa Barrow scored for Bologna, who move to 38 points in 11th place, while Torino remain in a dangerous position, tied in 16th with Benevento and only ahead by three points on Cagliari, as they are unbeaten in four games.
Rolando Mandragora’s wonderful strike allowed the Granata to equalise. The Italian midfielder was coming off a tough period at Udinese, with injuries and a lack of form, but in getting him, Torino seem to have made a precious addition to their team.
Embed from Getty ImagesCrotone’s farewell to the Serie A edges closer
16 points away from 17th place with six games left. There is no chance for Crotone, as they lose yet another game to Sampdoria, with merit to Fabio Quagliarella.
As per usual, the side sitting bottom of the table created multiple chances, even if this time a lack of precision from Junior Messias and Simy deprived them of points.
Sampdoria maintain their run and finally move past Verona with 42 points.
Embed from Getty ImagesGoran Pandev’s greatness
At 37 years-old, Pandev is admirable, as he netted a brace to help Genoa come-back twice against Benevento and ensure they remain in front of The Stregoni ahead of the six remaining games.
It all happened in the first 21 minutes, as Nicolas Viola and Gianluca Lapadula scored for Benevento, but were caught from the everlasting talent of the Macedonian forward, who scored his 100th goal in the Serie A.
Cagliari remain in the hunt with a crucial win
Things change quickly in football and in the space of three days, Cagliari have found new hope of permanence in the league.
Joao Pedro was the man of the night, scoring a penalty that projects the Sardinians three points shy of Torino and Benevento and a further two behind a group of three more teams.
The last six games will be very intense for the six sides involved, as Udinese also need to watch their back, given a recent lack of form.
Embed from Getty ImagesJuan Cuadrado isn’t talked enough
When mentioning Juventus, the talk is usually centred on Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, or the rising star of Federico Chiesa. There is one man, still, who is making the difference and is yet not discussed enough.
Now 32 years-old, Cuadrado has diligently accepted to lower his range of play, becoming a full-back that offers great contribution when going forwards.
His stats say no goals, it’s true, but the Columbian has got 18 assists under his name in all competitions and is third overall in Europe, only behind the likes of Thomas Muller (21) and Dusan Tadic (21), who played eight and 12 more games respectively.
Who knows where Juventus would be without him…
Inter unable to give the coup de grace
In the last 150 minutes, Inter have conceded a single shot on target, yet allowing two goals in that held them to consecutive draws. Spezia’s only shot of the game went in with the poor contribution of Samir Handanovic, as Inter found themselves chasing after 10 minutes.
It was a combination between wing-backs to help level the scores, as Ivan Perisic made use of Achraf Hakimi’s cross. The second half was intense, Romelu Lukaku missed some important chances, while Lautaro Martinez struck the post twice.
With the title getting closer, the ball is getting heavier, but Milan’s and Atalanta’s slips mean the Nerazzurri only need eight points for their first title in 10 years.
Robin Gosens proves to be hero and villain in Atalanta v Roma
It was an Atalanta domination for the first seventy minutes. Ruslan Malinovskyi proved he is on top form, netting from a cross by Gosens that put Atalanta in the lead.
La Dea had some incredible chances to find a second, which they really had to find, considering the easy goals that were missed. It all changed when Gosens was sent off with a double yellow and former man Bryan Cristante found the equaliser with a stunner.
Roma even had the chances to win the game, but limited themselves to a draw. Gosens’ red changed the game, but Atalanta should have been 3-0 up by that point.
Napoli thrash Lazio to keep alive the top four dream
Nine of the last 12 Serie A games between Napoli and Lazio saw more than three goals scored and once again this game produced an exciting match that was dominated by Napoli.
Lorenzo Insigne’s class emerged once again, leading Napoli to a 5-2 win, which saw them go up by four with multiple wondergoals. Napoli are on the charge, as they are fifth, even though three points shy of second place.
Lazio’s run is brutally stopped, as their chances of a top four drastically reduce, while Gennaro Gattuso is doing a fabulous job for Napoli, fighting for the top four despite frequently having large parts of the team out for injury.
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