By Edoardo Stella
Results from round 34 of the 2020/21 season:
Serie A table:
Verona unable to win, as Spezia leave it late
Despite a comfortable permanence in the Serie A, Ivan Juric will definitely not be happy about the way Verona are ending the season. The Gialloblu held the upper hand on Spezia, but failed to score a second after Eddie Salcedoās second consecutive goal.
Riccardo Saponara was the hero for Spezia, snatching an important draw that keeps them in 15thĀ place. The gap to the dangerous zone is always minimal, but Spezia keeps adding some points to their tally.Ā
Embed from Getty ImagesInter: you did it, the wait is over
Inter did it, they are Serie A champions for 2020/21, even if they had to wait a day to celebrate. The new champions beat Crotone after a tense first-half, in which they hit the post twice (Itās the 10th time it happened in the last seven games) and couldnāt find a goal.
It came from Christian Eriksen, possibly some sort of personal redemption, for a man whose fate seemed written in January. Eriksen surprised by remaining at Inter after being on the way out and finally sneaked into the starting 11 not to leave it anymore.
It can be quite symbolic, a win for himself and for Antonio Conte, that the Scudetto goal is in the name of Eriksen.
Milan find some breathing time
Results from their rivals mean Milan are joint second, even if 4th on head-to-head record. Goals from Hakan Calhanoglu (at the end of a spectacular build-up) and Theo Hernandez put Milan back into the Champions League zone ahead of a super important game like the one with Juventus.
Milan are back running, but it will hardly get any easier from now on. The same goes for Benevento, who concede another slip and need to give their all in the upcoming game against rivals Cagliari. It will be do or die.
Lazio live a thrilling finale, but move past Genoa
Lazio needed to win to keep their top-four hopes alive and at one point it looked like they ended the practice when Joaquin Correa made it 4-1.
However, it all appeared to go wrong when Gianluca Scamacca first, and Eldor Shomurodov then find goals in the space of two minutes to scare the Lazio fans.
Simone Inzaghiās team resisted and brought home three massive points to remain in the hunt.
It just wasnāt Atalantaās day
It was an eventful game between Sassuolo and Atalanta, that arguably was watched more by Inter fans than the two playing sides. Luis Muriel, the man who probably stood out the most this season, missed a crucial penalty that handed the Scudetto to Inter and voided the safety gap Atalanta had.
The afternoon kicked off with goalkeeper Pierluigi Golliniās red card for stopping a run by Jeremie Boga, but it was Atalanta to find the net first, with Robin Gosens. 10 vs 11, La Dea tried to resist, but Sassuolo equalised with a penalty.
Still with fewer players on the pitch, Atalanta got the penalty that could have won them the game, but Andrea Consigli saved it as Sassuolo keep shortening the gap to Roma.Ā
Age and youth, as Palacio and Vlahovic take the scene
The season of Rodrigo Palacio was going well, but he struggled to find goals. He was offering complete performances at the age of 39 but only scored a single goal back on Matchday two. He was rewarded on Sunday, as everything he touched seemed to turn gold.
Fiorentina went up three times, twice with the contribution of the ever-present Dusan Vlahovic, who became the youngest player to score 19 goals in a single Serie A season since 1959.
However, on the other side there was Palacio, who scored a hat-trick, becoming the oldest player to do so in Italy. The Argentinian is a much-loved player across the nation and his Sunday performance was a joy to watch.Ā
Cagliari surprise Napoli with last minute goal
When Napoli went up after a few minutes thanks to in-form man Victor Osimhen, nobody expected a draw, especially considering their form. Leonardo Semplici, however, ensured that when he joined Cagliari as coach a few months ago, their players would never stop believing.
Once the home side got in front, there were chances at both ends, but the goalkeepers and lack of precision were the protagonists. It took until the last moments when a superb pass from Alfred Duncan led to Nahitan Nandezās goal.
Cagliari finally move out of the relegation zone with their fourth consecutive points-scoring game, while Napoli slow down and drop to fifth.
Cristiano Ronaldo comes back at the right moment
In all of his last games, Cristiano Ronaldo played, but it was almost like he wasnāt really there. Poor contribution, frustration and negative results meant it wasnāt one of the brightest moments of the Portugueseās career.
It appeared to be the same once more, as Udinese took control of the game by scoring after 10 minutes and it was a long and painful agony until minute 83.
Ronaldo scored a penalty after his free-kick hit Rodrigo De Paulās hand in the wall and then converted a header six minutes later for some massive points for Juventus.
Itās an enormous result for the former champions, who would have slipped to fifth had they not won, but when Ronaldo is in the team, never count them out.
Romaās disappointment continues against Sampdoria
After a shocking defeat (in terms of the score) in Manchester, Roma cannot turn around their woeful situation. Adrien Silva scored his first goal in four years and Jakub Jankto made it 2-0 to get past the Giallorossi.
Edin Dzeko even missed a penalty in what was another awful night, as since Matchday 27, only four teams scored less points than Roma.
Sampdoria keep their positive season going, looking set to finish in ninth place, as they are a team that belongs to the top half of the table.
Parma are relegated in Serie B
Just following Crotoneās verdict of relegation on Saturday, Parma share the same destiny by losing at Torino and being mathematically out of contention.
Torino gain three massive points to move four lengths ahead of Benevento. Parmaās season begun difficultly and continued worse, as the Ducali were never able to contest for higher positions.
Itās quite disappointing considering the history of the team, the quality they have and the fact they finished joint-ninth last season.
For Edoardoās previous Serie A column click here.
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