Serie A Week 20 Roundup: Juventus Fall to Inspired Fiorentina, Inter Continue to Impress

A lackluster Juventus fell to Fiorentina. Image: Getty Images

It was an interesting week in the Serie A. Juventus fell to a strong Fiorentina side, Milan and Torino ended up in a stalemate after ninety minutes of great football, and Inter continued to impress critics under the leadership of Stefano Pioli.

Fiorentina vs Juventus

Fiorentina were impressive against Juventus, notching a deserved 2-1 win against the league leaders. Nikola Kalinic tallied another goal for the Viola, and Milan Badelj made it two in the fifty-fourth minute. Gonzalo Higuain was able to pull one back for the Bianconeri, but it was too little, too late for La Vecchia Signora.

Inter vs Chievo

Inter continued their good run of form against Chievo with a 3-1 win at the San Siro. Pioli’s men look completely different than at the beginning of the season, and it will be interesting to see if they can keep this up. Sergio Pellissier put Chievo up in the thirty-fourth minute, but Inter were able to pull it back. Mauro Icardi scored the equalizer, and two goals in the last ten minutes from Ivan Perisic and Eder sealed the deal for Inter.

Udinese vs Roma

Roma were able to capitalize on Juventus’s defeat, getting within a point of the league leaders.* A goal from Radja Nainggolan in the twelfth minute was enough to send the visitors home with a victory.

Napoli vs Pescara

Napoli hammered struggling Pescara thanks to goals from Lorenzo Tonelli, Marek Hamsik, and Dries Mertens in the second half. Gianluca Caprari gave the visitors a consolation goal in the ninety-fourth minute off a penalty, but it was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Napoli continue to win as they hunt for Champions League qualification.

Torino vs Milan

Milan and Torino met for the second time in a week, fighting to a tie in a riveting game. The hosts started off strong; Andrea Belotti and Marco Benassi scored to put the Granata up by two. They had a chance to seal the game on a penalty, but Gianluigi Donnarumma saved his third penalty of the season and the second against I Granata. What seemed inconsequential at the time came back to haunt Torino as Andrea Bertolacci scored a tap in out of Joe Hart’s hands to make it 2-1. Paletta won a penalty for the visitors, and Milan did not miss, Carlos Bacca striking into the right side of the net. The game ended 2-2, and it was, as expected, an exciting game.

Sassuolo vs Palermo

Sassuolo made a giant step towards Serie A survival with a 4-1 hammering of sorry Palermo, but things didn’t start well for the Neroverdi. The Rosanero took the lead early on through Robin Quaison, but the hosts needed just 16 minutes to overturn the deficit. Alessandro Matri scored the second of the game to make it 3-1 before Matteo Politano wrapped up the very important triumph for Sassuolo. 

Lazio vs Atalanta

Lazio did not falter against a strong Atalanta side, winning 2-1, keeping them in the race for that coveted third place spot. Andrea Petagna originally made it 1-0 for La Dea, but they went into the half even after an injury time goal from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Etrit Berisha took Immobile down in the area, and the Italian striker made no mistake, slotting it home for the eventual game winner.

Cagliari vs Genoa

Cagliari demolished Genoa 4-1 at the Sant’Elia. Giovanni Simeone headed it in to put Genoa ahead, but it would not last long. Marco Borriello notched a brace and Joao Pedro and Diego Farias scored to make it four and clinch the win.

Crotone vs Bologna

Relegation-threatened Crotone lost again at home, and they will need to perform better if they wish to stay in the upper tier. Blerim Dzemaili scored the only goal of the game for Bologna, and the visitors were able to hold out for the win.

Sampdoria vs Empoli

In a pretty uneventful match, the two sides battled to a 0-0 draw after Empoli failed to convert a penalty in the thirty-first minute.

All Serie A Results, Week 20:

Crotone vs Bologna 0-1

Inter vs Chievo 3-1

Cagliari vs Genoa 4-1

Lazio vs Atalanta 2-1

Sassuolo vs Palermo 4-1

Udinese vs Roma 0-1

Sampdoria vs Empoli 0-0

Napoli vs Pescara 3-1

Fiorentina vs Juventus 2-1

Torino vs Milan 2-2

*Note: Juventus have one game in hand on Roma due to a scheduling conflict with the Supercoppa Italiana.