Serie A Week 25 Roundup: Same Old, Same Old as Top of the Table Stands Still

New signing Deulofeu provided the winner for Milan against Fiorentina. Image: Getty

It was another pretty normal week at the Serie A. All of the top seven teams in the league emerged victorious, following the trend that seems to be continuing throughout this season.

Rossoneri Get Crucial Win

AC Milan emerged victorious from a tough matchup with Fiorentina thanks to goals from Juraj Kucka and new signing Gerard Deulofeu. Kalinic leveled it soon after Kucka’s goal, but Milan were happy to sit back and defend their lead after the Spaniard scored the second. It was a pretty impressive performance from the Rossoneri who have been struggling this year as they find themselves without several members of the defense and arguably their best player, Giacomo Bonaventura, who will be out for the remainder of the season. Bacca continued to struggle, many asking why Montella continues to put him in before Lapadula. This will most likely be the last home win for Silvio Berlusconi who is set to sell the club near the beginning of March.

The Streak Continues

Juventus extended their home winning streak to 29 after a comfortable win over struggling Palermo. Marchisio opened the scoring and Argentinians Paolo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain scored two and one respectively. Chochev got one back for Palermo in injury time, but it was simply consolation for the visitors who find themselves in serious risk of relegation. Juventus should be well on their way to their sixth straight Serie A title barring any mishaps, and they can direct their focus to the ever elusive Champions League.

Gabigol Finally Delivers

Inter continued to win, and they now sit fourth in the Serie A, a remarkable turn of events from last year when they sad mid-table. In typical fashion, Inter escaped in the final minutes when new signing Gabriel Barbosa scored in the eighty-first minute. Considering the €30 million fee Inter paid for him, he has sure failed to deliver. He has only played six times during the season, these stints often being very short. While this goal shows signs of hope, many fans are hoping he doesn’t turn out to be the next Kondogbia.

Biancocelesti Escape against Empoli

Another close game, another win. Lazio escaped from Empoli with a win thanks to goals from Keita and Immobile. The hosts opened the scoring thanks to Krunic, but Immobile equalized just a minute later, draining Empoli of their momentum. Keita got the winner after a lucky deflection stunned Skorupski who was unable to keep the ball out of the net. Lazio need to continue winning if they wish to remain in European qualification; Milan are looking resurgent and are only three points behind.

Roma Rout Torino

Roma won by a significant margin at home against Torino. Top scorer Dzeko opened the floodgates and Salah was quick to add another. Leandro Paredes scored the third with a lovely strike from outside the box, but Lopez got a consolation goal for I Granta. Roma was not to be outdone however, as Nainggolan scored another in injury time. It looks as though Roma will be competing again with Napoli for second place, reminiscent of the last few seasons of Italian football.

Napoli Overpower Chievo

Napoli won away from home at Chievo, a resounding victory needed to compete for second place. Insigne, Hamsik, and Zielinski scored for the visitors, and Meggiorini’s goal was too little, too late. Napoli have been doing extremely well in the goalscoring area considering Higuain’s departure, and they find themselves in a similar situation as they battle for second with Roma.

Atalanta Eek out a Win

Atalanta are not one for dominating their opponents; they sport the lowest goal difference in the top six. Conti’s goal was enough to get them through against a soon-to-be-relegated Crotone. Atalanta have Papu Gomez to thank for their performance this season. The Argentinian has been stellar, and many believe him to be one of the best players in the league, including WhoScored who give him the third highest rating in the Serie A.

Pescara Victors in Unlikely Rout

Completely against the turn of events this season, Pescara scored five to Genoa’s zero to bring home a win at home. The goals came from Orban, Caprari, Benali, and Cerri. Genoa continued to flaunt their inconsistency; they have beaten several top teams only to lose to weaker sides such as Pescara. While this is certainly good news for Pescara fans, it is unlikely they will be able to escape relegation.

Defrel Hero at Udinese

Gregory Defrel was the hero for Sassuolo as his two late goals powered them past an early deficit. They fell behind early thanks to Fofana’s goal, but Defrel was there to rescue them. The first came on a volley which sneaked under Karnezis’ legs, and the second was a beautiful strike which curled into the bottom corner. It was a bright spot in an underwhelming season. Sassuolo have been unable to replicate last year’s excellent results.

Boring Matchup, Boring Result

In what has been a pretty mediocre season for both clubs, Sampdoria and Cagliari fought it out to a draw. The two goals came in the first half, Isla scoring the first and Quagliarella providing the second. The clubs find themselves in a similar spot to that of last year, and it is unlikely they will be able to produce anything spectacular barring a miracle.

All Serie A Results, Week 25

Juventus vs Palermo 4-1

Atalanta vs Crotone 1-0

Empoli vs Lazio 1-2

Bologna vs Inter 0-1

Udinese vs Sassuolo 1-2

Chievo vs Napoli 1-3

Pescara vs Genoa 5-0

Sampdoria vs Cagliari 1-1

Roma vs Torino 4-1

Milan vs Fiorentina 2-1