Nainggolan was the hero as his two spectacular goals propelled Roma past Inter/Image via thesheet.ng
It was an exciting week in the Serie A, one that produced some high-quality football and exhilarating matchups.
Nainggolan Stars
Nainggoalan. Get it? I really should stop with the jokes. Please don’t click off the article. I’m sorry.
Radja Nainggolan scored two amazing goals in the 3-1 win against Inter, something that we’ve come to expect from one of the best midfielders in the world. The two screamers were something special, similar to Locatelli’s goal against Juventus. Icardi gave the fans some hope, but Perotti buried the game from the penalty spot. Roma find themselves in a similar situation as in recent years, and the distance between them and Napoli has increased to five points after Atalanta’s win.
Caldara Heroic
Mattia Caldara isn’t exactly a superstar, but the defender was the hero against Napoli. He scored the first goal after a corner bounced to his feet, placing it in the back of the net with a simple tap-in. The second came off a volley to the left of goalkeeper Pepe Reina. It was a good performance from Atalanta, but Napoli have themselves to blame for the loss, and they have some ground to make up if they wish to compete with Roma for second place.
Milan Break Mapei Curse
The Rossoneri finally emerged victorious at Mapei stadium, albeit not without some controversy. Within the first half, there were three potential penalty calls, two which were called. The first was awarded to Sassuolo, who missed after Domenico Berardi shot wide. The second was awarded to Milan after a tustle in the box. Carlos Bacca seemed to have scored, but replay shows that he had in fact touched the ball twice, something that would have led to the goal being called off. Despite Sassuolo’s protests, the referee awarded the goal, giving Milan what would eventually be the decider. Sassuolo pressured Milan in the second half, and they should’ve been awarded a penalty when Gabriel Paletta swung at the ball, completely missing and hitting a Sassuolo player at full force. It was a bit unlucky for Sassuolo, but it was a much needed victory for Milan who are looking to qualify for Europe.
Handball or No Handball?
Lazio were victorious at home against Udinese after another questionable call, this time on a handball, meant Lazio were awarded a penalty. Immobile would slot it into the back of the net for the game-winner. It was a questionable call; one that would cost Udinese the game. Lazio were very fortunate to get that call, and they will be thanking the heavens that they got those crucial points for qualification.
Belotti Shines Again
Riccardo Saponara and Nikola Kalinic scored for the Viola early on to give them a 2-0 lead, but it was not enough in the end as Andrea Belotti scored twice in the final half an hour to equalize and steal a point from the hosts. Fiorentina will be kicking themselves; this is the second time they have blown a huge lead, the former in a 2-4 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach that saw them eliminated from the Europa League. Fiorentina have not been performing to their usual standards as of late, and they cannot afford to lose anymore games like this, especially when they sit two places away from European qualification.
For Belotti, it was another great day. He rose back to the top of the league scorers, and he has proven that he is a world class talent. The youngster is one of the main reasons Torino are so high in the league table. Just imagine if Torino had a viable defence.
Juventus Don’t Slip Up
Juventus won 2-0 at home, extending their winning streak. Alex Sandro and Mandzukic were the goalscorers who propelled Juventus to another victory.
Juventus have all but won the Serie A by now, leading by seven points with twelve games remaining. They do not look as though they are going to slip up, and unlike other teams, they have been consistently outperforming everyone, playing the same way week in and week out. If any Serie A team wants to have a chance of beating them any time soon, they need to try to match the Bianconeri’s consistency.
Pescara a Hoax
Unfortunately, Pescara were not the same team that beat Genoa 5-0 last week, far from it. Birsa and Castro scored for Chievo, and Pescara have no chance of escaping relegation, barring a Leicester City type miracle, which is highly unlikely considering the way they have been playing.
Cagliari Fight Back
Cagliari escaped from a loss at Crotone, Boriello proving to be the hero. Crotone broke their scoring drought early on when Stoian scored in the tenth mintue, but Joao Pedro and Borriello were able to get the job done for Cagliari. Cagliari has performed pretty well considering they were promoted from the Serie B just last year, sitting comfortably mid-table content to stay in the top division. Crotone, on the other hand, have relegation to look forward to as they sit second to last in the table.
Last Minute Heroics
Genoa rescued a point at home against Bologna, one that is just consolation at this point in the season. Viviani scored a wonderful free kick to put Bologna up, but Torosidis’ red card meant that Bologna would have to play with ten men for the remainder of the match. Genoa were unable to take advantage of this until the last minute, when Ntcham, who had been subbed on just a minute earlier, scored the equalizer. It wasn’t a very important matchup — relegation is unlikely for either side — but Genoa can pride themselves on getting that single point.
Elsewhere, Palermo and Sampdoria also battled to a draw. Nestorovski put the hosts up early after converting his penalty, but Quagliarella equalized in heroic fashion in the ninetieth minute. Palermo can’t do much with a single point, but it was a relatively good result. They need to get more points if they want to escape from relegation; they are currently six points behind 17th place.
All Serie A Results, Week 26
Napoli vs Atalanta 0-2
Juventus vs Empoli 2-0
Palermo vs Sampdoria 1-1
Lazio vs Udinese 1-0
Crotone vs Cagliari 1-2
Sassuolo vs Milan 0-1
Chievo vs Pescara 2-0
Genoa vs Bologna 1-1
Inter vs Roma 1-3
Fiorentina vs Torino 2-2
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