The table continues to shift in Serie A, although Napoli couldn't keep their place at the top of the table for more than a few hours before Milan beat Fiorentina to move back into first. Lazio reclaimed fourth and Juventus just might make a play for a European position, but the true drama is at the bottom of the table. Bari are almost certainly moving down to Serie B, but who will join them? Lecce moved into safety and Cesena are fighting tooth and nail, whereas Sampdoria and Parma are both making a case for relegation.
Serie A, Week 32 Review: Milan Stay Top, Napoli Second, As Sampdoria And Parma Both Make Cases For Relegation
Saturday
So much has happened since the early match on Saturday that the memories are hazy. I remember...Brazilians. I remember...Argentines. Yes, yes, it's all coming back. The Flying Donkeys did their very best to keep Inter down, dominating the first half of the match. But second-half goals by Esteban Cambiasso and Maicon saw the nerazzurri return to their winning ways, although they remain in third place, five points off Milan.
This one was, quite possibly, the match of the weekend, although having not woken up for the Juventus-Genoa game I can't say for sure. It was certainly the most exciting match that wasn't played at 3:30am Pacific time. Although both teams attacked freely for the first hour, it wasn't until Francesco Totti converted a penalty (and what a sweet, swooping, cucchiaio penalty it was) around the hour mark that things got interesting. Udinese swarmed the Roma goal, making it clear that they'd capitalize on their defensive weakness. Sure enough, it was Antonio Di Natale who found the equalizer, on the 88th minute. But turned out there could only be one capitano in town that night, and that captain was Totti, who managed to put the ball in the back of the net with the last play of the game. The zebrette loss drops them into fifth place, out of the Champions League positions.
Sunday
Highlights packages suggest this was an exciting match. Then again, highlights show three minutes of a 90+ game. Juventus won via a Luca Toni flick, putting one past his former club. But the Old Lady didn't make it very easy on themselves (do they ever, this season?), allowing the visitors to open the scoring when Genoa defender Luca Antonelli attempted to play the ball through, only to have it collide with the shin of Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci and land in the back of the net. Whoops! Juventus waited until the second half to put the ball in their own net, Simone Pepe's header bouncing in via the shoulder of Genoa man Marco Rossi. Fair play, really. Genoa regained the lead shortly thereafter, on a shot by Antonio Floro Flores. In the end, though, the substitution of Toni proved to be the deciding factor, the forward setting up an Alessandro Matri equalizer before putting the winner in himself in the 83rd minute.
One point may not have been enough to lift Brescia out of the relegation zone, but at least Andrea Caracciolo's header managed to pull them within two points of safety. Andrea Cossu then put Cagliari level byknocking the ball inside an empty net, but considering the club is not a contender for Europe nor in danger of relegation, the equalizer was really not that thrilling.
Bari might be going down, but they're determined to take half of Serie A with them. A draw against Milan. A win over Parma. Now a draw against Catania, who themselves are not safe from relegation. Alessandro Gazzi nodded in a corner kick to give the Galletti the lead, but the home side were nice enough to allow Catania back into the match, with Andrea Masiello even helping out by deflecting a Maxi Lopez shot into the net.
Lazio retake fourth place with their victory over hapless Parma, who cling tenuously to safety. Hernanes and Sergio Floccari both scored for Lazio, while Fernando Muslera was tremendous in front of goal, actually managing to divert balls out of the net rather than into it. The real shocker here, though, is that no Lazio players were sent off, which marks the first time in about ten matches that they’ve accomplished that feat.
It seems almost inevitable now that Sampdoria will find a way to get relegated, astonishing for a club that started the season in the Champions League. Goals from Davide Di Michele and Ruben Olivera put Lecce ahead, and although Doria managed a desperate goal from Massimo Maccarone, a second yellow to Daniele Mannini more or less put the game out of reach. The win puts Lecce into 15th, vaulting them over Sampdoria, who remain just one point above the drop.
Palermo proved that it might not be a coaching issue after all, as newly reinstated manager Delio Rossi watched his side lose a 2-0 lead to 10-man Cesena in stoppage time. Jasmin Kurtić scored his first goal in Serie A within the first five minutes of the match, and Mauricio Pinilla added a second to give the Rosanero a comfortable 2-0 lead going into the break. They must have felt even safer after the 75th minute, when Steve Von Bergen was sent off after a clumsy challenge, but the cliche about 2-0 being the most dangerous scoreline in football exists for a reason. Six minutes of stoppage time were added on, and the Seahorses pulled off a draw, with goals from Emanuele Giaccherini and Marco Parolo making Palermo's season even worse.
This match was terrifying. Napoli dominated for nearly the entire first half, with Giuseppe Mascara getting his first goal in the light blue shirt and Marek Hamsik converting a penalty just before the break. Then the partenopei thought it might be fun to toy with Bologna, allow them to get back into the match and take a few shots on goal. Like, you know, they weren't IN A TITLE RACE OR ANYTHING. Marco Di Vaio had some wonderful opportunities to get Bologna on the scoresheet, but strangely enough for the man who's been a blessing all season, he managed to scuff them wide or into the side netting. Napoli moved into joint-first place, but only held it for a few hours...
Fiorentina 1-2 AC Milan
This one could have easily been a boring rout by the league leaders. Milan took the lead in the ninth minute through Clarence Seedorf, but should have been up by about three goals in the first fifteen minutes. Instead Alexandre Pato decided to pass the ball straight to Fiorentina keeper Artur Boruc minutes later, although the Duck made up for it in the 41st minute when he combined with Kevin-Prince Boateng and Zlatan Ibrahimović to tap in from close range. Milan didn't seem anxious to score another and very nearly paid for it when Juan Manuel Vargas's shot bounced off Rino Gattuso's chest and into the net. It looked as though the Viola might pull off a draw when Ibra, already on a yellow, was shown a straight red for insulting the linesman when complaining about a throw-in. Stupid, really, as the Swede, freshly back from suspension, could now be facing a three to four match ban. Milan regain their lead at the top of the table, three ahead of Napoli, but if Pato gets tired of carrying the weight of the team on his shoulders the rossoneri could be facing a difficult run-in.
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