Serie A 2024 highlights have been plentiful of late and the final weekend of the calendar year has left us on the brink of the most exciting title race in all of Europe’s big leagues. Don’t get me wrong, this SBOTOP man is still tipping Inter to make it back-to-back titles with something to spare. The Serie A 2024 betting odds suggest the same.
But there is plenty of football – and all its imponderables – still to come.
Let’s start with a big shout-out to Atalanta. That they continue to punch above their weight under Gian Piero Gasperini – now in his eighth year at the club – should perhaps no longer be a surprise but, in many ways, it is. The Bergamo-based side have long been considered an underdog yet have continually upset the more established clubs to showcase their ambition.
Top of the table on Christmas Day, few would have expected Atalanta to be table toppers by the time the festivities got underway but they also end 2024 at the summit – all nicely capping off a year in which they clinched the Europa League. That was confirmed on Saturday night as they rescued a late draw at home to Lazio. It may have ended La Dea’s 11-match winning streak in Serie A but Marco Brescianini’s 88th-minute equaliser kept them top of the table.
Fourth-placed Lazio dominated the first half in Rome and were rewarded in the 27th minute when Nicolò Rovella played a high through ball to Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who cut inside the box and sent a bouncing volley into the net. But Gasperini’s relentless side kept pushing and Brescianini tapped into an open goal with two minutes to go after Ademola Lookman set him up from the left.
Inter remain in the box seat and are just a point behind the leaders with a game in hand after a 3-0 win at spirited strugglers Cagliari.
A first league goal in seven weeks for captain Lautaro Martínez was sandwiched between Alessandro Bastoni’s header and Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty – all in the second half.
Inter and Atalanta will actually now meet in the semi-finals of the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia on Thursday with the winner advancing to face either Juventus or Milan.
As for Cagliari, they are in the bottom three along with newly promoted Venezia and Monza whose new coach, Salvatore Bocchetti, saw his debut ruined by Lautaro Valenti’s header eight minutes into stoppage time at Parma.
Monza have had some wonderful moments in the last few seasons and I still recall their historic victory over Juventus two seasons ago, but they are struggling again now.
After falling behind to a controversial Hernani penalty early in the second half, which resulted in a second yellow card for Pablo Mari, Monza fought back when Kevin Martins – son of former Inter striker Obafemi Martins – got down the right and put in a cross for Pedro Pereira at the back post.
Parma kept pouring forward though and, with everyone up for the last corner eight minutes into stoppage time, Valenti’s flicked header flew into the far corner to win it for the Ducali.
Napoli kept themselves in the title mix on Sunday to move level on points with Atalanta.
They were made to work hard by Venezia but no one could doubt they deserved it when substitute Giacomo Raspadori smashed the ball home for the only goal of the contest 11 minutes from time.
After all, Antonio Conte’s men had 25 shots on goal, hit the woodwork and forced several saves from Filip Stankovic, as well as seeing a Romelu Lukaku penalty saved by the custodian.
Aside from Atalanta, Fiorentina continue to be one of the sides of the first half of the season and showed their character again as they twice fought back to earn a 2-2 draw at Juventus. Riccardo Sottil’s volley three minutes from time, after the ball was deflected into his path, earned Viola a point, just as it seemed the ‘Old Lady’ of Turin were about to overtaken them in fifth place. That cancelled out a Khephren Thuram double, his first a superb solo effort.
Moise Kean had initially drawn Fiorentina – for whom goalkeeper David De Gea was again excellent – level with a header but classily refused to celebrate against his former club.
The final game of the weekend was at the San Siro – a meeting of two giants looking to recapture past glories. The in-form Tijjani Reijnders gave the hosts a 16th minute advantage with a superb first-time finish but the lead lasted barely seven minutes as Paulo Dybala produced an equally impressive finish.
Dybala has a good scoring record against Milan – this was his 10th career goal against the Rossoneri – and he remained the most likeliest player to score in the closing stages.
In the end, though, both teams had to settle for a point – a result which does little for either and leaves them eighth and 10th respectively and well adrift in the standings.
Can the new year bring better fortunes for either of these giants?
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