Another weekend of Serie A highlights in which the chance of a genuine three-way title race remains a distinct possibility.
Certainly, it’s very close to call 14 games in and the SBOTOP Serie A betting odds are changing with each passing week.
This weekend we had derby delight, a first win in Turin for 32 years and a Sassuolo shock.
Atalanta aces dash Juve title dreams
Whether the biggest clash of the weekend or not in Serie A, this was the one which intrigued me the most – a Saturday teatime re-run of last season’s Coppa Italia Final.
Max Allegri’s boys hoping to embark on a winning run, similar to those they have become accustomed to in recent years, up against the surprise package of Italian football this last few years – the impressive, refreshing Atalanta team under the stewardship of Gian Piero Gasperini.
And given the two sides shipped seven goals between them in Europe in midweek, perhaps few expected a goalless draw in the Allianz Stadium.
In the end, in a match of few opportunities, we only got one goal – Duvan Zapata’s 28th-minute winner stretching the visitors’ unbeaten run to eight matches as they stayed fourth, seven points ahead of their opponents.
Yet the likelihood is it will prove decisive as to all but end Juventus’ title aspirations this season.
The stats are damning.
Apart from Paulo Dybala’s late free-kick which hit the crossbar, the home side didn’t look like scoring as Atalanta clinched their first win at Juve since 1989.
What’s more this was a fifth Juventus defeat in 14 league matches and they have now only scored 18 goals in those games, the lowest total in Serie A’s top 10.
Extraordinary Empoli claim derby day spoils
This was quite the turnaround and one which will live long in the memory of Empoli fans.
A Tuscan derby between a side that performs better away and a Viola team which only succeeds at home, fresh from beating Milan in a seven-goal thriller last weekend.
Two goals in the final three minutes shocked neighbours Fiorentina, who had taken the lead through a player who I think could become one of the best frontmen of his generation – Dusan Vlahovic.
Early in the second half, Vlahovic timed his run perfectly to finish from close range in what was the Serbian’s 28th Serie A goal of 2021, making him the most prolific ever Fiorentina player in a single calendar year (Kurt Hamrin netted 27 in 1960).
With three minutes left on the clock, youth academy product Filippo Bandinelli kept his cool to turn in a rebound from close range, before Nedim Bajrami surged forward down the right and rolled it across the face of goal for Andrea Pinamonti to control and sweep in the winner from 10 yards.
Cue bedlam among the home support.
Super Sassuolo mean Milan miss magic
AC Milan were chasing top spot against midtable Sassuolo, led by the impressively irrepressible 40-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
A player who continues to inspire a young Milan squad and to play football at the highest level while sparking controversy and embracing the wonder of being Zlatan with amusing gusto.
Yet, amazingly, it disappeared.
Instead of Alessio Romagnoli’s 24th minute opener setting them on their way, Sassuolo simply turned the match on its head to stun the San Siro into silence.
Gianluca Scamacca had levelled within three minutes, an own goal then gave the visitors an interval lead and Domenico Berardi, who has a fine record against Milan, netted the third before Romagnoli was dismissed to compound Milan’s misery.
Inter close in on leaders yet fail to convince
The reigning champions certainly haven’t convinced me but it’s not me they have to convince.
The fact remains that, despite losing their coach and star men this summer, they (briefly) closed the gap on the top two after a hard fought win at newly-promoted Venezia.
As I said, it wasn’t convincing but that doesn’t matter.
All that mattered was the Nerazzurri securing the points and they did that after Hakan Calhanoglu thrashed home a powerful first-half strike and Lautaro Martínez scored a penalty with the last kick of the game.
As manager Simone Inzaghi acknowledges, Inter are ‘in a good period of form’ and has shrugged off those who thought this would be ‘a transitional season’ just trying to stay afloat.
Perhaps he is right.
The result no-one wanted!
Sure, this was better than a defeat but the truth is neither Cagliari nor Salernitana wanted a 1-1 draw.
It keeps them both tied at the bottom and, at least?, three points from safety.
In fact, their rivals in the battle to beat the drop must have been very pleased with Friday night’s outcome in Sardinia.
Birthday boy Leonardo Pavoletti thought he had won the match for the hosts when Joao Pedro found the substitute on a run at the first post and he poked home a cross after 73 minutes. Yet as the clock ticked 90, Federico Bonazzoli brought Salernitana level, finishing past Alessio Cragno in the Rossoblu goal to leave Cagliari coach Walter Mazzarri unable to hide his frustration, a result he admitted was ‘difficult to digest’.
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