Italian Serie A Review – Round 13 : Juventus Goes On Top As Milan Crushes Chievo

By Amlan Chaudhury
12 years Ago

An enthralling weekend saw Juventus climb to the top, while Milan crushed Chievo. 20 goals were scored over the course of 10 matches as teams fought over three precious points. TheHardTackle reviews the weekend action from Italy.

Roma bows to Di Natale

The pressure is piling on Luis Enrique by the day. The last weekend, they took on Udinese, a team led by the brilliance of one individual – Di Natale. The first half started on an even note as both the teams took their own sweet time to settle into the match. Needless to say, not a single goal was scored in the first 45 minutes of the game. The break seemed to have worked wonders with the touring team, as Roma came out a much stronger side in the second half. Roma dominated possession but their back was broken in the 80th minute, when Di Natale scored the first of the night. Isla scored the second in the dying minutes of the game to hand three valuable points to the Udine side.

Catania wins away while Novara grabs an unlikely victory

Lecce then hosted Catania, hoping for a reversal of fortunes. A tense match followed with both the teams sharing an equal amount of possession and also an almost equal number ofAi?? shots on goal. A last-gasp goal from Barrientos sealed three points for the visiting side as Lecce’s miserable home form continued.

Novara took on Parma at home, looking to pick up their second win of the entire campaign. A former powerhouse, Parma has long fallen from grace as they nowadays struggle to stay in the topmost football league in Italy. In the 90 minutes that followed, three goals – all from Novara – sealed the fate of this match. An own goal from Centurioni offered a brief ray of hope to the visitors, which was squashed by goals from Rubino and Rigoni.

The Pink guys are back on top

Current League leaders, Juventus took on Lazio next, sporting an outlandish pink jersey which is surely an eyesore for everyone. But the football which they played more than made up for it. Lichtsteiner was a constant menace both in attack and in defense as he effectively shoved his former club out of this match. The only goal of the game came from Pepe, who shot from close range after picking up a cross from Matri. At the other end of the pitch, Buffon was lapping up everything Lazio threw at him. 8 saves from him shows that age has not stopped the veteran shot-stopper. The victory took Juventus to the top once more.

Napoli struggles against Atalanta

Atalanta would have been the talk of the town had they not drawn as many as 5 matches so far. From a commanding start to the season, the team is slowly running out of steam. Napoli left out Lavezzi and Maggio from the starting line up, and Atalanta made full use of their absence. German Denis scored the first for the home team to take his tally to 10 for this season, in the 64th minute. Napoli looked out for the count as they appeared visibly tired from their midweek Champions League clash. However, the game saw a dramatic late goal from Cavani, as Napoli somehow managed to salvage a point from this tough fixture.

Cagliari held while Palermo chalk out home victory

In an evenly contested match, the two struggling teams fought out for three points at the Sant’ Elia. Both teams shared almost equal possession as the match entered into the second half. The first goal came from Di Vaio, who smashed the ball into the back of the net. Cagliari replied almost immediate from the spot as Conti scored in the 81st minute. Bologna remained at 17th position in the League as they inched closer to the drop zone.

Palermo hosted Fiorentina at home and they strengthened their home position with their sixth consecutive win. Fiorentina was coming off a nil-nil draw with the Champions and it goes without saying they were not ready to give in easily. Miccoli scored the first in the 22nd minute but his night turned ugly when he was stretchered off with an injury in the first half itself. Ilicic was the provider of the first goal and in the second half, made another telling impact on the game. His second half free-kick found the back of the net and with it, Palermo saw out the match.

Mutu wins it for Cesena as Internazionale struggles

Adrian Mutu was on target for Cesena as his double strike gave them a lifeline. Their second victory in the entire campaign so far meant that they lie just above Lecce, who has accumulated only 8 points so far.

Elsewhere strugglers Internazionale took on Siena and till the very end of the match, it looked like their misery will see no end. But Castaignos’ goal in the dying moments of the game came as a huge boost to them who can finally look to start their season on the domestic front.

Milan thrashes Chievo

In one of the most dominating displays this season, the Rossoneri destroyed Chievo at the San Siro. From the onset of the match, it was clear who had the upper hand, as Ibrahimovic’s first shot just grazed over the bars.The first goal of the game came from the stand-in captain of the evening, Thiago Silva. His shot opened the floodgates and brought forth huge celebrations from the home team. Ibrahimovic doubled the lead in the 16th minute as Pato scored the third from a rebound. But Milan was not yet finished. Pato was causing all sorts of troubles for the backline and when he was fouled inside the area, Ibra scored his second within the first half.

In the second half, Milan slowed down the tempo as substitutions became routine. It was a devastatingly efficient and clinical display by the Champions, as they once again proved that they were the team to beat in Italy, notwithstanding Juve’s resurgence.

Match of the Weekend

Milan 4 – 0 Chievo

Most surprising result of the week

Novara 2 – 1 Parma

Goal of the week

Mutu second goal vs Genoa

Star of the Weekend

Pirlo (Juventus)

After his transfer from Milan, Pirlo has found a new lease of life at Juventus. Playing at his favored position, he has been the backbone of almost every Juventus attack this season. With Vidal, Pepe and Lichtsteiner for company, Pirlo can concentrate on creating goals and goal-scoring chances rather than running after the ball.

Team of the Weekend

Results

Udinese	2 – 0	AS Roma
Lecce	0 – 1	Catania
Novara	2 – 1	Parma
Lazio	0 – 1	Juventus
Atalanta	1 – 1	Napoli
Cagliari	1 – 1	Bologna
Palermo	2 – 0	Fiorentina
Cesena	2 – 0	Genoa
Siena	0 – 1	Internazionale
Milan	4 – 0	Chievo

Categories: COVER STORY, Italia Serie A
Tags: Italian Serie A Review - Round 13 Serie A Serie A Review