Juventus may not have been at their best but it was enough to gain three points from an enthusiastic but inefficient AC Milan. We review that big game along with other matches of round 26 in Serie A.
Football can be oh so cruel from time to time. On Sunday evening it was heart-break for Milan and their fans. The Rossoneri put in one of their finest displays of the season but were denied time and again by the heroics of Gianluigi Buffon coupled with their wayward finishing. Clarence Seedorfai??i??s men entertained the Champions amid much anticipation. Testament to that stood with the 75,000 odd supporters that gathered in the marvelous San Siro. The Champions were in town and Milan felt they had it in them to put their title charge a bit off track.
For Juventus, they went into the game with the complete knowledge that Roma stumbled at home to Inter. This was their moment to grab the title race by the scruff of the neck and really make great strides towards their third consecutive Scudetto.
But it wasnai??i??t going to be easy. Milan rattled their visitors. Seedorfai??i??s plan was to come out all guns blazing and hit Juventus with an early onslaught. It was a smart tactic given the Bianconeri may have had a bit of fatigue nestled in their legs after their midweek trip to Turkey.
It was also a time bound tactic. How long could Milan maintain their tempo and relentless pressing? They had to make their dominance matter and convert the chances they created. That is where they fell short. Ricky Kaka, Andrea Poli and Riccardo Montolivo all came close to breaking the deadlock but saw their efforts go in vain.
Milan were wasteful and the sense was that a Juventus goal was inevitable. The away side through a neat passage of play that saw Fernando Llorente slot home, took the lead against the run of play. It was a blow right to Milanai??i??s midriff, the feeling of dAi??jAi?? vu was evoked as memories of the Atletico Madrid defeat not too long ago would have resurfaced.
But this wouldnai??i??t deter their advances. They continued to commit men forward in attack and came awfully close when a Pazzini header in the second half went narrowly wide. In truth, he should have scored. As expected, Milanai??i??s high tempo began to fade away, their energy had been sapped. Carlos Tevez would capitalize. The Argentineai??i??s unleashed a pile-driver from 25 yards that was the final nail in the Rossoneri coffin. Juventus were clinical whereas Milan werenai??i??t and that turned out to be the difference between the two sides.
That win put broad daylight between Juventus and Roma. The Romans played out a rather drab scoreless draw at home to Inter. But what grabbed the headlines was Daniele De Rossiai??i??s punch on Mauro Icardi. It may have escaped the refereeai??i??s eyes but it didnai??i??t escape Prandelliai??i??s. The Italy manager, keeping in line with his ethics code, has excluded De Rossi from the friendly against Spain in midweek. De Rossi has been suspended for three games following his actions. Juan Jesus too was on the receiving end of a three game ban after his punch on Alessio Romagnoli.
The gap between the countryai??i??s top two was extended to 11 points but Roma do have a game in hand. Rudi Garcia in his post game press-conference refused to throw the towel in. His side look highly unlikely to run stride for stride with Juventus but they want to make a fight of it right till the very end.
Napoli turned down the opportunity to close the gap on second placed Roma. The Neapolitans managed a low-scoring draw against Livorno while Fiorentina succumbed to a surprising loss at home to Lazio. The Viola are now seven points behind Napoli in their chase for the final Champions League spot.
Roberto Donadoniai??i??s Parma have earned their praise in Serie A this season. The Ducali managed to grind out a narrow win against lowly Sassuolo and extended their terrific unbeaten streak to 14 games now. Sixth in the league standings and making a claim for a Europa League spot, Parma have been one of the revelations of the season. That defeat to Sassuolo saw another manager casualty this weekend as Alberto Malesani was given the sack after just over four weeks at the helm. Eusebio Di Francesco has since been re-hired.
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