They all win, apart from Roma. The most exciting Champions League race in recent years is enriched with a new chapter, which makes the rankings even shorter and more unpredictable. The successes of Atalanta, Naples and Lazio, combined with the draws of Milan, Juventus (of which we speak separately) and Rome mean that the ranking is shorter than ever, waiting for the recoveries to make it even more compact. For Fonseca's Giallorossi, on the other hand, the goal is moving away, so much so that right now it makes more sense to focus on the Europa League, a trophy which, if won, gives direct qualification to the Champions League. In any case, with 9 days still to play (plus recoveries, we reiterate it), it's better not to make definitive judgments, also because on Saturday in the championship, if there was still a need, he reiterated to us how anything is possible. In fact, Atalanta, Naples and Lazio, despite affordable opponents, won with difficulty, giving more than a palpitation to their respective fans. However, Gasperini's Nerazzurri suffered the least, even if Udinese remained in the match until the end.
The final 3-2 though does not fully do justice to the performance of the Bergamo players, able to lead from start to finish thanks to two goals from Muriel (19', 43') and a goal from Zapata (61'). If the Friulians remained in the running they owe it to goals by Pereyra (45') and Stryger Larsen (71'), to tell the truth rather impromptu: the Goddess is solid and fourth place in the standings, albeit on an equal footing with Juventus is its logical consequence. “This year the championship is different, no big has lagged behind last year – Gasperini's analysis -. The ranking is very short, we can say that our head is a little more free than the others. I'm not saying that we have nothing to lose, but we are certainly very motivated to achieve such a goal". But be careful, because the recovery of Juve-Napoli on Wednesday weighs heavily on the Nerazzurri's third place: in fact, in the event of the blue's success, Gattuso would overtake him in the standings. Possible scenario thanks to yesterday's victory over Crotone, this one really heart-pounding. A crazy game was staged at Maradona, with the Calabrians able to replace the 3-1 at the end of the first half (Insigne, Osimhen and Mertens on one side, Simy on the other) with two flames from Simy and Messias, for a sensational 3-3 which made Gattuso sweat cold.
However, Di Lorenzo took care of bringing his smile back, finding the goal of the final 4-3 with his left foot, which gives a good boost in view of the away match in Turin. Lazio are also in full swing, in turn protagonist of a heart-stopping victory, decided by a penalty from Caicedo in the 88th minute. practice seemed archived, instead Spezia were able to get back into the match thanks to a marvel from Verde (56 '), author of a spectacular bicycle kick that enters the ranking of the best goals in the championship by right. In the final, in addition to the (disputed) penalty described above, the expulsions of Lazzari and Correa should be noted, which will force Inzaghi to reinvent his formation for next Sunday's away match in Verona. Not bad though, because the 73 points were the most important thing and somehow they arrived. Fonseca's Roma cannot say the same, forced to deal with a draw that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, especially for how it arrived.
In fact, the Giallorossi failed to win despite the double advantage, gained thanks to goals from Pellegrini (26' from a penalty) and Bruno Peres (69'), once again showing all their limits, above all mental. Sassuolo, despite the numerous absences, first found a 1-1 with Traoré (57'), then a 2-2 with Raspadori (85'), left free to strike by the unfortunate marking of the Karsdorp-Cristante couple. Now the rankings are worrying, because the gap from the Champions League area is starting to be important, which is why the Europa League, beyond its importance, becomes perhaps the easiest way (so to speak) to pursue the goal. “I didn't make any calculations in view of Thursday, I didn't think about Ajax and I put in the best possible formation to face Sassuolo – explained Fonseca -. This wasn't a last resort, now we can think about the Europa League but fourth place is still achievable”. True, because never before has the race for the cup with big ears been unpredictable and can change from one moment to the next. And with 9 days still to play, anything can really happen…
