Everything as before, but with one less day. Atalanta, Naples, Lazio and Rome are not wrong, thus adapting to Milan and Juventus: the Champions League it is confirmed as beautiful, as well as open to any scenario. Yes, because with such a compact classification (4 points from second to fifth place) anything can really happen, which is why missteps are not allowed, otherwise we risk failing the most important objective, economically speaking, of the season.
An honorable mention goes toAtalanta of Gasperini, capable of conquering Florence tooth and nail, in defiance of all the pressure derived from the results of others. At the kick-off of the Franchi match, in fact, the Bergamo players were in fifth place, overtaken by Napoli and closely followed, net of the recovery still to be played against Turin, by Lazio. Difficult scenario, which the Goddess has however been able to face with the maturity of a great one, net of an (almost) immediate comeback that risked compromising the race. The approach to the match had been one of the important ones, so much so that it went 0-2 at half-time thanks to two goals from Zapata, good with both his head (13') and his foot (40'). But then Fiorentina, thanks to some defensive mistakes, got back in the running with Vlahovic, author of a good brace (57' and 66') and victory seemed to be on the verge of escaping: it seemed, in fact, because Ilicic, who had just entered the in place of Malinovskyi, he first obtained and then converted the penalty to make it 3-2 (70'), giving Atalanta 3 really heavy points.
“This was a difficult challenge because our opponents had won all – the words of Gasperini – We created a lot, but also risked not winning. The standings, however, smile at us and there is one day less: now it will be a hot week towards Juve”.
The direct clash will be able to say a lot about the continuation of the championship, also because everyone is running behind, starting with Napoli. A very important victory for the Azzurri, in the presence of a Sampdoria that is anything but renouncing, regardless of a ranking that sees it now calm. Napoli, on the other hand, had a lot to lose, because a misstep would have compromised a large part of the Champions League race, especially in light of a calendar that will see them face Inter and Lazio in the next two games. In short, the 3 points were almost mandatory and Gattuso obtained them at the end of a painful test, in which there were many opportunities, but also the dangers. To unlock it, it took a nice long-range shot by Fabian Ruiz (35 '), after which the Azzurri came close to the knockout several times without finding it, thus leaving a Sampdoria alive that gave Ospina several shivers. But Osimhen thought of closing each discussion, finally decisive, thanks to a running right foot that reminded everyone of the reason for buying him, the most expensive in the club's history (87 '). Now Napoli are fifth, two points behind Atalanta fourth, in a Champions League race that also sees the Romans involved, both victorious against Verona and Bologna.
La Lazio it is undoubtedly the one that has the greatest chance, also because it continues to cling to the train despite performances that are anything but brilliant. In this phase, however, more than the game, the results count and so, after the one with Spezia, here is another success grabbed in the final, this time at Bentegodi against Juric's Hellas. Here too the same argument made previously for Sampdoria applies: the Gialloblù have a calm standings, but that doesn't mean they give up playing and annoying the big players. Lazio already noticed this in the first half, when the Scala players created various dangerous situations, but ended up prevailing at a distance, also thanks to the higher quality of their men. After Immobile's post and Caicedo's goal disallowed, the joy came in full recovery with Milinkovic-Savic, author of a splendid header that bent Silvestri and put three very heavy points in the safe: in the next round, while Atalanta, Juventus and Napoli will be engaged in difficult and unforeseeable clashes, the biancocelesti will receive Benevento, with the prospect of finding themselves much closer to their dream.
La Roma instead it is a little further away, also because, unlike its cousins, it has no games to recover, but it is still in the running in the Europa League, another road that leads to the Champions League. This has now become the main objective of the Giallorossi, as seen from the choices of Fonseca, who presented a completely new formation, leaving many owners at rest in view of Ajax. In any case, it's not yet time to abandon the championship: in fact, with 8 other games available, many things can happen. Roma thus remain clinging to the train, albeit in the last carriage, thanks to Borja Mayoral's 1-0 win over Bologna, who scored the match thanks also to Danilo's blunder, which allowed him to find himself alone in front of Skorupski and beat him with elegance and coldness (44'). A victory that will certainly not be remembered as the best in the club's history (Mirante has thwarted several dangerous situations), but which is worth a sign of life: as if to say that the Giallorossi, regardless of how the race in the Europa League goes, do not want still raise the white flag.
"We changed a lot of players, it was important to let some of those who had played against Ajax catch their breath, we suffered man against man in the first 25 minutes, but then we rebalanced the match - the analysis by Fonseca – Now head to Europe, Ajax are a very strong team in attack, it will be a difficult game, we will have to be 100% and not make any defensive mistakes. The round is not closed, to pass you need the perfect game ”.
We'll see what happens on Thursday, after which it will be the championship again and therefore the Champions League. The most open and hard-fought goal of all, capable of giving twists until the last day.
