The countdown is almost over. Juventus also beats Lazio and prepares to celebrate a Scudetto that is now virtually certain. Mathematics, the last obstacle before the fireworks, says that the precious Italian flag could arrive as early as next Monday, provided that the Bianconeri conquer Florence (Sunday evening) and Napoli fail to do the same at the Olimpico in Rome. But even if things don't go like this, there will certainly be no need to despair: in the next round in Turin Carpi will arrive and there a mere little point will be enough to raise their hands to the sky.
“It was an insidious match, we could have risked finding ourselves in the closest Napoli but we were good at winning it – Allegri said. – We will go to Florence on Sunday, there is no need to let our guard down because Fiorentina will certainly want to make a good impression. We want to finish in the best possible way, the Scudetto is still 4 points away." The Juventus coach still doesn't say too much but by now he doesn't believe it either.
It's not just a question of points (+9 over Napoli) but also of logic: how can one think that a Juve like this can lose this title? The most impressive thing about the black and whites is that they don't know a drop in tension, in defiance of any statistic or opponent. Lazio has also noticed it, yet another sacrificial victim in a cycle that has seen 23 victories in the last 24 games, 9 of which in a row at the Stadium without conceding a goal.
“We played a good game but they are Martians – sighed Simone Inzaghi. – At the beginning there was balance, then we conceded goals and there were 10 of us left and at that point it was really impossible to do more. Perhaps the penalty could also not have been given but the game was now sealed, we would have lost anyway ". The Biancocelesti, returning from the successes against Palermo and Empoli, tried to contain the match by defending Marchetti: not exactly the most original tactic in the world but perhaps the only one possible.
The Lazio block, thanks to some great interventions by the goalkeeper, remained standing until the 39th minute when Pogba caught Mandzukic a few steps from the line, for the easiest of goals. The match then underwent the decisive turning point at the beginning of the second half: Patric, already booked, yanked Dybala and Mazzoleni drew the inevitable second yellow card. Argentinian protagonist in the episode but not only, given what he has done from then on.
First he converted the penalty awarded by the referee for a foul by Lulic on Bonucci (52'), then he closed everything by punching a right foot into Khedira's assist (64'). The rest was just academia, a bit like what's left of the Juventus championship. Between the fifth consecutive scudetto and Allegri's team there is only mathematics but even this, by now, is about to surrender to the evidence.
