Now it's official: Lazio is also up for the Scudetto! Inzaghi's team also beat Napoli, thus reaching ten consecutive victories and, above all, only 4 points behind Inter with the match against Verona still to be recovered. Once again, Ciro Immobile was decisive, author of the goal who, a few minutes from the end, split the resistance of a good Napoli in two, defeated more by bad luck than by the opponent. Yes, because the paw of the top scorer comes from an incredible blunder by Ospina: a mistake, that of the Mexican goalkeeper sent onto the field in place of the injured Meret, which nullified the performance of the Azzurri, up to that moment the most deserving of a eventual victory. In fact, the one seen at the Olimpico had been a subdued Lazio, unable to find the necessary space to develop its game and, along the way, even put down by Napoli.
After a balanced and not very entertaining first half, the second half had opened with a higher pace but it was Gattuso's Azzurri who took over. In the 68th minute Zielinski made the Olimpico tremble but his shot, luckily for Inzaghi, was printed on the post, shortly after it was Insigne who gave the people of Lazio shivers, this time saved by Strakosha. Napoli's goal seemed to be in the air, but in the 82nd minute Ospina's madness came: wrong dribbling on Immobile and Ciro's winning tap-in, which not even Di Lorenzo's desperate save attempt took away from the net. And when in full recovery Lulic saved his face from Llorente's sure-footed header, Inzaghi realized he had won the victory, the tenth in a row (absolute record, also broken by Eriksson) of this incredible ride.
“The team always believes in it, they know that we have players who can decide the match at any moment – commented the Biancoceleste coach. – What I like is the awareness and lucidity of the boys, sometimes it may seem simple but here I warned them, it was a big match and we had to fight back. Today we are close to being in the Scudetto." Opposite mood instead in Naples, where despite the good performance we have to deal with another defeat, the third in the last four games. “We care about the performance, we have to look ahead – sighed Gattuso. – I've seen a team that has suffered very little, which is starting to do what I ask, unfortunately since I've been here we've conceded absurd goals but it's part of the game. Head held high and pedaling, always: but now we need a string of positive results".
Festive Saturday instead for the Milan, back to victory on the Cagliari field. The 3 points, expected for over a month, bear the signature of Leao and Ibrahimovic, confirming that the system with two forwards works, but also, if not above all, how much the Swede can affect this team. At the Sardegna Arena we saw one of the Rossoneri's best seasonal performances, moreover against an opponent who was declining but still dangerous, especially in front of their own fans. And instead Milan managed it without suffering, except for a couple of situations in the first half, then finding the knockout blows at the most opportune moment. In fact, at the dawn of the second half, with Cagliari still numb from the tea, it was Leao who seized the right opportunity, albeit with the collaboration of Pisacane, whose deflection proved decisive in beating Olsen (46').
From then on, thanks to the inevitable imbalance of the Sardinians, the Rossoneri managed to take control of the match, to then close it with the most awaited man. In the 64th minute, following the development of an action by Hernandez, Ibrahimovic found the goal with a nice crossed left foot, causing the segment of the away sector to explode with joy, who arrived en masse just to see him. The Swede would have also made it 3-0 with a nice header but the Var rightly took it away from him for offside, thus choking his scream in his throat. It doesn't matter, because Milan needed victory above all and that, to Pioli's joy, came.
“We certainly had a different performance than the last few, we were more effective, concrete and we got a well-deserved victory – commented the Rossoneri coach with satisfaction. – It is clear that with Zlatan we have found an important reference, I knew he was ready after the first phone call I made him. He will do a lot of good for this team, he will give us personality and stimuli even if we will only see the best version of him in a few games ”. Where can this Milan take? detached by 10 points from the Champions area (and Roma still have to play), it is not known, but in the meantime he has given him a good jolt: and this, in the light of how things were going, is already good news.
