Roma wasted the opportunity, Milan didn't. The Giallorossi did not go beyond the draw on the Empoli field and saw Juventus "escape" at +4, the Rossoneri instead did their duty against Pescara and took back that third place momentarily left in the midweek round. On the Roma side of the capital, people are eating their hands: this could have been a favorable day considering the direct clash between Juve and Naples, instead it was the black and whites who smiled.
“We created a lot but unfortunately we wasted everything – commented Luciano Spalletti. – Empoli played an orderly game, it wasn't easy to find the space to hit him but we tried in every way, it's a shame we didn't manage to take advantage of the opportunities”.
In fact, in Castellani's 0-0 draw, Skorupski above all emerges: the goalkeeper, moreover a former Giallorossi, was decisive with some fundamental saves. In particular on Dzeko and Salah at the beginning of the match, but also in the second half on El Shaarawy: interventions that kept Empoli afloat and forced Roma to push on the accelerator until they lost their lucidity.
Milan, on the other hand, was able to take advantage of the favorable turn to restore prestige to their rankings, now ennobled by an almost unthinkable solo third place in the summer, moreover just one point behind second-placed Rome. However, beating Pescara wasn't easy, demonstrating how the team still doesn't have a perfect balance.
On the other hand, the character is there, as well as the humility to play with the right grit even in the presence of a much weaker team, still without victories (on the field of course) in the championship. It was Bonaventura (49') who decided the match: his free-kick broke the balance after a first half essentially in the balance, with the very dangerous Rossoneri with De Sciglio and Niang (post).
After the 1-0 draw, the Rossoneri came close to doubling with Bacca (another post), but then suffered the return of Pescara, stopped only by the usually great Donnarumma (the save on the right at the Memushaj crossroads was beautiful). In the end, however, it was they who smiled and took the 3 points, as well as a really important third place.
“It was a well-deserved victory even if it was a little painful – thought Vincenzo Montella. – For me these 3 points are worth the same as those against Juve, we struggled but played as a team”.
