Juve slows down, Milan goes into third gear. On the day when they could have taken the lead in the standings alone, obviously waiting for Naples-Pisa (tomorrow, 20.45 pm), the black and whites slow down in Verona (1-1), at the end of a match full of controversy due to the decisions of the referee Rapuano. He took advantage of it Allegri's Devils, who jumped to minus 1 thanks to the victory in Udine. A 3-0 victory at the Dacia Arena that leaves no room for replies and confirms the Rossoneri's progress, now firmly in the top tier of the league. However, there are still many games to go, starting with Lazio-Roma (12:30 p.m.): a very heated derby, between two teams in difficulty and forced to win to avoid losing further ground. The same goes, obviously, for Inter Milan will play in the late match at San Siro against Sassuolo. (20.45pm), while Napoli, as previously mentioned, will only make its moves tomorrow evening.
Verona – Juventus 1-1: Conceiçao's draw isn't enough, the Bentegodi draw is controversial.
Juventus stopped at the Bentegodi and missed out on a fourth consecutive league victory. In Verona it ends 1-1, but the ones that are most in the spotlight are the refereeing controversies. Tudor remains at the top with his team, but anger over the controversial incidents accompanies the return to Turin. The game seems to be going downhill when Conceiçao invents the lead in the 19th minuteThe Portuguese player wins a rebound, skips past Serdar, and from the edge of the box unleashes a low left-footed shot that beats Montipò. It's a gem that unlocks the match, but instead of closing it out, Juve drops back and leaves the field to Hellas. The turning point came in the 44th minute: long throw-in by Bradaric, melee in the area and touch with the arm (involuntary and attached to the body) of Joao MarioAfter the VAR review, Rapuano points to the spot and Orban evens the score.
Immediately after the same player elbows Gatti: The referee pardoned him with a simple yellow card, an inexplicable decision that infuriated Tudor. In the second half, the Juventus coach attempted a change, bringing on Koopmeiners for Locatelli, but Juve lacked rhythm. Vlahovic only sparked once, with a left-footed shot saved by Montipò, before disappearing and being replaced by Openda. Verona, however, grew and tried again with Orban, who came close to a repeat on three occasions. In the 68th minute Serdar finds the goal to overtake, but VAR cancels all due to Nunez being offside. In the end Di Gregorio was decisive on Frese, while Juventus' attempts with Openda and David fail to trouble Montipò. After three straight wins, Juventus slows down. Tudor complains about the refereeing decisions and for a harshly awarded penalty and a missed red card, incidents that weigh heavily on the outcome of a match that could have sealed their mini-leap in the standings. Verona, however, remains winless, but with a solid performance and the feeling that survival, with this intensity, is not at all impossible.
Tudor furious: "Shameful penalty, Gatti should have been sent off. We should have played on Sunday."
“I wish the team had more energy, it's totally different here, they play every seven days, three games in seven days like we did,” Tudor thought. “But I also wish we had a different referee. The penalty given is a shameful thing, it doesn't exist, only someone who has never played football can give it, something never seen before. Then the elbow to Gatti, If you don't give a red card for an incident like that, I don't know when you should give one... The attacker isn't looking at anything, only at the opponent. I don't want to make excuses, but games are decided like that; they were both bad VAR decisions. It must be said that we lacked energy; we didn't play one of our best games, and in any case, you can't always win. This game could have been played on Sunday; Napoli have three games in nine days, while we have seven. We need equality, there's no point in denying it.These things change the rankings in the long run. It needs to be said: because if we keep quiet and be good…”.
Udinese 0-3 Milan: The Reds fly with Pulisic (brace) and Fofana
Milan doesn't stop anymore and, after the victories against Lecce and Bologna, finds the hat-trick in Udine with a clear 3-0, tidy and without smudges. Pulisic is the absolute protagonist, author of a total match with two goals, an assist and the constant feeling of being the extra man in every area of the pitch. For the Rossoneri, this is how they arrive nine points in the last three matchdays, three consecutive clean sheets and the ever-growing belief that they can play a leading role in this championship. Udinese, on the other hand, disappoints, never truly in the game and unable to create any real danger. With Modric shielded at the start, it was Pulisic who carried the team on his shoulders, moving between the lines, drawing fouls, and creating space for Rabiot and Gimenez. Bebote had the perfect opportunity in the 19th minute, but he squandered it badly in front of the goalkeeper.
The American, however, did not forgive in the 40th minute, when he recovered the ball, opened it on the left for Estupinan, and closed the move by taking advantage of Kristensen and Sava's sleep. In the second half, Runjaic tried to change, bringing on Buksa, but Milan immediately and definitively opened the gap. In the 51st minute, Pulisic took the ball from Karlstrom in the box and passed it to Fofana for the double. Three minutes later, a vertical counterattack led by Tomori, Saelemaekers and Rabiot brought the American in front of goal again, for the final 3-0, which ended the match with half an hour to spare. For the Rossoneri, it's a victory that confirms their solidity, brilliance, and rediscovered identity. For Udinese, however, it's a defeat without extenuating circumstances, even if this Milan side never really allowed them to reopen the match.
Landucci (Allegri's assistant): "We worked on the goals we conceded. Napoli? Lecce comes first."
"We worked on everything – a satisfied analysis from Landucci, who appeared at the press conference in place of the suspended Allegri. - We've seen the data, and these are important: in two years, Milan have conceded 49 and 43 goals, which are too many if you want to reach the top. We've worked on the department and on the individuals, these guys are making themselves available, and we're trying to do as little damage as possible. I don't know if the team is taking on the coach's image, but Today the boys played an extraordinary match in helping each other and fighting for every ball. Then they played well technically; we were a little worried about their approach, but they had a very good one. This is a serious groupWe have to play at our best, game after game: I heard that the next one is Napoli, but no, we have Lecce in the Coppa Italia, where we are playing for a very important qualification”.
Lazio – Rome (12.30pm, Dazn)
A derby is always special, and the Rome derby, if that's possible, is even more so. Lazio and Roma meet, each with the urgent need to erase two painful defeats against Sassuolo and Torino. Sarri's team arrives there with only three points in the standings and with a defense that has already conceded five goals in three games, a clear sign of fragility in both the players and the play. Maurizio, returning after a year and a half, knows the derby and how to play: his record against the Giallorossi is positive, with three wins, one draw, and only one defeat. Roma instead has six points, the result of two victories against Bologna and Pisa that seemed to have made things easier. Then came the defeat against Turin and the environment has started to rumble again, even for some Gasperini's choices proved to be not very fruitfulThe feeling that the coach's hand is still barely visible and that the team depends mostly on individuals rather than on ideas: in this sense Dybala's absence is very worrying, one of the few capable of turning on the light. Sarri will focus on the canonical 4-3-3 with Provedel in goal, Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, and Tavares in defense, Guendouzi, Cataldi, and Dele-Bashiru in midfield, and Cancellieri, Castellanos, and Zaccagni in attack. Gasperini will also be using his usual 3-4-2-1 formation, with Svilar in goal, Celik, Mancini, and Ndicka in defense, Rensch, Cristante, Koné, and Angelino in midfield, and Soulé and El Shaarawy behind Ferguson, the lone striker. In the 162 Serie A derbies played so far, Roma have won 58 and Lazio 42, with 62 draws (the last one on April 13). This match at the Olimpico will be more than just a match. crash test for two football ideas Strong but still unfinished. Those who lose risk finding themselves immediately on the grill, while those who win put a significant brick in their own plans.
Sarri: "The 12:30 derby is a defeat. Now we're fighting for our people."
“The emotions must remain the same: it is a particular match, extremely heartfelt – explained Sarri -. I think this is among the most keenly awaited races in Europea, one of the most intense and followed derbies in the world. What's the importance of a derby if not to win? I think the derby is played to winUnawareness, as soon as you step onto the pitch, before kick-off, becomes awareness, and that's another story. And so, I don't know, it feels like six derbies played, one lost, and all I remember is that, the emotional distress of the days that followed, this infinite sadness that overwhelms you and makes you understand what the derby means. Almost a shame to return to the training center, I remember that... The time? It's not a defeat for Lazio or Roma, but for football., in my opinion, even the institutions. If those who are supposed to maintain public order make these decisions... At this point there are huge difficulties, but we return to the one point I've been making all along: we shouldn't care. If there's a game worth suffering the heat for, it's this one."
Gasperini: "Derbies only happen if you win them. We'll have to be lethal."
"The derbies that remain are the ones you win – Gasperini's thought -. You don't remember the ones you draw, you quickly forget the ones you lose: in the end, the only things that remain are the victories. What do you need in these matches? You have to be lethal in the moments, have great focus and concentration, emotion, and heart. Lazio is a great team, with a great coach who has done well wherever he's been. He hasn't made any moves this year, but he hasn't sold anyone: it's practically the same as last year, which had already achieved very good results, except perhaps for the last two months. It worries me, I admit, but I have respect for the value of this team, both as a team and for some individual players. It's an absolutely top-level match. With the transfer window closed, players like Dovbyk, Pellegrini, and Baldanzi, who seemed on their way out, are still there: I need to get them all back. Now we look ahead, I need everyone, as good as possible."
Inter – Sassuolo (20.45pm, Dazn)
Inter returns to San Siro aiming to build on their victory in Amsterdam and immediately get back on track in the league, following their two defeats against Udinese and Juventus. The match against Sassuolo is now extremely delicate, as the Nerazzurri can no longer afford to lose ground on the top-seeded sides. The good news comes first from the infirmary: Lautaro is back in training He'll be back in the squad after the back problem that kept him on the bench against Ajax. It'll be up to Chivu to decide whether to start him alongside Thuram or continue to rely on Pio Esposito and Bonny, two youngsters the coach now considers credible alternatives. There's a guaranteed rotation in goal, with Martinez replacing Sommer, in defense and midfield, with Bisseck, Carlos Augusto, and Sucic expected to replace Akanji, Dimarco, and Mkhitaryan.
La The match against Sassuolo is less obvious than it seemsThe head-to-head record is almost perfectly balanced, with Inter winning 11 times, Sassuolo 10, and just two draws in 23 Serie A matches. The Neroverdi have often managed to surprise the Nerazzurri at San Siro, and they'll try to play their cards right this time, especially since the victory over Lazio has removed some of the spectre from Grosso's bench. Chivu knows his team can't afford any lapses in concentration. The Champions League has cleared away some of the clouds, but only consistency will truly restore calm. Sassuolo thus becomes an important test to demonstrate that Amsterdam wasn't an exception, but the first step on a journey that aims to bring Inter back to the top.
Chivu: "Martinez will play... I don't care about the noise from the enemy."
"The noise from the enemy is part of the game," Chivu glossed over. "It's always been a topic of conversation since my first day, but I don't take anyone in the way and just go my own way. I'm very focused on helping the boys and convincing them that this team is strong. Until March, the whole world was talking about Inter, then we forgot about the strength of this team, and that's not right. I understand the disappointments, but we must never forget that last year they had a great season, with attributes and quality. It allows me to stay calm and focused and only worry about getting the best out of everyone. All races hide pitfalls, Sassuolo is a well-prepared and organized team. They can cause us problems with their organization and their wingers; we'll have to be ready. Lautaro on the pitch and Martinez in goal? Let’s put it this way, a Martinez will play…”.
