THEInter wins again, the Juve it does not give up. The back and forth for the championship continues thanks to the victories over Lecce e Frosinone, even if Inzaghi maintains a reassuring +4 in the standings which will make him have a nice Christmas. However, Allegri also has excellent reasons to be satisfied: the success of the Stirpe, in fact, certifies the official candidacy as a "killjoy". But if the race for the title is now limited to just two teams, the same cannot be said of the Champions League, transformed into a real brawl by the victories of Roma e Bologna in direct clashes with Napoli e Atalanta.
Inter – Lecce 2-0, Bisseck and Barella confirm the +4 on Juventus
THEInter he necessarily had to win, both to respond to Juve and to cancel the elimination from the Italian Cup. Mission accomplished, despite theabsence of Lautaro and an evening a bit like this Thuram, for once far from the space standards seen so far. One of the least expected men had to take care of resolving the match, namely Bisseck: the young German defender, who remained on the sidelines until Pavard and Bastoni's injuries, is proving to be yet another excellent signing from the award-winning pair Marotta-aid and not just for the gol yesterday, however very useful in breaking a balance that was starting to become dangerous. His header (43'), which was also very valuable, allowed Inter to go into half-time with a 1-0 lead, forcing Lecce to lose their balance. The team of D'Aversa, yesterday in the stands for disqualification, he tried with reasonable effectiveness, but in the 78th minute he had to definitively raise the white flag on the invention of arnautovic, brilliant at unmarking Stretcher with a back heel for the final 2-0. In the last minutes there was room for other opportunities (above all that of Asllani, blocked brilliantly by Falcone), but the substance was now established: Inter responded to Juve again, guaranteeing Christmas and New Year's Eve at the top of the table, regardless of the results of next weekend, when the Lady, moreover, will have to face Mourinho's Roma.
Inzaghi: "We are in an emergency, but the team is bringing out a lot of resources"
“We were coming off a result that didn't make us happy, on Wednesday the team would have deserved to qualify – the thought of Inzaghi -. We were very disappointed but we had the right concentration, the boys were clear and not frenetic, this is what I asked for on the eve. We had to be careful and we drove an excellent race, obtaining a deserved victory. We only had 48 hours to prepare for a difficult game, in fact we couldn't wait to unlock it. In the second half, Lecce did well in the first 15-20 minutes, while after the 2-0 we controlled the match. We were in a big emergency, but we managed to bring out resources and overcome the problems: I am very satisfied."
Frosinone – Juventus 1-2: great goal from Yildiz, then Vlahovic decides
Stay in the wake Juventus by Allegri, capable of conquering Frosinone at the end of a complicated, at times difficult match, against an opponent who remained in great health. This time, however, the Bianconeri, unlike what happened in Genoa, managed to get to the bottom of it, gaining 3 very precious points which send a signal to the entire championship: the Lady has no intention of giving up. Decisive, finally, Vlahovic, absolute protagonist with a gol as beautiful as it is important. The Serbian, initially left on the bench by Allegri, decided the match with a pure center forward's header, breaking a balance that now seemed definitive (81'). The other positive note of the day is Star, in his first start in the black and white jersey and immediately on net with a splendid play: slalom between three and surgical right foot for the 1-0 Juve (12'). But Frosinone didn't give up, on the contrary they started to grind out the game and at the beginning of the second half they found an equalizer with Baez, guiltily left alone by Allegri's defense (51'). It looked like a remake of Marassi, refereeing errors aside, this time though Vlahovic did...Vlahovic and the Lady took the 3 points, thus guaranteeing herself a merry Christmas and preparing herself as best as possible for the match against Roma in the next round.
Allegri: "Extraordinary group, the Champions League zone is approaching"
“Only Napoli had won here, it wasn't easy – the satisfied comment from Allegri -. We had an excellent first half, pushing and creating a lot, if you only finish 0-1 it's normal for the others to gain confidence at the first drop. On the goal we could have done better, however I am happy for Yildiz, Vlahovic and the whole team. This is an extraordinary group, we remained clear and united until the end to win the match. We have exceeded 38 points, which was the objective I set for myself, now let's think about having a good Christmas and preparing for the match against Roma. We are certainly getting closer to the Champions League quota."
Rome – Napoli 2-0: Pellegrini and Lukaku execute the Azzurri with nine men (Politano and Osimhen sent off)
He took the direct clash for the Champions League Roma by Mourinho, leaving a Napoli more and more at the mercy of his troubles. The Giallorossi, thanks to the victory of the Bologna in the other hot match of the day (1-0 againstAtalanta, Ferguson's late goal), thus climb to sixth place, just 3 points behind Thiago Motta's rossoblu and 2 from Italiano's Fiorentina. The brawl is total, given that there are only 7 points between the fourth-placed Emilians and the tenth-placed Torino: Milan could also soon slip into the big group, making everything even more unpredictable.
Roma makes a good leap, both in terms of the standings and morale, back to the stars after yesterday's victory, obtained with a decidedly "Mourinha" spirit. Technical purists will have turned up their noses at the bullfight at the Olimpico, while lovers of competitive spirit, tactics and, why not, provocations had a lot of fun. The scoreboard sees Pellegrini e Lukaku scorers, but also eleven yellow cards (thirteen also considering Mourinho and Mazzarri) and two sent off, demonstrating an electric atmosphere from start to finish, in which the Giallorossi bandits (copyright of the Special One) won. The turning point, after a first half characterized above all by Bove's two chances (one which ended up on the top of the crossbar, the other saved by a great Meret), came in the 66th minute when Politano was sent off for a foul by reaction on Zalewski. Ten minutes later Roma found the 1-0 with Pellegrini, but the match ended with a second yellow card from osimhen (86'), which left Napoli with nine men and opened up real fields for the Giallorossi, who were surgical in doubling their lead with Lukaku in full recovery (96').
Mourinho: “Deserved victory! Unfortunately, in January we won't be able to make the transfer market we need."
“We managed to stay close to where we want to be, even with difficulty, these three points leave us there – he rejoiced Mourinho -. Immediately after 5-10 minutes I had the feeling that Roma would win the match, we played a great match even with 11 against 11, then we took advantage of the numerical advantage and obtained a deserved victory. Unfortunately in January we won't be able to make the transfer market we want, it's not a criticism but a fact. If we are at full strength I say we go and fight with everyone for fourth place, but without Smalling, Renato Sanches and Dybala we are not a very strong squad, but with them we are. And there is also a good coach...".
Mazzarri: “We're not brilliant, but with equal numbers we were playing better than them”
“Based on how we were playing at the time of the sending off, I am convinced that we were superior and had the best chance of winning – he replied Mazzarri -. I'm not talking about referees, just about football and we weren't cynical near the penalty area. We conceded little to Roma and did much more ourselves until Politano's expulsion, then it went the way it did, we take note of it. Change module? For me the path is right and for the moment I see no need to intervene. I don't think my Napoli are playing badly, but perhaps we have some players who are less fit than last season. We hope to regain brilliance as soon as it is possible to make a preparation recall..."
