Il Milan returns to the Champions League, Juventus remain in seventh place. The big match in Turin allows Pioli to detach the coveted pass for Europe that he counts on, while Allegri you just have to deal with aanother defeat, the third in a row after those of Sevilla and Empoli, as well as with a ranking that leaves it in the Conference League, behind Atalanta and Roma. 90' from the end the Champions race is thus concluded, while one remains at stake safety placement between Spezia and Verona (paired at 31 points) and the eighth place between Turin (53), Fiorentina (53, but with the direct clash with the grenade against), Monza (52) and Bologna (51), which could be worth Europe if Juve should be penalized again.
Juventus – Milan 0-1, a goal from Giroud sends the Rossoneri into the Champions League
Party evening therefore for the Milan, that closes the Champions League speech in direct confrontation with Juventus. One point was enough for the Rossoneri, instead they took three directly, almost as if they wanted to assert superiority over their opponents (on which, it should be remembered, the penalty remedied last Monday weighs) for the second time after the San Siro first leg. Mission accomplished thanks to a great goal by Giroud, very good at sending a cross from Calabria behind Szczesny with the specialty of the house, namely the header, to then better manage a game that was less complicated than expected, also due to a predictable and not very dangerous Juventus. Pioli thus closes a season in chiaroscuro, in which he shone much more in Europe than in Serie A, but with the primary objective in his pocket: the millions of the next Champions League, in fact, should (conditional) allow for an important market, in which it will be a priority to strengthen the squad in all departments, starting with the attack. Allegri instead cross your fingers and hope you do turn the page as soon as possible, both as regards the season and the off-field events, still far from the conclusion: only in this way will it be possible to think about the future, waiting to find out who will be planning it with him.
Pioli, message to the owners: "If we want to be competitive we have to strengthen the squad"
"We didn't want to get to the last game still in the balance, I can only thank the team, we have had ups and downs but the group has never stopped believing in it and has not let the negativity affect it – he Pioli exulted -. What do I expect from market? It always depends on expectations and goals that you want to achieve, if you want to try to win the championship and fight in the Champions League by finishing in the top four, like the team needs to improve this year. If you want to remain competitive in both competitions, you need a top-level squad, even if ours is a virtuous club and must continue on the path it believes. The budget? I'm a coach, you have to ask Maldini and Massara..."
Allegri: "The season is over in Seville, now let them tell us what will happen next year"
"After the match I thanked the guys, because in any case they had an important, extraordinary season – the words of Allegri -. We have to try to finish with honor in Udine, after that I don't wish a year like this on anyone: put the stitches, remove the stitches, it was all anomalous and I think this is there for all to see. Then if you look at the standings and say that Juventus had a bad season, we should accept it but we don't accept it, because in any case we scored 69 points, despite all the difficulties. The we ran out of energy in SevilleUnfortunately, it's bad to say it, but it's like this, especially on a mental level, which is what matters most. Now we need to rest, then we'll make choices: there's a good basis and the mistake not to make is not to take into account the good that has been done. We hope that this year, at least before August 20th, we will know whether or not there will be other penalty points”.
Bologna 2-2 Naples, De Laurentiis frees Spalletti: "He asked me for a sabbatical year, I couldn't say no"
Small disappointment for Naples, who sees with the draw in Bologna vanish the possibility of reaching 92 points, therefore to surpass Sarri's 91 in the 2017/18 season and set the absolute record in the club's history. Nothing dramatic, God forbid, also because what really mattered was the Scudetto and that was won a long time ago, but it is clear that there is a touch of regret, especially for how the match had developed. In the 54th minute, in fact, the Azzurri won 2-0 thanks to two goals from Osimhen, ravenous as always both in taking advantage of Skorupski's mistake (14') and in killing the goalkeeper with a close shot (54'): the 3 points now seemed to be frozen, but then Napoli, thanks to the many changes by Spalletti (out Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia, Kim and Zielinski), lost a bit of edge and Bologna took advantage of it, finding a 1-2 with Ferguson (63') and the final draw with De Silvestri (84'). “When the others have the cue, everything becomes more difficult – commented the blue coach -. I was asking for a cleaner game, even if we then created various situations to close it, unfortunately we didn't succeed and then there was the return of Bologna, a quality team with excellent training as we can see. De Laurentiis said that Is staying in Naples a privilege? I won't comment, I'm mentally organized to celebrate with the people and with the players. Osimhen? He is a very strong footballer he will do well wherever he goes…”. Statements which, if still needed, reaffirm how the relationship with ADL is now at the end of the credits, destined to end definitively next Sunday, when Maradona will embrace the Italian champions for the last time. “He is a free man, when someone comes to you and tells you that deep down they did their best and they are completed a life cycle, What are you doing? Do you object? - has confirmed the blue patron -. She said she'd rather stop and have it a gap year, he gave me so much, I thank him and wish him the best: he's a great person and a great coach. Now it is right that he continues to do what he loves, I will respect his choice of him despite the contract ”.
Lazio - Cremonese 3-2, Sarri sticks his stick: "We have to take big steps from a mental point of view"
Lazio wins again, albeit with much more effort than expected. The 3-2 on the Cremonese second place in the standings is worth it, but if it was legitimate to expect a clear afternoon, moreover in front of a full house at the Olimpico, the match turned out to be extremely complicated, despite a start that foreshadowed a Biancoceleste goal. In fact, it took just 4' for Sarri's team to take the lead through Hysaj, and when Milinkovic-Savic doubled their lead at the end of the first half (37'), many had thought of an already filed case. Nothing could be more wrong because Cremonese, despite the now mathematical relegation, returned to the field vigorously, first finding the 2-1 with Galdames (54'), then the sensational 2-2 on an own goal by Lazzari (58'). Lazio got nervous and the match slipped away to a draw, until the 89th minute: there Milinkovic-Savic took the chair again, who made it 3-2 with an easy tap-in with a header. Second place regained and Olimpico celebrating, but too much suffering for Sarri, expelled for protests in full recovery. "Was a crazy game, in the first half we had everything under control but we brought the opponents back to life by ourselves – ha underlined the Lazio coach -. Luckily we got it back in hand, because we wanted to finish with a home win and we did. We have grown up, but not adults and today's match proves it. The steps to take, especially on a mental level, are large, even if there is room for improvement".
