Everything as before, but with one less day. The 35th matchday does not give any jolts in terms of the Scudetto, confirming the hierarchies established by recovery of Bologna, therefore Milan first and Inter chasing with 2 points behind, all with 3 games still to play. The purse hangs so slightly in favor of the Rossoneri, inevitably favorites given the situation in the standings (and the direct match in their favour, which would make them champions even if they finish on equal points), but the Nerazzurri are immediately there, ready to take advantage of a possible slip that would overturn the scenarios again: in short, the race for the title is far from obvious and promises to give a show until the last breath. However, it will not be the case for the Champions League, given that since yesterday, thanks to Roma's 0-0 draw with Bologna, Naples and Juventus have definitively closed it: it will be they, together with the Milanese, who will represent Italy in the most important cup.
Milan suffers but wins, Inter responds: the Scudetto race is more alive than ever
The spotlights were primarily on Milan, called to win to consolidate the leadership kindly offered by Inter in the recovery of Bologna: mission accomplished, albeit with great effort. Pioli's team won only in the final thanks to a mistake by Terracciano, unfortunate in serving Leao an assist that was too greedy to be wasted, thus obtaining 3 very heavy, perhaps even vital points in terms of the Scudetto.
However, the Portuguese goal does not erase the Rossoneri's problems, at least not entirely, given that yesterday we saw the usual difficulty in the offensive phase, without forgetting Maignan's great save on Cabral, as decisive as his play. The Devil continues to show an enormous heart, there's no doubt about that, and with three games to go it could even be enough to reach the goal, but the calendar (Verona, Atalanta and Sassuolo) is certainly more complicated than that of Inter. which is why it is good to keep the antennas straight, even more so in a league where nobody gives anything away (finally!).
The Nerazzurri, for their part, must win them all and hope that Milan will make a false step: the first is definitely within their reach (Empoli, Cagliari and Sampdoria are certainly not irresistible opponents), while for the second, all that remains is to cross the fingers and rely on Tudor, Gasperini and Dionisi, in the hope that one of them will be able to stop the race of the leaders.
Pioli: "Leao's goal was a liberation"
"That goal was a liberation, because we had had several chances but we weren't able to score - commented satisfied Pioli - We played with the right mentality, working as a team in a match, as normal, with a little voltage. We are all constantly progressing, but we don't even know our margins for growth. For many it is the first time that something so important is played, maybe for someone it will be the only one. For this we must all do our best until the end."
Inzaghi: "We don't give up, we believe in it until the end"
“We deserved the victory on a very difficult pitch, the lads did very well – underlined Inzaghi – I want to thank the fans who supported us from start to finish. At 2-0 we conceded Pussetto's goal which brought us down a bit, but the boys stayed in the game and risked almost nothing. Now we will have to be good, there are three games left and the final of the Coppa Italia, the team is healthy, well and wants to believe in it until the end".
Bonucci and Mourinho give the Champions League to Juve
For a vibrant and hard-fought Scudetto race, there is a Champions League already decided with 3 days to go, even if the verdicts had been in the air for several weeks. In fact, the doubts about the qualifications of Napoli and Juventus were decidedly few, partly due to their value, a lot due to the hardships of their pursuers. Roma seemed to be the only ones able to create some annoyance, but the defeat against Inter had in fact taken them out of the game: the rest was done by the draw with Bologna, at the end of a match in which the dross of Leicester, as well as the apprehension for the imminent return.
Not that Juve did much better, on the contrary at a certain point the match with Venice had become quite complicated, so much so that the joke seemed just around the corner. Curious that it was Bonucci who decided the challenge with a brace, while Vlahovic and Morata stood by and watched: a symptom of something wrong in the black and white maneuver, but Allegri will be able to work on it with much more serenity after having detached the ticket for Europe more important.
"We had a good approach, shooting on goal several times and finding the goal immediately, then we ducked too low and already in the first half we risked several times - his comment at the end of the game - In the second the goal was in the air, we were good and even a little lucky to get it back, against a good Venice. It's difficult to talk about technique and playing well right now, we've been playing with the same players for three months and with so much pressure on us, finishing in the top four is a great result. Vlakhovic? He must remain more serene, sometimes he wants to overdo it when he has the ball at his feet. He has to find balance, playing for Juve is obviously different than doing it for Fiorentina, where you have less pressure… ”.
Napoli is also celebrating
Roma's draw also gave the mathematical qualification to Napoli, although the 6-1 over Sassuolo had, in fact, already delivered the verdict. “We are the only Italian team to participate in European competitions for the 13th consecutive year! We are in the Champions League” was the celebratory tweet from the Azzurri, as if to underline the goodness of a season that started with this goal, yet contested by critics and fans.
Juventus and Napoli are partying almost exclusively for a question of budgets, given that the big-eared cup, at the moment, is the only one able to let the company coffers breathe, but at a sporting level, their absence from the Scudetto race hurts and opens to various reflections. Milan and Inter, on the other hand, will play it to the last breath, ready to give us the most beautiful season finale in recent years.
