Author: Diego Ottaviano

It could have been a shocking weekend: Juventus struggling hard in Benevento, before Paulo Dybala helped the Bianconeri making full score, and Napoli risking at home against Chievo, before Arkadiusz Milik and Amadou Diawara turned the match upside down. It ended with the gap between the two leading teams unchanged, while battles for relegation, and for the third / fourth place also continue to offer non-stop emotions.

Juventus smashed Milan to keep the head of the league, while Sassuolo stopped Napoli and pushed them down to -4 from the leading Bianconeri. Roma slowed down in Bologna, as Inter continued their recovery. An exaggerated Lazio condemned Benevento to an almost certain relegation. Torino came back to victory, while Sampdoria lost against a well-organized Chievo. SPAL gathered another important point for safety, distancing themselves from Crotone and Verona.

A shocking nil-nil draw in Ferrara slowed Juventus down, and allowed Napoli to reduce their gap with the lead to two points only. Roma won in Crotone and consolidated their third position, but Inter and their captain Mauro Icardi loudly shouted “We are back!”, with Maurito scoring four goals (!) to Sampdoria. Milan continue to run, seeing the Champions League only five points away. This, and much more, in our review of Serie A Round 29 from A to Z.

In Serie A Round 26, Napoli took a stroll in the park and delivered five goals to Cagliari - thus gaining a four-point lead over Juventus, which saw their match with Atalanta cancelled due to a heavy snowfall. Milan got three heavy points, beating a Roma that seem to have lost their identity. A beautiful Benevento couldn’t stop Inter, which moved one position up. Sassuolo was easy work for Lazio, the Emiliani now risking of being sucked into the relegation battle.

Nothing new on the top. Napoli maintained their lead, but Juventus beat Torino, and are still at just one-point distance. Inter lost to a shining Genoa, and both Roma and Lazio took the chance to surpass the Nerazzurri. Milan continued to climb the standings thanks to their success against direct rival Sampdoria. In the relegation zone, Benevento won over Crotone: The miracle is now 11 point away! This, and much more, in our review of Serie A Round 25 from A to Z.

Juventus made full score in Florence against a tenacious Fiorentina, but Napoli answered back hammering Serie A third force Lazio, and maintaining the lead. Roma and Inter were finally back to victory, while Milan kept walking on the path towards Europe. Video Assistant Refereeing continued to offer chances for noise and controveries, while Torino and Sampdoria kept their positive streak open. This, and much more, in our review of Serie A Round 24 from A to Z.

Juventus pulverized Sassuolo with seven goals, Napoli answered with a convincing victory in Benevento. Inter’s incapacity to win is no big news anymore, whereas Roma found back the path to the three points thanks to an immediate goal by Cengiz Under. Udinese held Milan onto a 1-1 draw, and Lazio was surprisingly beaten at home by Genoa. Outside of the pitch, The Cult of Calcio salutes former Azzurri coach Azeglio Vicini, who passed away last week at 84.

As the battle between Napoli and Juventus continues, last weekend featured a few good old controversies sparked by referee decisions. A handball by Patrick Cutrone paved the way for Milan’s win over Lazio. Paolo Mazzoleni punished a slight contact in Bologna’s box with a penalty for Napoli, but omitted to do the same when Kalidou Koulibaly blocked a shot with his hand. Walter Zenga was furious at VAR cancelling a goal for his Crotone, due to a doubtful offside.

It was the week of Fabio Quagliarella, the evergreen striker of Sampdoria demolishing Fiorentina and their horrific red jersey with three goals. But it was also the week of Simone Verdi, whose Great Refusal to Napoli earned him a captain bend with Bologna. In our usual analysis of the latest Serie A matches from A to Z, we take a deeper look at Crotone's victory in Verona and celebrate Lazio's magic moment, which continued last night as they routed Udinese in a recovered match.

The latest round of Serie A saw Ciro Immobile regaining the lead in the top scorer race, with four goals that helped his Lazio side trashing an unfortunate SPAL. Roma fell at home against Atalanta, while Luciano Spalletti's Inter was blocked by Fiorentina. Napoli and Juventus caught two victories to put a wider gap versus the rest of the pack, but the Bianconeri's late win was tainted by an handball in the box missed by referee Gianpaolo Calvarese.

Napoli capturing the Campione d'Inverno ("Winter Champion") title maintaining their Serie A leadership halfway into the league. Massimo Coda scoring an historical goal that gave Benevento their first win in the Italian top division ever. La Joya Paulo Dybala and Fabio Quagliarella collecting two more goals each into their run for the top scorer title. All this, and much more, in our recap of the latest Serie A Round from A to Z.