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Serie A Round 23 from A to Z

February 6, 2018 Diego Ottaviano From A to Z, Serie A

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.

Udinese Break Winning Streak of Ten-Man Milan

February 5, 2018 Matteo Carnevale AC Milan, Serie A, Udinese

Milan’s chase to the top positions came to a halt in Udine yesterday, as the Rossoneri were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw by Massimo Oddo’s troops. An early masterpiece goal by Suso was not enough for Gennaro Gattuso to collect a fourth win in a row. Udinese took advantage of Davide Calabria’s expulsion and reached an equaliser when a shot by Kevin Lasagna was deflected by Gianluigi Donnarumma into his own goal.

Rifinitura: Lurking Traps in Transition Weekend

February 3, 2018 Matteo Carnevale AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Rifinitura, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese

There is no easy game in Serie A, and all top clubs should keep that in mind as they approach a Round 23 which does not feature any clear partita di cartello. Take Napoli, for instance: The will go to Benevento mindful of their 6-0 win from the first leg – but the Giallorossi have eight new players to choose from since then. Or Juventus, which will receive a hungry-for-points Sassuolo, and their brand new striker Khouma Babacar.

Calcio New Leader is Little Known Roberto Fabbricini

February 2, 2018 Matteo Carnevale Fabbricini, FIGC, The Azzurri

The man chosen to lead the Italian Football movement out of its quagmire, doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. 72-year-old Roberto Fabbricini was appointed yesterday by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) President Giovanni Malagò as emergency administrator for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), after the FIGC General Assembly failed to elect their own President on Monday.

Serie A Round 22 from A to Z

January 31, 2018 Diego Ottaviano From A to Z, Serie A

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.

Stands by Me: SPAL-Inter Seen as a Biancazzurri Fan

January 29, 2018 Marco Natali Inter Milan, Serie A, Spal, Stands by Me

The Cult of Calcio correspondent and SPAL supporter Marco Natali was on the stands of Paolo Mazza Stadium in Ferrara yesterday, to see his dearest Biancazzurri snatching a point out of the hands of Inter. This is his recap of the match, seen with the eyes of a supporter. In our new column “Stands by Me,” we will leave room to the fans and listen to their football stories as lived from the stadium stands.

Rifinitura: Gattuso’s Toughest Test is Lustful Lazio

January 27, 2018 Matteo Carnevale Rifinitura, Serie A

A Serie A Round split in two days will climax on late Sunday, with the last two matches featuring Gennaro Gattuso Milan’s toughest test so far as he faces a rampant Lazio at San Siro, and a new interesting crossing between Roma and Sampdoria. Scudetto contenders Juventus and Napoli will continue battling at distance, with Juve going to Verona for a Saturday night match, and the Partenopei receiving Bologna.

Serie A Round 21 from A to Z

January 25, 2018 Diego Ottaviano From A to Z, Serie A

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.

Serie A Round 21 Recap

January 24, 2018 The Cult of Calcio Staff AC Milan, Atalanta, Benevento, Bologna, Cagliari, Chievo Verona, Crotone, Fiorentina, Genoa, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Spal, Torino, Udinese

The first Serie A Round after the break showed that Inter and Roma can’t win anymore, whereas Napoli and Juventus took the maximum result with the minimum effort. The Serie A leading duo played two specular matches last week, taking an early lead and maintaining it until the end, offering few more emotions. Not exactly a showmanship of calcio-spettacolo, but an old Italian saying goes that those are the matches on which a Scudetto is built.

Serie A Round 20 from A to Z

January 18, 2018 Diego Ottaviano From A to Z, Serie A

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.

Serie A Round 19 from A to Z

January 17, 2018 Diego Ottaviano From A to Z, Serie A

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.

Coppa Italia Derby of Despair Gives Milan New Hope

December 28, 2017 Matteo Carnevale AC Milan, Coppa Italia, Inter Milan

A lone goal by Patrick Cutrone during extra time pushed Milan past Coppa Italia Quarter Finals last night, as the Rossoneri beat city rivals Inter in an unusual post-Christmas Derby di Milano. Gennaro Gattuso caught the first significant success in his troubled tenure as Milan head coach, and will now face Lazio in the Italian national cup semifinal round, whereas Luciano Spalletti had to swallow the third defeat in a row.