Unlike last weekend, the incomplete Serie A Gameweek 35 didn’t lack goals, let alone the drama and unfathomable outcomes. From Sassuolo’s heroics against Inter to goalkeepers’ miraculous saves at the Stadio Olimpico, we walk you through the best moments.
Serie A Irony at Its Best
Sassuolo and Inter locked horns in a lopsided Serie A encounter on Saturday, with the relegation-threatened hosts pulling off an epic upset to complete an unlikely season double over the new champions. Despite fighting tooth and nail to maintain their 11-year top-flight tenure, Davide Ballardini’s men are the only side to have beaten Nerazzurri in the league this term!
As if a 2-1 win at Giuseppe Meazza in September’s reverse fixture wasn’t surprising enough, Sassuolo toppled Inter again amidst a six-game winless run. Armand Lauriente’s first-half winner settled an uneventful contest that saw the division’s second-worst defense restrict the most prolific frontline to a single shot on target.
Lautaro Martinez had a first-half equalizer disallowed for offside, but other than that Simone Inzaghi’s team failed to do anything noteworthy, especially in the second half. Despite claiming an incredible victory, Sassuolo remain stuck in the relegation zone. If Inter avoid defeat for the rest of the season and Neroverdi fail to keep hold of their Serie A status, a relegated side would be the only to beat the champs – not once, but twice!
Milan Can’t Score Enough to Make Second-Tier Defending Irrelevant
Milan and Genoa shared the spoils in a goal-glutted 3-3 draw at San Siro on Sunday evening. Rossoneri’s well-documented defensive woes came to the fore in one of the most dramatic Serie A clashes in recent months as Stefano Pioli’s side failed to take three points against mid-table opposition despite scoring three goals.
Fikayo Tomori committed a silly penalty only five minutes into the game. Mateo Retegui embraced the gift to give the visitors an early lead before Milan put things back to square one on the stroke of halftime. However, Matteo Gabbia lost track of Caleb Ekuban, who restored Genoa’s lead at the start of the second half.
Goals from Gabbia and Olivier Giroud turned the game on its head, but Milan couldn’t end a three-game winless Serie A run. Malick Thiaw scored an own goal off the bench in the final moments to deny his side a six consecutive league win over Genoa for the first time in over five decades.
Serie A Synonymous with Stalemates
In addition to the Milan game, Matchday 35 featured three more draws. Incredible scenes at the Brianteo resulted in a nail-biting 2-2 tie between Monza and Lazio on Saturday. There was nothing to separate the sides heading into the last ten minutes. Matias Vecino gave Igor Tudor’s side a late before Milan Djuric’s stoppage-time equalizer salvaged a point for Monza.
Relegation-battling Cagliari survived a siege to draw 1-1 with Lecce on home turf. Claudio Ranieri’s team claimed a halftime lead but fell a man down late in the first half. Numerical disadvantage took its toll later on as Lecce pulled one back and hit the woodwork twice afterward.
Elsewhere, Empoli and Frosinone produced a tepid affair in a relegation six-pointer, with neither side showing much ambition to get on the scoresheet in aa scoreless draw. Another controversial VAR call denied the Canaries a late penalty, even though there was a clear handball inside Empoli’s box.
Goalkeeper’s Show at Olimpico
In a draw-packed weekend, Roma and Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 score, even though both sides had plenty of chances to take three points. Daniele De Rossi’s side broke the deadlock through Romelu Lukaku in the first quarter before Gleison Bremer equaled the scoring with a trademark header.
But after that 31st minute, Mile Svilar and Wojciech Szczesny decided enough was enough, doing incredible things between the sticks to keep the scoreboard intact for the rest of the game. The Roma stopper was particularly impressive in the second half, making some spectacular saves to deny Manuel Locatelli and Moise Kean.
Szczesny, on the other hand, pulled off a crucial save in the dying moments. Tammy Abraham broke one-on-one with the Poland international, but the Juventus keeper came out on top of their duel to make sure the visitors leave the capital undefeated.
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