As usual, Italian football never fails to deliver the madness throughout the season. And yet, the 2020-21 campaign might have outdid itself, delivering some of the most thrilling and bizarre clashes, including some jaw-dropping moments. From goal-fiascos, to late winners and all the way through the almost compulsory controversy, let’s take a look at the Top 10 craziest Serie A matches of the season.
10- Milan – Roma 3-3 (Round 5)
After a perfect start to the campaign, Milan were sitting on the Top of Serie A table, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic looking like a 29-year-old rather than a 39-year-old.
And yet, the Rossoneri were just unable to put down Roma, despite taking the lead on three occasions, but the Giallorossi kept pulling themselves up again and again.
A trilling encounter at the San Siro, marred by some questionable penalties handed for both sides.
9- Inter – Fiorentina 4-3 (Round 2)
When you talk about back-and-forth action, then this is just the one example that you need. Fiorentina took an early lead, but Inter overturned the result 2-1.
Nonetheless, Franck Ribery was having a stellar performance, and his fabulous assist for Federico Chiesa (who scored his last goal in purple) was pure genius, and thus the visitors took the lead once again 3-2.
And yet, Antonio Conte’s men had the last word, as Romelu Lukaku (87th minute) and Danilo D’Ambrisio (89th minute) sealed a stunning 4-3 victory for the eventual Serie A champions.
8- Torino – Milan 0-7 (Round 36)
Whilst the other entries on the list contain tightly-contested encounters, this one was anything but.
Milan were facing some difficulties in the last few months of the campaign, but two successive trips to Turin brought them some some unexpected spoils.
Three days after humbling their rivals Juventus at their own turf, the Diavolo completely thrashed Torino with seven unanswered goals in what turned out to be the biggest routing of the Serie A Season.
7- Atalanta – Torino 3-3 (Round 21)
Speaking of routings, when Atalanta are leading 3-0 after just 20 minutes of play, we all know how these type of matches usually end up – and Torino have actually been on the receiving end of it in the past.
However, something incredible happened on that day. Instead of playing dead and just wait for the final whistle to end their misery, the Granata fought back, and shockingly secured a 3-3 draw.
Whilst this scenario isn’t exactly unprecedent in Serie A, but no one had thought that La Dea would lose the plot against a struggling Torino side in such a manner.
6- Juventus – Inter 3-2 (Round 37)
It’s the Derby d’Italia, folks!
Although Inter had already uncrowned Juventus, the new champions wanted to go one step further by ending their hopes in finishing in the Top four.
However, the Old Lady put up a spirited fight, and after five goals, three penalties, two red cards, and some VAR controversy, Juan Cuadrado emerged as the hero of the night, as Andrea Pirlo’s men overcame a numerical disadvantage to seal a 3-2 victory – which ended up being a vital one, as they managed to secure Champions League football a week later.
5- Sassuolo – Torino 3-3 (Round 5) / Torino – Sassuolo 3-2 (Round 24)
As you may have noticed, for better or worse, Torino are a recurring presence on this list, and their encounters against Sassuolo were just nuts.
On round 5, Toro had a 1-0 lead until the 70 minute, and this is when all hell broke loose. After an equalizer from the Neroverdi, Torino added two of their own as they seemed to have sealed the match.
Nonetheless, Roberto De Zerbi’s men replied with two strikes in successive minutes to end it 3-3, whilst the foggy atmosphere added an extra layer to the wackiness.
And yet, the return fixture managed to replicate, or perhaps outdo, its predecessor. Domenico Berardi struck twice in the first half to give Sassuolo a deserved 2-0 lead by half time.
Nonetheless, Simone Zaza had other plans, as he led a late comeback against his old employers. The substitute scored his first of the day on the 77th minute, and Rolando Mandragora signed the equalizer at the 86th minute.
The former Juventus striker returned to score the winner with a header in added time, as the Granata dramatically won their legendary saga against the Emilians.
4- Roma – Spezia 4-3 (Round 19)
In the middle of the Serie A campaign, Roma were having a full-blown crisis. The results were going from bad to worse, and a heated argument between coach Paulo Fonseca and former captain Edin Dzeko left both men on the fringe of an exit.
Anything but a win against Spezia would have probably sent the Portuguese manager packing in January, and when Daniele Verde equalized the score 3-3 for the visitors in the 90th minute, all hope seemed to be lost, but Fonseca found a hero in the form of the newly-asserted captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, who scored a winner in added time, in yet another shocking twist at the Stadio Olimpico.
3- Juventus – Napoli 2-1 (Round 3)
Whilst the rest of the entries are based on the action that took place on the pitch, this one earns its rightful position amongst the craziest due to the wackiness that surrounded it.
This fixture was supposed to be played back in early October, but Napoli failed to show up after being restricted from travelling by the local authorities because of two Covid-19 cases within the squad.
In the meantime, the Bianconeri maintained their pre-match routine as if all was normal, which made for some awkward scenes.
The Lega rewarded the Old Lady a 3-0 victory, but after a long legal battle, Italian courts ruled that the match must be played, and after several rescheduling, it took place in April, in what might just be the most dragged fixture in Serie A history.
Oh and Juventus won by the way.
2- Cagliari – Parma 4-3 (Round 31)
When Cagliari hosted Parma in Round 31, both sides were deep in the relegation zone, and only one of them would be able to get a booster.
By the end of normal time, the Ducali were leading 3-2, but in some incredible scenes, the Isolani scored twice in added time, including a winner from Alberto Cerri in the very last second of the match.
This win sparked a great escape for Cagliari who eventually secured their stay in Serie A, whilst Parma were expectedly relegated.
The great gesture from Cagliari captain Joao Pedro who sat on the ground beside a devastated Jasmin Kurtic at full-time remains an incredible scene.
1- Torino – Lazio 3-4 (Round 6)
This one just had it all. Back-and-forth action, penalty kicks controversy, Covid-19 controversy (with Lazio fielding players who were ineligible to play in the Champions League due to some inconclusive tests).
Marco Giampaolo’s Torino were experts at wasting points at the end of the matches, whilst Felipe Caicedo is the man of the final minutes.
Therefore, after Ciro Immobile’s equalizer at the 95th minute, the Ecuadorian secured the craziest of Serie A wins this season, with a heroic 98th winner.
You just can’t make this stuff up!