After missing Calcio due to an international break that lasted forever (it was actually only two weeks), Italian football made its triumphant return on a Super Saturday. All 20 teams were in action yesterday, as we witnessed some thrilling back-and-forth encounters that produced a total of 34 goals. So here are our Top 3 Stories for Serie A Round 29.
Just Hand It to Inter
Even before entering the pitch on Saturday night, Inter’s Scudetto hopes were massively boosted by their faltering chasers.
Milan opened Round 29 of Serie A with a disappointing draw against Sampdoria, and Juventus arguably conceded the title beyond any doubt by wasting two more points against their city rivals in the Derby della Mole.
Therefore, the Nerazzurri only needed a single goal from Romelu Lukaku in order to to seal their ninth straight league win in a row.
Antonio Conte’s men now find themselves eight points clear of their closest challengers, and still have a postponed match against Sassuolo in hand.
Based on the current situation, the once-promising Scudetto battle seems to be a distant memory, with Inter jogging their way towards a comfortable triumph.
#Lukaku Goal Secures #Inter Ninth Consecutive #SerieA Win at Bologna https://t.co/QcrlrP7YQA via @cultofcalcio
— The Cult of Calcio (@cultofcalcio) April 3, 2021
Crotone Will Be Dearly Missed
For one or several reasons, Crotone find themselves at the very bottom of the Serie A table, with only 15 points after Round 29.
Nonetheless, it should be said that the Calabrian side never failed to put on a show for the Calcio fanatics.
On Saturday, Serse Cosmi’s men lost yet another encounter – their fourth in the last five – against Napoli, but not before giving their opponents a real scare.
Whilst the Partenopei were tipped to comfortably earn the three points, they found a resilient team in their way, that was willing to match them blow for blow.
During the second half, Gennaro Gatuso must have been furious watching the relegation favorites mount a comeback to make it 3-3 at the Maradona stadium, until Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s winner spared him the blushes.
Minus a miraculous escape, Crotone will return to Serie B after just one season in the top flight, but their exciting brand of football and some of their best players – the likes of Simy and Junior Messias – will be missed in Serie A.
#Crotone striker #Simy is one of the most in-form strikers (if not the most) on earth at the moment. The Nigerian has scored 11 goals since the turn of the year while 8 of them since the start of March, even better than Robert Lewandowski (7)!#NapoliCrotone #SerieATIM #Football pic.twitter.com/soVyEWB4K5
— The Counter Attack (@TheCounterAtta3) April 4, 2021
Tight Serie A Battles
As we mentioned above, Inter are slowly but surely set to secure their first Scudetto title in eleven years, whilst Crotone are slipping towards relegation, nonetheless, everything in between is still largely undecided.
From the Champions League spots, to the Europa League ones, and the relegation positions, it’s all up for grabs. Moreover, the Serie A matches have never been as tight as seen during round 29.
On Saturday, half of the matches played ended in hard-fought draws (none of them goalless), whilst four other matches were won by a single goal advantage – even the ones that were expected to feature larger gaps like Bologna-Inter and Napoli-Crotone – and the only exception on the weekend was Hellas Verona’s 2-0 win in.
In conclusion, if round 29 is anything to go by, then we’re set to witness some thrilling and dramatic encounters all around the Italian peninsula within the last few months of the season.
Every result from Matchday 29! ?
How did your team do? ⚽️#SerieATIM #WeAreCalcio pic.twitter.com/U1SboEF1Mf— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 3, 2021