“Just Crown Them!”, this was actually the title of last weekend’s edition, and we can confidently say that nothing has really changed since then regarding Inter’s open path towards the Scudetto title. So let’s just focus on some other more intriguing storylines this week, as the battles for the European spots as well as survival are heating up. So here are the Top 3 Stories of Serie A Round 30.
Crunch Battle for Champions League Spots
In Round 30, most of the top Serie A teams took on some of their counterparts from the bottom half of the table, and whilst we were expecting one or more of them to drop some points, all Top 7 clubs ended up winning their matches.
Inter’s slim win over Cagliari was their 11th in a row, and puts them on cusp of coronation, whilst Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and Napoli all managed to keep the pace going in the battle for the Champions League spots – and even outsiders Lazio and Roma got the three points to keep their hopes in the race alive.
Therefore, the competition for the Top 4 spots will soon turn into an all-out war that will include the biggest clubs in the country.
Trio Facing Serie A Farewell
On the opposite side of the table, bottom-three sides Crotone, Parma and Cagliari are further drowning following their respective defeats in Round 30, as their future in Serie A looks gloomier than ever.
Crotone put on a show against Spezia before succumbing to a late 3-2 defeat, whilst the Crociati and the Isolani were over-powered by the two Milan Giants.
Nonetheless, the despairing news were far from over for the bottom-three, as Torino (who are just above them in the league table at the 17th spot) came out with an away victory at Udinese, putting some distance between them and the relegation zone.
While an incredible late escape seems to be an unlikely scenario for both Crotone and Parma, Calcio fans will still count on Cagliari to deliver a dramatic ending to the season’s relegation battle.
Andrea #Belotti ends his two-month goal drought with a winning penalty against #Udinese. #Torino now 5 points above 18th place Cagliari, and still have a game in hand.#UdineseTorino #SerieATIM #Football pic.twitter.com/taEg1HDNLF
— The Counter Attack (@TheCounterAtta3) April 10, 2021
The Two Faces of Roma
Roma came away with a victory in Serie A Round 30 when facing Bologna on Sunday, in courtesy of Borja Moyaral’s lone goal from a blistering counter attack. But whether Paulo Fonseca’s men deserved the win or not is a matter of debate.
The Giallorossi suffered a flurry of attacks from their visitors, and they were arguably lucky to escape unscathed, as the Rossoblu were largely wasteful in front of goal.
This performance came only three days after Roma’s impressive win over Ajax in the first leg of the Europa League quarter finals.
Perhaps the capital side was exhausted after the efforts put during the Amsterdam contest last Thursday, but it must be said that the lone club that is still raising the Italian flag in Europe this season has looked much less vibrant and exciting on the domestic level.
?? Borja Mayoral = Roma's hero against Bologna in Serie A ?
? Predict what will happen against Ajax in the Europa League this week… #UEL pic.twitter.com/3nN6Z8H25Y
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 12, 2021