After conceding their first defeats of the season in the previous round, all eyes were on the leading duo this weekend. At the end of the day, the results proved to be a complete contrast. While Napoli soared once again at the expense of the hapless Lazio, Milan conceded their second defeat of the season at the hands of Sassuolo. The weekend also witnessed several other interesting outcomes, including Atalanta’s win over Juventus. So let’s recap the action in our Top 5 Stories from Serie A Round 14.
If We’re Going Down…
In a weekend packed with top clashes, some may have missed the crucial relegation dogfight that took place on the island of Sardinia.
Cagliari and Salernitana both reside at the very bottom of the Serie A table, and their round 14 encounter provided one of them with the chance to earn three rare points.
While the Isolani dominated at home, they decided to defend their lead after wildly celebrating Leonardo Pavoletti’s second half opener.
Nevertheless, their visitors grabbed an injury-time equalizer that left the Sardinians ruing their luck.
At the end of the day, both sides failed to register a win, but Salernitana were by far the more content. After all, they possess one of the weakest squads on paper in the league, and if they’re destined to be relegated, they’d happily take Cagliari down with them.
Dour Future on the Horizon
On Saturday, Fiorentina were wasteful in front of goal during their away trip to Empoli.
Nevertheless, Vincenzo Italiano’s men were on their path towards victory in the Tuscan derby, of course thanks to the customary goal signed by Dusan Vlahovic.
That was until the Viola pressed the self-destruction button and allowed their neighbors to mount a late come-from-behind win thanks to some questionable defending.
Fiorentina do have quality players in their squad, but at the moment, the majority of them aren’t exactly displaying their best, leaving Vlahovic to carry the team on his broad shoulders.
Therefore, one must wonder how will the Florence-based side cope following the eventual departure of the Serbian bomber.
Surprisingly Unsurprising
In round 14, the most dominant side in Serie A history suffered a home defeat at the hands of a provincial club from Bergamo.
And yet, there was nothing surprising about it.
The resounding twist of fate witnessed at Juventus and Atalanta in the last few years has shockingly made Saturday’s result a rather expected one.
The Bianconeri are enduring their toughest period in the last decade or so, while La Dea has become a bona-fide force in Italy.
How times have changed!
Milan Losing Steam
After losing to Fiorentina last weekend, Milan were expected to return to the win column when they hosted Sassuolo at home.
All seemed well for the Rossoneri when their captain Alessio Romagnoli opened the scoring in the first half, but Gianluca Scamacca had other plans, while Domenico Berardi refused to break his old habit, scoring yet another goal in the Diavolo’s net.
Following their exhilarating start to the campaign, Milan are now enduring their first negative stretch in Serie A, and their Scudetto dreams depend on their ability to exit the dark tunnel as soon as possible.
Mertens Relaunches Napoli
Since the start of the season, Napoli have been amassing wins left and right.
Fans and observers alike were left delighted by the performances of Luciano Spalletti’s men, that few paid heed to the fact that the all-time scorer of the club is being left behind.
Nevertheless, Victor Osimhen’s unfortunate face injury meant that Dries Mertens was finally unleashed, and the diminutive striker was quick to remind us all of his prowess, even at the age of 34.
The Belgian scored two of the Partenopei’s goals in the 4-0 routing of Lazio (and in a spectacular fashion) proving that the southerners have one more deadly weapon at their disposal in their journey towards a long-awaited Scudetto triumph.