Although the Serie A weekend was cut short before Easter Sunday, two action-packed days delivered excitement, thrill, superb goals and more. While the battle for European spots remains chaotic, Napoli returned to winning ways, albeit with a fortunate away win in Lecce as they get a step closer to clinching the Scudetto title.
So let’s round up some of the most interesting events between Friday and Saturday in our fashion, by recognizing the Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 29.
Top (Player): Mattia Zaccagni
In the biggest clash of the weekend, Lazio confirmed their brilliant form with a superb win over Juventus at the Olimpico Stadium. Nevertheless, this victory wouldn’t have been possible without another splendid performance from the man who’s cementing himself as the club’s ultimate star this season.
After deciding the Derby della Capitale last month, Mattia Zaccagni was at it again, providing a sublime assist for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic before rounding off an enchanting team play with a clinical finish.
Surely Roberto Mancini can no longer deny him a spot with the Azzurri.
Flop (Player): Alex Sandro
On the opposite corner, Alex Sandro lands in the Flop section following his comical dive which cost his side a goal. Instead of fighting Milinkovic-Savic for the ball, the Juventus veteran jumped forward while pleading for a foul following minimal contact with the Serbian midfielder, but neither match official Marco Di Bello nor the VAR fell for it.
The embarrassing act is enough to warrant him this unceremonious recognition, even if his overall performance wasn’t entirely abysmal.
Top (Manager): Thiago Motta
Let’s give some props to Thiago Motta, the student who outplayed his master Gian Piero Gasperini when Atalanta and Bologna collided in Serie A Round 29.
The Rossoblu are enjoying a thrilling campaign under the guidance of the Italo-Brazilian manager, and they have now managed to seal another memorable away victory with two unanswered goals against La Dea.
At this point, it’s only a matter of time before Motta finds himself at a top club.
Flop (Manager): Stefano Pioli
Last week, Stefano Pioli was our top manager of the weekend. This time, he finds himself on the opposite side. Such has been the vastly inconsistent campaign of the Milan manager, which also symbolizes his team’s status.
Although his club had no commitment in the midweek that preceded Round 29, Pioli opted to start with a heavily rotated formation against Empoli, which proved to be an unwise decision, as the match ended in a goalless draw, costing his side two valuable points in the Serie A standings.
Naturally, the Scudetto-winning manager wanted to maintain fresh legs ahead of the Champions League encounter against Napoli, but five days would have been a decent period for his players to regain their optimal condition.
Top (Team): Lazio
We have already illustrated Zaccagni’s scintillating display above, but in earnest, all Lazio players deserve major props for their impressive campaign in general, and their well-earned victory over Juventus in particular.
From Luis Alberto’s magical touch to Danilo Cataldi’s tenacity and the defense’s compactness, Maurizio Sarri’s fabulous work in the Eternal City is starting to pay off.
Flop (Team): Inter
Performance-wise, we can surely find several other Serie A clubs who performed more miserably than Inter in Round 29. Yet, the Nerazzurri distinguish themselves with their ability to self-destruct at the worst possible timing.
Despite sitting in the lead for the vast majority of the match, Simone Inzaghi’s men conceded a late equalizer against Salernitana at the Arechi Stadium when a cross from their former player Antonio Candreva lost its way only to land in André Onana’s far corner.
Yes, misfortune played a role, and so did Guillermo Ochoa’s heroics, but Inter only have themselves to blame for failing to capitalize on a flurry of chances, with Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez outdoing one another in this regard.
Top (Goalkeeper): Lukasz Skorupski
While Salernitana’s Ochoa and Empoli’s Samuele Parisan both have legitimate claims, Bologna’s Lukasz Skorupski gets the nod thanks to a string of vital saves.
Preserving a clean sheet in Bergamo is never an easy task, but the Pole managed to deny the likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Luis Muriel with some superb interventions.
Flop (Goalkeeper): Andrea Consigli
What we stated above also applies to this section. We have several contenders, including Inter’s Onana and Lecce’s Wladimiro Falcone who both conceded avoidable goals, but Sassuolo’s Andrea Consigli went even further by needlessly giving the ball away with a poor pass, allowing Verona’s Adolfo Gaich to score a memorable goal from the halfway line.
Top (Match): Sampdoria vs Cremonese
In what was labeled as an encounter between two already-doomed sides, few neutrals tuned in for the contest between Sampdoria and Cremonese. Yet, this turned out to be a real cracker that had it all: Five goals, a splendid strike, back-and-forth action, a late comeback and a superb winner.
When the smoke settled, it was the Griggiorossi who emerged victorious in a 3-2 result at the Luigi Ferraris which saw them overtake their foes in the Serie A standings after Round 29.
Flop (Match): Roma vs Torino
Although the encounter between Milan and Empoli ended in a stalemate, at least it had its dramatic moments, including some decent chances and late VAR drama.
On the contrary, the contest between Torino and Roma was as plain as they come. Paulo Dybala put the visitors ahead from an early spot kick, and neither side came close to scoring during the rest of the evening in what was a truly cagey affair.
Top (Goal): Adolfo Gaich
As we mentioned above, Consigli’s blunder gifted Verona the victory on a golden plate, but an injury-time winner from the halfway line isn’t something that you see every day.
Gaich has finally opened his account for the Gialloblu, and what a way to do it!
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |