Serie A Round 12 was marred by seven stalemates as only Roma, Inter, and Sampdoria managed wins. It did not impact the entertainment on offer, with nervous close finishes and goalkeeping displays.
Despite the scarcity of results, there were significant movements on the points table. The Giallorossi moved into the top-four, displacing Napoli who were vanquished by the Nerazzurri. Antonio Conte’s men are are a point behind Milan at the Serie A summit. Meanwhile, after a disastrous start, Sampdoria earned breathing space for themselves with their fourth win of the campaign.
The quality of goals continue to go up in Serie A, and this week was no different. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lorenzo Pellegrini miss out despite sensational strikes. They join Valerio Verre, Mattia Destro, Hamed Traore, and M’Bala Nzola on those missing out. Our work was cut out in picking the five best goals of Round 12, but it justifies the output.
Federico Chiesa vs. Atalanta
In a game where the ever-reliable Cristiano Ronaldo missed from the spot, the headlines were shared between Federico Chiesa and Remo Freuler. The duo scored from improbable angles across both sides of stoppage time. The 2020 summer acquisition received the ball in Atalanta territory from Rodrigo Bentancur and was met by an army of La Dea defenders. Ronaldo’s run took the attention off him and allowed him the extra fraction of a second to pull the trigger. Pierluigi Gollini dived to his left but was never in the picture to stop the thunderbolt. It was a debut goal for Chiesa in Old Lady colors.
Davide Calabria vs. Genoa
Theo Hernandez was Milan’s savior last week, and Davide Calabria shouldered the responsibility in midweek. Mattia Destro gave his side the lead in the 47th minute, but they were pegged back immediately by Calabria. His 30-yard fierce strike had no response from Mattia Perin. Hakan Calhanoglu was credited with the assist, but the Turkish international did not have a hand in the scorcher, it was all Calabria.
Ciro Immobile vs. Benevento
There was no clear winner in the battle between Inzaghi brothers as Benevento came from behind to take a point against Lazio. The Biancocelesti have found it difficult to score regularly, and the issue persisted against the Sorcerers. The sliver of silver lining in this crisis remains Ciro Immobile and his goalscoring form. The Italy international was at it again. Immobile connected with a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic corss, volleying into the top-left corner to give Lazio the lead.
Albin Ekdal vs. Verona
Claudio Ranieri’s men are finally starting to exhibit they are a side worth taking note of. Sampdoria were in control of the game, especially once they claimed a two-goal lead. It was Albin Ekdal’s opener that got everyone in the stadium and in front of their television seats jump up. The Swedish midfielder pounced on a poor clearance from the Verona defense, with acres of space and time at his disposal, his piledriver sizzled towards the bottom left corner.
Musa Barrow vs. Spezia
Unlike Sampdoria, Spezia allowed a comfortable two-goal lead slip up against Balogna. The visitors chipped at M’Bala Nzola’s brace through Nicolas Dominguez and Musa Barrow. The Gambian forward could have earned the three points for the Rossoblu but missed from the spot. However, his equalizer from the middle of the park is a strike that will be remembered for a long time. With the goalkeeper too far out of his comfort zone, his first-time effort sailed into the back of the net as Ivan Provedel cursed himself to a yellow card.