This midweek has been a positive one for Italian football’s European representatives. In fact, it would have been a clean sweep if it wasn’t for Juventus and their latest shortcoming. Sadly, the Bianconeri are becoming the black sheep of Calcio on the continental stage, while the six other Serie A clubs all managed to collect three points in the various tournaments. So let’s recap the most important events that ensued between Tuesday and Thursday in our five takeaways from European competitions.
A Match That Depicts a Campaign
As we mentioned above, Massimiliano Allegri’s side ruined an otherwise perfect midweek for Italian football, getting officially eliminated from the Champions League following a 3-4 defeat to Benfica – their fourth in five outings.
This thrilling encounter in Lisbon perfectly depicts the imperfect campaign that Juventus are currently enduring. They were outplayed by their opponents, spent the majority of the match trailing, almost suffered a record-breaking humiliating defeat before pulling off a mini-resurgence which proved to be too little too late, as the final outcome was simply inevitable.
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Milan One Step Away
It’s been a long while since we last saw the Grande Milan smashing an opponent on a Champions League evening, and unfortunately for Dinamo Zagreb, they happened to the recipients of a 4-0 beating at the hands of the in-form Italians.
The large victory in the Croatian capital allowed the Rossoneri to eliminate their hosts from the race for the group’s runner-up spot, while putting themselves in the driver seat ahead of their decisive clash against Salzburg next week.
The Diavolo only need a draw at the San Siro to book their place in the knockout stages and restore their spot amongst the True elite.
Inter on Right Track
Even though Bayern Munich beating Barcelona might just be one of the safest bets in football, Inter were adamant on taking matters into their own hands, sealing their qualification with a routing win over Viktoria Plzen rather than waiting for a Bavarian gift later in the evening.
Simone Inzaghi’s men surely didn’t enjoy a joyful start to their campaign, however, their performances and results have been gradually improving.
Perhaps their qualification was tainted by a controversial victory over the Blaugrana at the Giuseppe Meazza, but the heart and determination displayed during the dramatic 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou proves that the Nerazzurri are undoubtedly deserving of spot in the last 16 round.
Fiorentina Find Jovic
Since selling Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus last January, Fiorentina have been missing a genuine bomber upfront. With all due respect to Arthur Cabral and Krzysztof Piatek, neither was able to contribute in scoring on a consistent basis.
This summer, the Tuscans laid their hopes on the shoulders of another Serbian striker in the form of Luka Jovic. However, the Real Madrid flop was hardly proving to be an upgrade in the first months of the campaign, and has recently lost his starting berth.
Nonetheless, the 24-year-old has displayed glimpses of his vast potential in Fiorentina’s last two outings. After coming off the bench to score what was supposed to be an injury-time equalizer in the epic battle against Inter last Saturday, Jovic struck twice in the come-from-behind win over Istanbul Basaksehir and secure his team’s spot in the next round of the Conference League.
With a little bit of patience, the Serbian could prove to be one of the best hits of last summer’s transfer market.
Roma Must Improve
On Thursday, Roma had to rely on an own-goal to secure a slight victory over their humble hosts HJK Helsinki. José Mourinho’s men still need a win over Ludogarets to reach the Europa League knockout stages.
But even if the Giallorossi manage to scrape through to the next round, they will have to significantly improve if they wish to genuinely compete for the trophy, especially with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United taking part, and other top clubs like Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Juventus expected to join the fray.
Following an exciting transfer market, the supporters held high hopes on the current campaign, but Roma are yet to deliver the type of displays or results that truly inspire, and their insipid European run will be short-lived if the team doesn’t shift to second gear.
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