Italy still being the good Catholic nation that it is, on Easter weekend, all Serie A matches take place on Saturday. That means we here at Pro Soccer Talk have an early round-up of how clubs on the peninsula fared:
Saturdayโs Results
AC Milan 3-0 Livorno
Quite possibly the biggest result in Serie A this weekend. Mario Balotelli, Adel Taarabt and Giampaolo Pazzini all scored to give the hosts all three points. Milanโs win, combined with results from Lazio, Torino and Parma, puts theย rossoneriย close to Clarence Seedorfโs dream of edging into Europa League. As for Livorno, well, they remain second from bottom, three points from safety. Thatโs what happens when you pick up just one point from six matches.
Atalanta 1-2 Verona
Verona, after experiencing a dramatic dip in form in the second half of the season, are suddenly back in the race for Italyโs final European place. Much of thatโs due to Luca Toni, with the veteran scoring Veronaโs second today, bringing his season total to 18 goals. Massimo Donati scored the visitorsโ first, but thanks to Toniโs second, the late goal fromย Germรกn Denis was nothing more than a consolation for Atalanta.
Catania 2-1 Sampdoria
Ever sinceย Siniลกa Mihajloviฤ got himself thrown out in Sampdoriaโs draw with Fiorentina, his side have been doomed to failure. Today they even lost to bottom side Catania.ย Sebastiรกn Leto put in the first for the hosts, but Samp were able to equalize by the 61st minute through a goal fromย Stefano Okaka. Theย elefanti, however, were determined to get one last chance at staying in Serie A. Gonzalo Bergessio put in the winner just two minutes later, grabbing all three points for Cataniaโฆand keeping them five points back of safety.
Chievo 0-1 Sassuolo
This game had a much greater effect on the battle for safety. While many tables might currently show Sassuolo still in the bottom three, in Serie A, the tie-breaker is based on head-to-head record โ and Sassuolo have taken four points off Bologna, with whom theyโre even on points. Domenico Berardi, who hadnโt scored since putting four past Milan back in December, may have just saved his side from slipping right back down to Serie B. Which, actually, is where Chievo might wind up, as theyโre just two points over the line.
Genoa 1-2 Cagliari
Cagliari were likely never going to be relegated, but with this win giving them an eight-point cushion, new head coach Ivo Pulga is likely to sleep better at night. It was actually the hosts that took the early lead, withย Sebastien De Maio putting Genoa up inside five minutes. But the defender was at fault for the equalizer, falling asleep to allow an unmarked Marco Sau inside the area to grab the equalizer. Victor Ibarbo sealed the firstย isolaniย road win with his 82nd minute goal โ and handed Genoa their fourth straight defeat.
Juventus 1-0 Bologna
It looked like Bologna were going to be able to hold on for a point, thus keeping the tiniest bit of distance between themselves and Sassuolo in the final relegation spot. But theย rossobluย just werenโt up to the challenge of keeping out Serie Aโs top side. Paul Pogba got on the end of a ball from Mauricio Isla, burying his shot in the 64th minute โ and thatโs all Juventus needed.
Lazio 3-3 Torino
Lazio and Torino combined well to make sure to blaze a clear path for Milanโs Europa League adventure. With both sides aiming for the three points that couldโve meant finishing the weekend in fifth, this match featured plenty of drama. Stefano Mauri opened the scoring late in the second half, butย Jasmin Kurtiฤ restored equality early in the second. A Lazio penalty, converted by Antonio Candreva, put the hosts back in front, butย Panagiotis Tachtsidis equalized for Torino once more. It looked like theย granataย would come out on top afterย Diego Novaretti was sent off with ten minutes remaining โ and, sure enough, Ciro Immobile put the visitors ahead in the last minute of normal time. But, amazingly, Candreva found yet another equalizer in the 93rd minute, leaving both sides with a lone point.
Parma 0-2 Internazionale
Parmaโs quest for European football took a sad turn against Inter on Saturday. It all started when Antonio Cassano failed to convert a penalty against his former side. Thus, the two teams went into the break scoreless, but whenย Gabriel Paletta was sent off with a second yellow just after the restart, aย nerazzurriย win seemed inevitable. Sure enough, it took less than five minutes for Rolandoโs header to put the visitors ahead, andย Fredy Guarรญnโs late strike turned out to be unnecessary insurance.
Udinese 1-1 Napoli
Pepe Reina may have found himself out of a job thanks to this one, with the Napoli goalkeeperโs miserable pass allowing Giampiero Pinzi the chance to steal the ball, threading it through to Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese had no trouble scoring, canceling outย Josรฉ Callejรณnโs first-half opener.
Still to comeโฆ
Fiorentina vs. Roma
This should be the most exciting game of the weekend โ key word, โshould.โ Both sides love to attack, and both have plenty to fight for. Yes, Juventus have almost surely won theย scudetto, but Roma still want to keep things tight and make things interesting. But Fiorentina will be well aware of the fact that Napoli dropped points at Udinese, and know that they could close the gap on third place โ and the final Champions League spot โ to just eight points if they manage to get a win at the Artemio Franchi.
