Inter slips again and sees Juventus further away

Inter was held again, this time for Lecce, and are 4 points away from Juventus.
Inter was held again, this time for Lecce, and are 4 points away from Juventus. Credits: Getty Images

For the second weekend in a row, Inter Milan drew their game and allowed Juventus to get a higher advantage on the title race. Not only that, but the ‘Nerazzurri’ have Lazio just 2 points behind.

The Romans are led by a fierce Ciro Immobile, who is the top scorer of all the top 5 leagues and they might have a word to say in the title race. The Serie A promises tight competition till the last matchday.

Check out how the Serie A table is at the moment:

Lecce 1 x 1 Inter Milan

Inter traveled to Lecce this weekend trying to make amends with the fans, after their draw in the previous fixture against Atalanta. It was supposed to be quite an easy match as Lecce are hanging in the relegation places, but it turned out harder than it seemed.

Lukaku fired the first warning, but his effort was wide off target. Then it was Lecce’s turn of wasting a chance, with Mancosu one on one with Handanovic shooting the ball over the goal.

Brozovic was close to the opener, as he hit the post and then allowed Gabriel to shine, by punching it away.

The visiting side only got in front during the second half, when Bastoni jumped from the bench to nod a cross from Biraghi. Lecce answered immediately, with Mancosu leveling back the scoreline.

With this result, Inter is now 4 points away from Inter and sees Lazio getting dangerously close.

Juventus 2 x 1 Parma

Ronaldo confirmed that is still on top form, despite being nearly 35 as he scored for the 7 match in a row to give Juventus another 3 points against Parma. The ‘Bianconeri’ are top of the table, with a comfortable 4 points lead.

Dancing around the box, Ronaldo confused the opponent’s defenders, before breaking the deadlock with a deflected shot. However, in the second half, Parma came back, with a header from Cornelius. The Danish super sub has 7 games in 14 games.

Well, Juventus’ answer did not take long, as Pjanic set Dybala, to assist Ronaldo for his second of the evening. The Portuguese forward has now 16 goals this season in just 17 games. Not bad, for someone who will be 35 next month!

Lazio 5 x 1 Sampdoria

Continuing their roaring campaign, Lazio defeat Sampdoria with a thundering 5×1 scoreline. The usual protagonist was Ciro Immobile, as the Italian continues to surpass the odds, having now 23 goals scored in 19 games.

The ‘Biancocelesti’ hosted Sampdoria with 10 victories on the bounce, and only 2 defeats so far in the Serie A.

Caicedo opened the scoresheet pretty early on the game and minutes later was already 2×0. Immobile converted a penalty after a handball from Sampdoria.

His second and third for the Romans came before the halftime break, as Ciro rounded Audero, following a through ball by Acerbi.

In the second half, Bastos made it 4. Immobile sealed the final result and his hat trick with another penalty kick, as Sampdoria once again had a handball spotted in the box.

Claudio Ranieri still saw his team Sampdoria score one, through Linetty. But things turned even worse for the visitors, as they were down to 10 men after Chabot got sent off.

Lazio made it 11 wins in a row and they have not given up on the title race yet.

Genoa 1 x 3 Roma

Roma got two defeats back to back in the new year. Paulo Fonseca hoped to turn things around with a visit to Genoa who is in the relegation zone. Davide Nicola replaced Thiago Motta but has not pulled a miracle yet.

Cengiz Under opened the scoresheet early in the game and they doubled it in the end of the first half, as Biraschi deflected a shot into his own net. Veteran Pandev allowed Genoa to go into the interval with the result reduced into 1×2.

Genoa was close to equalizing during the second time, but Pau Lopez with a stunning save tapped the ball away. On the other side, Mattia Perin, who arrived in Genoa this January, following a move from Juventus, slipped during a goal kick and allowed Dzeko to score the 3rd for Roma.

AS Roma are 4th in the Serie A table.

AC Milan 3 x 2 Udinese

Milan got their second win in a row and is 100% victorious since Zlatan Ibrahimovic rejoined the club. It was a hard-fought one, as they hosted Udinese and had to come back twice.

The match did not start well for Milan, as the ‘Rossoneri’ found themselves behind early on the match. A mistake by Donnarumma left Larsen with an open opportunity that he did not waste.

Musso kept his sheet clean until the middle of the second half when Stefano Pioli put Ante Rebic on the pitch. The Croatian striker fired the equalizer, his first goal in AC Milan shirt.

Theo Hernandez with a brilliant volley outside the box turned things in favor of Milan, but Udinese leveled again through Lasagna.

But Rebic confirmed a supreme exhibition, scoring his second of the match in the last minute of the game. The goal of the former Eintracht Frankfurt player secured another 3 points for Milan, as they climb to 8th place.

Napoli 0 x 2 Fiorentina

Gennaro Gattuso does not seem to be having the best start as Napoli coach, as the team lost again in the San Paolo. After defeats against Inter and Lazio, Napoli was held once again this time by Fiorentina.

Chiesa broke the deadlock and gave the ‘Viola’ the perfect start they desired in the match. Napoli was weak in the finishing and the better they could do was when Insigne took some paint from the left post of Dragowski.

With 10 minutes to go, Vlahovic with a curled effort put the final nail in Napoli’s coffin. 0x2 and the ‘Viola’ are back in victorious terms. Meanwhile, Napoli dropped to 11th in the table.

Was it the wrong decision to fire Carlo Ancelotti?

Sassuolo 2 x 1 Torino

Torino visited Sassuolo eyeing a possible European place, in case of a victory. However, they were surprised by the hosts, who escaped the relegation zone for now.

An own goal by Locatelli, deflecting a shot from Rincon gave Torino hopes for a swift evening. However, the game would turn around in the 2nd half.

Jeremy Boga out of nowhere designed the comeback. A nutmeg on Rincon and a powerful shot outside the box surprised Sirigiu, who could do nothing but stare at it.

The prolific French winger was under the second goal too, as he ran through the left flank, assisting Berardi for the 2×1. Boga is on loan from Chelsea and he is proving that he could thrive under Frank Lampard’s guidance.

A curled effort that hit the crossbar, by Millico, was the closest chance for Torino to equalize. In the end, they wasted a chance and are now in 9th place. Sassuolo is 15th.

About Jorge Costa 140 Articles
Jorge Costa is a freelance journalist, with a Masters Degree in Journalism and Communication, through the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He specializes in sports and soccer in particular.

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