Serie A Week 25 review, and Week 26

Serie A Week 25 Review

It was expected that Week 25 of the Italian League would most likely have been the most important of all the match-days, a prediction that could prove decisive in the title race as it was heavily marked with controversy. At the Stadio Olimpico di Roma, Atalanta thrashed the Giallorossi with a 4-1 score line. The nerazzurri showed great patience and used their counter-attacking tactics to perfection. Atalanta striker, Germen Denis, scored a tripletta (hat trick). Bologna fell 3-1 to Udinese with Antonio Di Natale making a surprising return from injury. There was a controversial penalty for Udinese as Di Natale was fouled outside of the box and was rewarded a spot kick. Napoli defeated Inter 1-0 with Ezequiel Lavezzi scoring the winner. Inter has not won since the Milan derby at the beginning of 2012! Napoli is five points out of the final Champions League spot. Lazio defeated Fiorentina 1-0. German International Miroslav Klose bagging the only goal in that encounter. The Scudetto showdon between Milan and Juventus took place at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan in which both sides gave it their all with fantastic flowing soccer. The Rossoneri opened up the scoring with an unlikely source as Antonio Nocerino scored from a Leonardo Bonucci turnover and deflection just outside of the 18. Moments later, Inter loan Sulley Muntari doubled the lead. But wait a minute! That is what was supposed to happen. Here is the situation: Muntari headed the ball past the goal line at which point Buffon quickly smacked the ball out of the net. It was a very clear goal as the ball is yellow, the lines are white, and the linesman could not have been in a better position to see the ball cross the line with nothing in his way to obstruct his vision. Unbelievable! Juventus forward Alessandro Matri also had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside. However, Milan going ahead 2-0 could have been crucial in this match. My question to the Serie A is why has this linesman not been punished for this crucial call? This controversial moment can be seen in videos on YouTube. Is it not yet time to implement video replay in soccer?

Week 26 Preview

Palermo hosts Milan at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. The Rosaneri have not lost to Milan in Palermo in six years. The last time Palermo played at home, they crushed Lazio 5-1. The Diavoli will come out breathing fire as they still feel anger from the controversy suffered last weekend. They will be looking for 3 points while Zlatan Ibrahimovic will make his return after his three-game suspension. Juventus, still undefeated and sitting one point behind Milan with a game in hand, will welcome Chievo to the Juventus Stadium. Chievo will be without their leading goal scorer, Sergio Pellissier. The Bianconeri will be aiming to stay close to or even leapfrog the Rossoneri in the standings depending on the Palermo-Milan result. Inter will take on Catania at the San Siro. Nerazzurri boss Claudio Ranieri’s job is hanging by a thread. The Beneamata have lost 6 of their last 7 games in all competitions. Catania has given the bigger teams headaches all season and this certainly will not be an easy test for Inter. Parma will play Napoli at the Tardini Stadium. This will be Parma boss Roberto Danadoni’s first match against his old club. Napoli is fighting hard for a Champions League spot while Parma is in the hunt for the Europa league. It will be an interesting encounter. This week features the DERBY OF ROME! This fixture has always had high tensions. Roma captain Francesco Totti will be a game time decision. The last time these two teams met, Lazio won the derby 2-1 with Klose scoring with the last kick of the game. These two teams have been struggling as of late. Which team of the Capitale will get out of their slump first? That’s the last word!