It was a weekend billed as the biggest yet in Serie A. Juventus faced Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, whilst Sunday saw current contenders Lazio face off against the vastly improved Napoli and of course there was the small matter of the Milan derby to contend with.
In the end, AC Milan and Lazio were the weekend’s victors, with Serie A continuing to provide a intriguing race for the Scudetto.
Roma travelled to Turin on Saturday evening to face Juventus, with both sides looking to continue a run of impressive form which has seen them quickly move up the table in recent weeks.
In a lively first half, Vincenzo Iaquinta put Juve in front in the 35th minute with an acrobatic volley from former Roma man Alberto Aquilani’s cross.
However, the lead did not last as Simone Pepe inexplicably handled the ball in the box and Francesco Totti equalised with the resultant penalty to put Roma level on the stroke of half time.
A more cautious second half saw neither team able to make the break through, with Juve climbing to fourth in the table, just one point above Roma in sixth.
Saturday also saw Fiorentina squeeze past Cesena in Florence. The win saw the Viola move up to 12th and came courtesy of a volley on the turn from striker Alberto Gilardino.
The result was a welcome relief for manager Sinisa Mihaljovic, whilst for the striker, it could also prove a return to the goal scoring form that he has previously enjoyed with the club.
Cesena meanwhile remain second from bottom and with pressure mounting on coach Massimo Ficcadenti, who had seen his side enjoy a solid, albeit brief, start to the season.
Serie A's biggest strugglers, Bari, suffered a home defeat to relegation rivals Parma. The win saw the visitors move up to 14th, just a point behind Fiorentina and was sealed thanks to a goal from on loan midfielder Antonio Candreva.
Bari had been presented with the perfect opportunity to equalise as Massimo Paci fouled Vitor Barreto in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Alas Alessandro Parisi’s kick was dragged wide in a miserable day for Bari.
Things got even worse in the closing stages as first Salvatore Masiello was given a straight red and then Massimo Donati picked up a second yellow card to leave the home side with 9 men and some short term team selection issues.
There was better news for Bologna, who moved out of the relegation zone thanks to a priceless victory over fellow strugglers Brescia. A right footed strike from all of 20 yards, courtesy of veteran striker Marco Di Vaio on 58 minutes was enough to give the home side victory. Bologna though were made to work for the three points, playing the final minutes of the match with 10 men following the dismissal of midfielder Gaby Mudingayi for a second yellow card.
Fittingly it was Brescia that subsequently dropped into the bottom three, with Bologna up to 15th. One place and two points behind them are Lecce, who suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of a seemingly rejuvenated Udinese.
And it was the little Zebra’s talismanic striker Antonio Di Natale that grabbed the headlines, courtesy of a first half hat trick at the Stadio Friuli which set the home side on their way. The impressive display was then capped off in the 55th minute when Antonio Floro Flores added a fourth to see Udinese move up to eighth.
Lecce remain 16th and just a point above Cagliari who lost a heartbreaking encounter at home to Genoa. The visitors had defended doggedly for much of the game but eventually found a way through with Andrea Ranocchia scoring what proved to be the winner, with just seven minutes to go.
The win saw Genoa leap-frog Sampdoria who endured another dry spell in front of goal, this time at home to Chievo. With Antonio Cassano’s future seemingly in the balance after insulting the club’s President, Sampdoria continue to find goals and creativity hard to come by. With just one win from their last five games, the Genoa based side are continuing to slide down the league standings.
One side definitely on the up are Palermo, who enjoyed a resounding win over local rivals Catania in this weekend’s other big match: the Sicilian Derby.
And it was the story of one man for The Eagles, with Argentinian Javier Pastore scoring a hat trick. In an eventful match, Pastore opened the scoring on 33 minutes to get things started. Catania briefly rallied, equalising on 46 minutes through Christian Terlizzi. But seconds later, Pastore struck again to give Palermo a half time lead. Despite dominating the second half, the home fans then had to wait until five minutes from time for Pastore to complete his hat trick and see his team in 7th, just three points behind Inter and Juve.
Elsewhere, Lazio faced a stern test at home to a hard working Napoli side with an eye on Champions League qualifications. Edy Reja’s side came into the match off the back of two defeats in the league, but quickly found their rhythm with Mauro Zarate scoring after 15 minutes.
In an even game, Napoli had numerous chances to score but could find no way past Lazio keeper Muslera and even hit the woodwork on a couple of occasions.
The win was ultimately sealed just after the hour mark, as Sergio Floccari added a second scored from 10 yards following good work from Zarate. Napoli remain in third while Lazio moved temporarily top.
AC Milan, meanwhile, faced off against Inter at the San Siro in Sunday’s evening kick off. a The Rosaneri were gifted an early lead when Marco Materazzi pulled back Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the box after four minutes, leading to a penalty for AC Milan.
It was perhaps fitting that Ibrahimovic, the former Inter star, would be the one to step up and score and sure enough, he did.
Whilst Milan dominated the early spells, the second half saw Inter attack more in search of an equaliser, with midfielder Coutinho introduced to bolster the forward line. On the hour, the game seemed to turn in Inter’s favour as Ignazio Abate saw a second yellow card for a foul on Goran Pandev. But Rafa Benitez’s men failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage, with AC Milan turning ultra defensive to protect the fragile lead.
In the end the win saw AC Milan retain top spot in the league, whilst more worryingly for Inter, the current champions are now six points off the top.
It may be early days yet, but it could well be the red half of Milan which is celebrating come the end of the season.