Updated
Winner not without difficulty of Sampdoria, the Old Lady has a 15th match without defeat in Serie A and temporarily returns to 4 points from first place.
AC Milan of Pierre Kalulu, Brahim Diaz and Fikayo Tomori (left to right) are guaranteed to finish the weekend top of Serie A.
AFP
AC Milan secured the lead once morest Empoli (1-0), despite the pressure of Juventus (4th) still pressing for the leading trio of Serie A following their victory in Genoa once morest Sampdoria (3- 1), Saturday during the 29th day. Inter Milan, defending champion and No. 1 favorite, will have to work hard to keep their Scudetto, between a Milan not decided to let go of the provisional leader’s chair (five points ahead, with two more matches), Naples ( 3rd) and now a Juventus (4th) well back two points from the Nerazzurri with its current series of fifteen matches without defeat.
AC Milan ensured they finished the weekend on top thanks to a valuable goal from Pierre Kalulu. Théo Hernandez suspended, it is indeed the other French defender of the rossonero workforce who was entitled to the ovation of San Siro: Kalulu, 21, unlocked the match with a superb recovery with the flat of the left foot , on a free kick from Olivier Giroud returned by the Tuscan wall (19th). The international hopeful signs his second goal in Milan, where he arrived in September 2020, his first of the season.
The Rossoneri, also dangerous by Alesandro Florenzi (8th) and Olivier Giroud (45th), totally controlled the first half once morest an inoffensive Empoli (13th). But caught up in what was at stake on returning from the locker room, Giroud and his partners lost their fluidity following the break and might even have plunged into doubt had it not been for Mike Maignan’s two decisive parades from the start, on a vicious header (49th) then the inward corner that followed (50th).
Juve on the lookout
Juve were also shaken up and can also thank their goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, for a penalty saved in the second half. But she did not miss the opportunity to increase the pressure on the leading trio.
Dusan Vlahovic spared for the knockout round of the Champions League once morest Villarreal on Wednesday (1-1 to go to Spain), it was Alvaro Morata who stood out with a precious double (34th on penalty and 88th of the head). The Spanish international was also the author of an involuntary deviation which had allowed the “Samp” to return to 2-1 on a free kick (84th).
“We have become compact once more and we have regained the spirit of fighting and sacrificing, in training we breathe better air than at the start of the season”, underlined the Spaniard on DAZN.
Even without its grognards Bonucci and Chiellini and its creator Paulo Dybala, injured, Juve have become solid in defense and biting in front.
And despite the denials of their coach Massimiliano Allegri, Juve have indeed become threatening once more, when they seemed totally out of the running for the Scudetto in December. Especially since a shock once morest Inter is looming in early April, a great opportunity to aim for a little more than 4th place, the club’s official objective.
(AFP)