By Giulio Ricciardi
Serie A Roundup: Milan snapped Lazio’s undefeated home streak with a 3-1 win, Inter triumphed 1-0 over Roma to move up the top of the table.
AC Milan 3-1 Lazio:
AC Milan rose to sixth place in the table and only five points away from first with a commanding victory the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio. I Rosssoneri picked up its first away win over Lazio since 2009.
Milan is consistently under pressure to put in good results and this season seems to be no different. After going through three different managers in two years, it is looking for consistency under new head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic. With the collapse of Juventus, many teams are looking to fill in the void at the top of the table and Milan certainly can count itself in that conversation. Similarly, Lazio has also put in a good showing in the first half of the season. Under the tutelage of Stefano Pioli, the capital side is also in the hunt for the Scudetto.
Milan opened the floodgates in the first half through midfielder Bertolacci. The Italian scored a tap in off the rebound of Alessio Cerci’s shot from outside the box, leaving Lazio keeper Marchetti with no chance. The away side would double this lead off a well-placed free kick. Controversial defender Philippe Mexes headed the ball into the net off a set-piece by Bonaventura, leaving the home side down two goals. Lazio would be further humiliated when Carlos Bacca converted a one on one situation to seal the deal. The Colombian forward rounded an isolated Marchetti and finished into an open net. Despite the hosts grabbing one back in the 83rd minute, it was too little too late to have any impact.
Inter Milan 1-0 Roma:
Inter Milan picked up an extremely important win in the title race against Roma. I Nerazzurri defeated the capital side at the San Siro to keep up the pace at the top of the table. Despite this loss, Roma is still capable of winning the title alongside teams such as Fiorentina and Napoli.
With a spectacular title run currently underway, Inter look poised to win its first Scudetto since the treble season under Jose Mourinho back in 2010. With former manager Roberto Mancini in control, it seems that Inter could complete a dream title run. Meanwhile, Roma look to continue its resurgence over the past few years by also claiming a league title. After finishing second place to four-time league champions Juventus, it seems that this could be the year I Giallorossi strikes gold.
Despite multiple chances for both sides, the game would only result in one goal for the home side. This goal would come from an unlikely player in Gary Medel. The Chilean midfielder struck a perfectly placed shot from outside the box that left goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with no chance. Things would only get worse for Roma as they squandered multiple chances and ended up finishing the match with only 10 men after Miralem Pjanic received his second yellow card for dissent.
