Serie A Matchday 7 Round-up – Can anyone stop Napoli?

Manuel Locatelli’s late strike ensured Matchday 7 was a successful one for Juventus in Serie A. The Italian’s pinpoint finish off the post thrust the Bianconeri to a 1-0 victory over Torino in Saturday’s Derby della Mole.

The triumph leaves Juve, who not so long ago occupied the relegation zone, in seventh following three consecutive domestic victories. They’re starting to roll.

But, what else went down in calcio over the weekend? Well, let’s take a look. Here’s a round-up of all the action on Matchday 7 in Serie A.

Contenders win

Saturday’s group of fixtures concluded with Inter Milan’s hard fought 2-1 victory over Sassuolo.

Fresh off their frustrating outing in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, the Nerazzurri went a goal behind thanks to a Domenico Berardi penalty following a rare error from Milan Skriniar.

Simone Inzaghi later worked his magic, though, and the introduction of Edin Dzeko in the second period turned the tide. The Bosnian equalised with a smart diving header before winning a penalty that Lautaro Martinez would convert for victory.

The champions remain unbeaten but they still sit four points off leaders Napoli. Luciano Spalletti’s side overcame a tricky test on Sunday evening, beating a fine Fiorentina side 2-1.

They, too, had to come from behind after Lucas Martínez Quarta smartly opened the scoring. Hirving Lozano levelled proceedings after Bartłomiej Drągowski had denied Lorenzo Insigne from the spot before Amir Rrahmani benefitted from a clever set-piece routine to head home the winner.

Roma, meanwhile, bounced back from their Derby della Capitale defeat as they beat Empoli 2-0 at the Olimpico thanks to goals from the in-form – and recently renewed – Lorenzo Pellegrini and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Lazio, however, couldn’t build on last weekend’s victory and instead succumbed to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away at Bologna.

Concerns over Atalanta?

The weekend’s showcase fixture arrived on Sunday night as AC Milan travelled to Atalanta. The game, though, was a lot more one-sided than the 3-2 scoreline suggests.

The Rossoneri were superb and they flew into an early lead through right-back Davide Calabria. Sandro Tonali, who’s enjoyed a fine start to 2021/22, doubled the visitors’ lead after he picked off Remo Freuler before calmly slotting past Juan Musso one-v-one.

La Dea created little in response, and they found themselves 3-0 down after Rafael Leao rounded off a swift counter-attack with an emphatic finish. The hosts were offered some respite following a Junior Messias handball in the box, with Duvan Zapata converting from 12 yards.

Mario Pasalic then tapped home a second with a minute remaining to ensure the scoreline looked much prettier on Atalanta’s behalf. They were thoroughly outplayed on Sunday night.

Verona’s resurgence

Hellas Verona’s resurgence under Igor Tudor continued on Matchday 7 as they thumped relegation rivals Spezia 4-0. The hosts were markedly efficient in front of goal, scoring with all four of their shots on target.

They raced into a 3-0 lead before the break as Giovanni Simeone, Davide Faraoni and Gianluca Caprari found the net. Daniel Bassa rounded off the rout with 20 minutes remaining as Spezia were reduced to ten men following Simone Bastoni’s late dismissal.

Serie A’s customary thriller arrived at the Luigi Ferraris where Sampdoria and Udinese played out a captivating 3-3 draw.

The hosts battled back from a 2-1 deficit to lead 3-2 after Antonio Candreva scored the undisputed goal of the weekend. However, Udinese pegged Samp back with eight minutes remaining. Substitute Fernando Forestieri netted the sixth goal of the game as the points were rightly shared.

Salernitana’s first win

There are signs of life at Salernitana! Following a miserable start to their return campaign in Serie A, the Granata secured their first win in the top-flight since 1999.

Milan Duric’s 66th-minute strike was enough to overcome Genoa 1-0. The triumph thrust Salernitana off the foot of the table and into 18th. Cagliari are now bringing up the rear after they could only muster a point at home to Venezia on Friday night.

Spezia join the two aforementioned sides in the relegation zone.

What’s next?

Unfortunately, the second international break of the season is upon us and we’ll have to wait two weeks for the next group of Serie A fixtures.

Matchday 8, though, boasts a couple of unmissable fixtures. The first sees Simone Inzaghi face his former club as Inter travel to the Olimpico to take on Lazio. Then, on Sunday night, Jose Mourinho and Massimiliano Allegri pit their wits against one another in Turin with Roma travelling to an improving Juventus.

Scudetto contenders Napoli and AC Milan will be expected to claim triumphs as they host Torino and Hellas Verona respectively, while Atalanta go in search of a much-needed win away at Empoli.

Another dogfight takes place down the bottom between Spezia and Salernitana, with Cagliari hoping to ignite their campaign by snatching points off Sampdoria. Elsewhere, Genoa host Sassuolo and Bologna visit Udinese before Matchday 8 concludes with Fiorentina’s trip to Venezia.