Serie A Matchday 19 round-up – Milan clubs pull away at the top

So, there you have it. A thrilling year of Calcio is in the books. The winter break has finally arrived and it’s time for us all to enjoy the festivities in the absence of Serie A.

But, don’t fear. Its return will be swift. We’re already counting down the seconds for the first game of 2022, which takes place at lunchtime on 6 January. We’ll be there in no time.

The concluding matchday of 2021 means we’re now officially at the halfway mark of the 2021/22 season. The table is starting to take shape at the top, with Inter Milan’s superiority distinct. But, from second downwards, it’s anyone’s guess.

This unpredictability manifested on Matchday 19, and here’s a round-up of all the action.

A mixed bag for the top four

Napoli followed up their controversial victory over AC Milan on Sunday night by losing 1-0 at home to Spezia in the week. The visitors were victorious without registering a shot on target, as a Juan Jesus own goal was enough to hand Thiago Motta’s side all three points.

Luciano Spalletti’s men have lost three of their last four, with the absences of Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly and Victor Osimhen taking their toll.

The Neapolitans fell further behind league leaders Inter Milan in the Scudetto race after the Nerazzurri claimed their seventh successive Serie A victory on Wednesday night. Ivan Juric’s Torino made life difficult, however, and Simone Inzaghi’s side weren’t at their free-flowing best in the slender 1-0 win.

Denzel Dumfries continued his fine form as an auxiliary forward by scoring the game’s only goal.

Their crosstown rivals AC, meanwhile, bounced back from a pair of disappointing results by beating Empoli 4-2 thanks to a Franck Kessie brace. The Rossoneri end 2021 four points adrift of Inter, with Napoli three points further back in third.

Atalanta also stuttered on Matchday 19. They were held to a stalemate by Andriy Shevchenko’s lowly Genoa on Tuesday night. La Dea are now eight points off the leaders.

Juventus usurp Roma & Fiorentina

Juventus climbed up to fifth after their 2-0 victory over Cagliari on Tuesday, and that’s where they’ll end 2021 after Roma and Fiorentina could only muster draws on Matchday 19.

In Rome, Eldor Shomurodov saw his 72nd-minute opener cancelled out by Sampdoria’s Manolo Gabbiadini eight minutes later as Jose Mourinho’s Giallorossi were held to a frustrating 1-1 stalemate.

Fiorentina, meanwhile, were more grateful for their point as Gaetano Castrovilli levelled things up late on after Kevin Lasagna had earlier opened the scoring with his first Serie A goal of the season for Hellas Verona.

Dusan Vlahovic drew a blank at the Bentegodi, meaning he wasn’t able to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most Serie A goals in a calendar year (33). The Fiorentina striker matched Ronaldo’s tally with his goal against Sassuolo last weekend.

Unpredictable Sass

Bologna claimed emphatic bragging rights in the Derby dell’Emilia on Wednesday afternoon as they trounced Sassuolo 3-0 at the Mapei Stadium.

The Neroverdi were dominant in the opening exchanges before a superb Riccardo Orsolini strike caught them completely off guard nine minutes before half-time. Aaron Hickey then finished wonderfully to double Bologna’s advantage before the break.

The visitors went in search of a third after the restart but they’d have to wait until an Andrea Consigli error in added time to get it. Federico Santander was the beneficiary of an uncharacteristic bit of poor distribution from the Sassuolo keeper as he rounded off Bologna’s emphatic triumph in the derby.

Lazio win on the road

Lazio claimed just their third away victory of the season with a 3-1 victory over a plucky Venezia side on Wednesday afternoon.

The Venetians have take taken points off AS Roma and Juventus this term in what appeared to be a banana skin fixture for the Biancocelesti.

The majestic Pedro, though, raced Maurizio Sarri’s side into a third-minute lead before Francesco Forte levelled things up for the hosts after half an hour. Francesco Acerbi restored Lazio’s advantage just after the restart before Luis Alberto put the result beyond any reasonable doubt in stoppage time.

With their victory, Sarri’s men opened up a gap of four points between themselves and Empoli in ninth. Juventus are just three points better off in fifth, with Atalanta seven points away in the final Champions League spot.