Serie A Matchday 30 round-up – Tammy’s time in the derby

One of the world’s fiercest rivalries took centre stage on Matchday 30 in Serie A as the Derby della Capitale returned for yet another memorable iteration.

The contest, which had significant implications in the context of the race for European spots, was headlined by a particular Englishman as Jose Mourinho claimed victory in the ideological duel with Maurizio Sarri.

Elsewhere, the Scudetto race took another turn as Inter’s collapse continued, while a big victory for Sampdoria at the bottom piled the pressure of Paolo Zanetti at Venezia.

Serie A Matchday 30 round-up

Here’s a round-up of all the action on Matchday 30 in the 2021/22 Serie A season.

Tammy earns hero status in the Derby della Capitale

Tammy Abraham’s remarkable debut season in Rome peaked with a brace in the Derby della Capitale as Mourinho’s AS Roma thumped bitter rivals Lazio 3-0 on Sunday evening.

Abraham opened the scoring within a minute before swiftly adding a second from close range amid a dominant first-half showing from the Giallorossi. Lorenzo Pellegrini rounded off a perfect opening 45 minutes for Mourinho’s side as his pinpoint free-kick nestled in the stanchion to triple Roma’s advantage before the break.

Maurizio Sarri tried his utmost to facilitate a comeback in the second period, but Roma managed the contest superbly and their comfortable advantage was never under threat.

The Giallorossi’s emphatic derby triumph saw them leapfrog the Biancocolesti in the Serie A table, although they remain eight points adrift of fourth-placed Juventus after the Bianconeri eased to a 2-0 win over Salernitana.

Inter slip-up AGAIN

An incredible Derby della Capitale meant the Scudetto race was briefly thrust out of the limelight on Matchday 30.

However, it was a weekend in which Inter fell further behind the league leaders after they could only muster a point against Fiorentina. Second-half goals from Lucas Torreira and Denzel Dumfries meant the spoils were shared at San Siro.

Simone Inzaghi’s collapsing Nerazzurri fell six points behind AC Milan at the top following the Rossoneri’s slender victory in Sardinia on Saturday night. A sensational Ismael Bennacer volley was enough for Milan to topple Cagliari.

The gap between themselves and Napoli is just three points, though, as Victor Osimhen scored a brace to thrust the Neapolitans to a 2-1 win over Udinese after Gerard Deulofeu had given the away side the lead.

Friday night football

Matchday 30 kicked off with a pair of fixtures on Friday night.

First up, Sassuolo extended their unbeaten Serie A run to six games as they put four past Spezia in a 4-1 rout. Juventus transfer target Domenico Berardi continued his productive run of form as he scored twice with Kaan Ayhan and Gianluca Scamacca netting the others.

Then, Genoa resisted the temptation of drawing yet another game by sneaking past a slumping Torino 1-0. Genoa’s win, which was Alexander Blessin’s first as manager, came courtesy of an early Manolo Portanova effort. The hosts were forced to hold off Il Toro for 66 minutes with ten men after Leo Skiri Ostigard was dismissed but they did so with notable resilience.

The win breathed fresh life into Genoa’s bid for survival.

Best of the rest

A wonderful story emerged at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Sunday night as 18-year-old Moustapha Cissé scored the game’s only goal in the contest between Atalanta and Bologna.

The teenager was plying his trade in the eighth tier of Italian football just two months ago after arriving in Italy from Guinea as a 16-year-old in 2019. His goal was a huge one as La Dea kept themselves in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Elsewhere, the spoils were shared between mid-table occupants Hellas Verona and Empoli on Sunday, while Sampdoria took a huge step to safety by beating Venezia 2-0 on the road.