Rossoneri collapse. The Champions League play-off goes to Lazio, which reopens the games for fourth place and condemns a Milan increasingly on the legs to a thrilling season finale. After Sassuolo, another fiasco. And now the margin on fifth place no longer exists, Napoli’s victory in Turin combined with the Rossoneri knockout at the Olimpico redesigns the scenarios of the high ranking: behind Atalanta second there are now three teams at 66, precisely Napoli, Juventus and Milan. Let’s get ready for a month of fire, a sprint from everyone against everyone for the 50 million that the great cup brings as a dowry. The truth is that for the Rossoneri it is now getting very hard, their calendar is perhaps the worst of all: after Benevento on May 1st there will be two away matches with Turin and Juventus, Cagliari at San Siro and finally Atalanta in Bergamo. .
Everything is still open, but one thing is certain: the decline is evident from the beginning of the second round, which is why a clear reversal will be needed in the last month or the fourth place risks becoming a mirage. From January to now, the losses are 9: too many. It is good to celebrate Lazio instead, who, dragged by an immense Correa, jump on the last car of the train for fourth place. The points are 61, but there are six games to play, one more: Genoa, Fiorentina, Parma, Rome, the recovery with Turin and finally Sassuolo. For Inzaghi’s team it is the tenth consecutive home victory: it has not been able to do so since the time of Maestrelli, 1974. Who knows this is not a good omen.
Once again without Ibrahimovic, stopped by the usual bad calf and arrived at the absence number 16 out of 33 league games, Pioli had this time rejected the usual disappointing Leao to rely on Mandzukic, but it did not help much. So far the Croatian has been a big disappointment, perhaps the main one: he arrived in January to allow Diavolo to chase the Scudetto, but ended up more often in the infirmary than on the field. Marione wants to make up for herself, her departure is in fact encouraging, after a few seconds with a heel strike she triggers Calhanoglu: the former Reina, however, is not surprised. It looks like the usual away Devil, angry and relentless, but instead Lazio passes after less than a minute and a half, at the first action, with Correa flying away after a mistake by Bennacer in mid-field and in front of Donnarumma is not wrong. Under shock, Milan is besieged. Kjaer is in confusion, Rebic doesn’t sting, Manduzkic is off.
Back on the bench after three games missed due to Covid, Inzaghi relies on a simple but effective plan: he leaves the ball to the Rossoneri and waits for the right moment to hit them on the counterattack. It takes a good twenty minutes before the Rossoneri are able to react, but it is Lazio that double with Lazzari: Var cancels everything for offside. Just a matter of time: the second goal, the one that closes the game, Correa still marks it at the beginning of the second half, with a large right-hand diagonal. Milan complains a lot and perhaps rightly about a foul by Leiva on Calhanoglu at the beginning of the action, Orsato also goes to review the Var, but then assigns the goal. Doubts remain. But it is of little use, because Lazio dominate and in the end Immobile is unleashed, which first hits the post and then makes the trio. The Devil is on the ground. Getting up is possible, but it won’t be easy.
April 26, 2021 (change April 26, 2021 | 22:59)
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