NAPLES-LAZIO 0-1
Lazio eliminated Napoli from the Italian Cup within 4 days and by beating them in the championship made them lose the lead in the standings. Napoli started well and after two minutes had their first opportunity: Mctominay shot from the edge of the area, Provedel was ready and deflected it for a corner. Following the corner kick, the Scotsman still has a chance, but the shot ends up wide. The match is balanced, Lazio shows up forward with Isaksen, who challenges Meret from the edge. In the 35th minute Anguissa tries Provedel, once again reactive, and two minutes later Lazio comes close to taking the lead with Castellanos. At the end of the first half Kvaratskhelia, on a free kick from the edge, comes close to the top corner. At the start of the second half, a sensational opportunity for Lazio, with Dele Bashiru hitting the crossbar with a powerful shot from the edge of the area. In the 70th minute, corner kick for Napoli, with Anguissa who heads you ahead of everyone, but the sucker hits the outside post. In the 78th minute, Lazio took the lead: Isaksen anticipated Oliveira and shot from the edge of the area with the ball hitting the far post, bypassing Meret. It’s the goal that decides the match.
FIORENTINA – CAGLIARI 1-0
The positive path of Palladino’s Fiorentina continues in Serie A. After the great scare for Edoardo Bove and the elimination from the Italian Cup in the derby against Empoli, the Viola beat Cagliari 1-0 at the Franchi, thanks to Cataldi’s goal at 24′ of the first half. With this victory, the Tuscan team rises to 31 points, catching Inter in third place, while the Sardinians remain stationary at 14. Fiorentina takes the lead in the 24th minute: Cataldi, served on the edge of the area by Beltran, shoots of first intention by putting the ball into the top corner, where Sherri can’t reach. Previously, chances for both teams: Dodo almost hit the post for the Viola in the 8th minute, while in the 11th minute Cagliari came close to scoring with a shot from Piccoli blocked by De Gea and a subsequent attempt from Makoumbou deflected by Ranieri. In the second half, Fiorentina controlled and rejected the opponents’ attempts, securing the three points.
VERONA – EMPOLI 1-4
Heavy home defeat for Zanetti’s Verona, overwhelmed 4-1 by D’Aversa’s Empoli at the Bentegodi. The Tuscans rise to 19 points, moving away from the relegation zone, while the Venetians remain stuck at 12, increasingly in difficulty and amidst protests from the fans, which began already at the end of the first half. The match is decided in the first half, dominated by Empoli. Esposito scores a brace with a deflected shot in the 16th minute and a powerful right-footed shot in the 19th minute. In the 32nd minute Cacace made it 3-0 with a shot from the edge, followed by Tengstedt who shortened it in the 37th minute. Colombo extinguished all hopes in the 42nd minute, volleying home after a free kick was blocked. In the second half, Verona tried to react, but left room for opposing counterattacks. Colombo came close to scoring their fifth goal in the 63rd minute, while Mosquera wasted a sensational opportunity in the 81st minute. Zanetti’s bench is now seriously at risk.
VENICE-COMO 2-2
It ends 2 to 2 between Venice and Como, a good match played however in terrible weather conditions, with incessant rain and strong winds. The score broke the deadlock in the 16th minute, Venezia midfielder Nicolussi Caviglia took aim from outside the area but his shot hit Pohjanpalo who deflected the ball past Reina. Como enters the second half pressing very high and besieging their opponents, after 4 minutes the equalizer arrives thanks to a clumsy own goal by Candela who hits the ball coming from a cross on the right with his knee, sending it into his own goal. Only 7 minutes pass and Fabregas’ team turns everything around thanks to the rooster Belotti who served perfectly by Van der Brempt in the area, makes no mistake and shoots into the net into the bottom left corner. However, Venezia remained in the game and equalized the score in the 69th thanks to Gaetano Oristanio’s Olympic goal directly from the corner. Di Francesco’s team at that point believed in the comeback but the joy of the 3-2 goal scored by Nicolussi Caviglia in the 87th was extinguished by VAR. The goal was canceled due to a millimetric offside by Pohjanpalo. A point that satisfies no one, both teams remain in the relegation zone.
