Milan beat Atalanta 2-0 in the match of 37 / a and penultimate matchday of Serie A. The leaders climb to 83 points and are now waiting for the result of Inter who take the field in Cagliari in the evening postponement. THE CHRONICLE
Milan take leave of their audience in the best way possible in the last match at San Siro of this amazing season. The 73,000 fans chant ‘Pioli is on fire’ and the coach dances on the pitch, cheering with the Curva Sud. All the players go under the Curva to celebrate the very important success and jump to the chorus ‘who doesn’t jump the Nerazzurri is’. Then the sons of Maignan, Kjaer and Giroud try their hand at shots on goal under the Curva Sud that accompanies the feats of the little ones with the wave.
Milan gives themselves the dream of an upcoming Scudetto and does so with a lucid and courageous performance. Waiting for Inter’s response in Cagliari, he teaches a lesson in maturity by overcoming an uncomfortable opponent like Atalanta, who are fighting for a place in Europe. But San Siro doesn’t have the patience to wait and celebrates its players with chants and infinite affection. After a balanced first half, the Rossoneri start in fourth and force the game with two powerful coast to coast bucks by Leao and Theo Hernandez. The organization creates the conditions, but then it is the individual feats that make the difference. The 73,000 of the San Siro are enjoying, this team masterfully led by Pioli is close to accomplishing an amazing feat, a championship 11 years after Allegri’s last.
The situation remains fluid for qualifying for the cups after the defeat of Atalanta. Lazio are on pole and will play tomorrow with Juve like Fiorentina, who will face Sampdoria away from home. Roma have wasted many chances by hitting the crossbar of an already relegated Venice four times and ten. Everything will be decided in the last round. Half truths also in the safety zone: Salerno does not fully exploit the possibility of taking a giant step by letting Empoli reach her. Venice is sadly relegated, Genoa with the ko of Naples is only mathematically still in the game.
Tension sky high on the pitch and in the stands. San Siro offers a superb show, you fight stubbornly but with your head down and with little clarity. Zappacosta bothers Calabria, but Tomori’s closures put Muriel in awe. Leao uninspired in the first half, blocked Giroud well, it was hard to create chances. Maignan foils on Muriel, Giroud protests over a contact with Djimsiti, however outside the area.
But Milan changes pace in the second half and he cooks the Bergamo players on a low heat also because Pioli has the magic wand: after a faded opportunity by Theo Hernandez, he sends Messias and Rebic onto the field and immediately afterwards the Rossoneri pass in the 12th minute. Long throw for Leao who scrapes and sends Koopmeister out of the way, a shot that passes between Musso’s legs and San Siro becomes a bedlam. Atalanta protest against Kalulu’s intervention on Pessina in advance, but Orsato explains to Gasperini that everything is in order. The shot knocks Atalanta down and releases the tension of Milan who doubles in the 30th minute: Krunic recovers a ball, on Theo Hernandez’s wild gallop who puts the turbo, converges from right to left and guesses a diagonal that closes the game.
Atalanta annihilated, Milan in the chair, an audience celebrating because the championship dream is about to come true. Eleven years of intense love, with ups and downs.
Lorenzo Insigne leaves Naples to close as a rich emigrant in Canada and the farewell is intense and well packaged. Touched speech, emotional game, goal n. 122 with repeated rigor, standing ovation at the exit at 87, poignant laps of the field embraced by his children. Napoli dedicates a beautiful scenography to its captain, the team helps him by making a 3-0 which reduces to a flicker the hopes of salvation of Genoa of another ‘urchin’, captain Criscito. Spalletti’s Napoli plays smoothly, he gives himself the final third place with goals also from Osimhen (14 / o) and Lobotka. It is a desperate undertaking to save himself for Genoa. In Naples he fights, he becomes dangerous, but Insigne’s penalty closes the game. Once again it is too heavy to have the worst attack in Serie A. In the quiet Emilian derby, Sassuolo returns the three goals of the first leg to Bologna in a game dominated by the guests who, when they have a good moon, can worry anyone, especially if they are inspired captain Berardi. It is he who makes the difference together with Scamacca who scores a brace reaching 16. One more than Berardi who gives an assist and the valuable double on a scissor kick. Bologna is not celebrating Mihajlovic’s return at home, who admits that his team has pulled the plug. The race for ninth place remains alive with Verona, two points ahead of Turin and Sassuolo.
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