The Scudetto race may be over, but the pursuit of European competition for next season is not. After Round 28 of Serie A, there are four (arguably five) clubs battling for a top three or top five spot.
It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but AC Milan did their job and got a 2-0 win at Genoa on Friday evening to continue their surge up the table. Their run of form since the end of October has been nothing but extraordinary. If the season started on October 27th, Milan would be top of the table with 41 points and Juventus would be trailing them by four. The Rossoneri have lost just twice in that run, winning 13 of the other 18 games they have played.
Friday was all about one thing; getting the three points. It started off well with the visitors controlling the tempo and eventually finding an opener through Giampaolo Pazzini. Just a few minutes earlier, Daniele Portanova collided with the striker, giving him a knock to his lower leg.
In the 22nd minute, he limped towards the penalty area, received a deflected pass from Mattia De Sciglio, and powered it into the corner. As he always does, Pazzini flashed his “V” with the tongue sticking out as he limped in celebration. That would be all that she wrote as he eventually came off for Mario Balotelli before the end of the half.
Genoa mounted a few opportunities of their own before the first 45 concluded, but nothing came to fruition. The Grifone continued the fast pace in the second interval, but then a familiar face extended the lead for the Diavolo in Balotelli. He had been quiet up until his strike on the hour mark, but Milanisti didn’t care as the Italian international bagged his fifth in five matches (four starts, one substitution) and gave the Milanese side a substantial advantage.
Moments later, the complexity changed again, but it took a turn for the worst for Italy’s hottest team. Kevin Constant, who has shown dramatic improvements over the last few months, picked up a second booking for an altercation with Cesare Bovo following a rash challenge. Luckily, his team held on and earned all three points which catapulted them to third, three ahead of fourth place Fiorentina and just two behind second place Napoli.
Milan faces Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the Champions League on Tuesday. Depending on how that goes, it could be the defining moment of the campaign for a team that was deemed down and out without any hope of European football for next season. How things can change.
Other talking points:
Other results: Atalanta 2-1 Pescara
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