Summary: In the 18th round of Serie A, Milan struggled and narrowly won at Cagliari (0-1) in the final minutes of the match with a goal scored by Strasser and inspired by the new addition Cassano. With the victory Milan further built up its lead over its top competitors: Lazio (tied up at Genoa with a scoreless tie) and Napoli which lost to Inter (3-1) with its new coach Leonardo taking over after Benitez’s poor showing in Serie A. Besides the win of Palermo, Udinese and Cesena, Roma celebrated a home win against Catania (4-2) coming back from behind. The surprise results of the day was Juventus’ total collapse at home where it was defeated by Parma (1-4) inspired by 2 goals scored by Giovinco (photo).
Spotlight: Milan’s fans were furious to see Leonardo, a former long-time Milan’s player, manager and even its coach last year, now switching side to Inter, the other Milan-based club which is also a top rivalry. It was weird to see Benitez replaced at Inter after winning the Club World Cup but Benitez’s poor showing in Serie A may have compromised the season. Most bitter sweet moment was Giovinco scoring 2 goals against Juventus, its former club which however never really truly believed in its talent.
Results: Bologna – Fiorentina 1-1; Brescia – Cesena 1-2; Cagliari- Milan 0-1; Genoa – Lazio 0-0; Inter- Napoli 3-1; Juventus – Parma 1-4; Lecce- Bari 0-1; Palermo – Sampdoria 3-0; Roma – Catania 4-2; Udinese – Chievo 2-0.
Standings: Milan 39; Lazio 34; Napoli 33; Roma 32; Juventus 31; Palermo 30; Inter, Udinese 26; Sampdoria 23; Genoa, Parma 22; Bologna, Chievo, Catania 21; Cagliari, Fiorentina 20; Cesena 18; Brescia, Lecce 15; Bari 14.
