Milan derby: Milan win 1-0 amid controversy over a penalty not awarded to Inter

Returning to the derby, although rich (9 million takings), as a spectacle it was really mediocre. That Milan played like Milan could have been imagined; less so that Inter, although penalised by several important absences (Lautaro, Thuram, Calhanoglu, etc.), allowed themselves to be so easily bridled. It is true that they eventually claimed a fairly obvious penalty (Ricci's hand in the box overlooked by both referee Doveri and the Var), but Chivu's team did very little to trouble the Diavolo, always at ease with these bachelor-and-wife rhythms. Even Dimarco, usually one of the most incisive, went in circles and missed an easy chance. If this was supposed to be Inter's test of maturity, now everything gets complicated. In the last seven derbies, the Nerazzurri have lost five. The other data that hurts is that this year, in addition to the two derbies, Inter have also lost to Juventus and Napoli. A team running for the title must know how to beat direct rivals. Everyone is capable of bullying the weakest. Last note: Lautaro's absence is now being felt.

Good news for Conte's team that, beating the granata, secures the Champions zone. But that's not all: little by little (almost) all the injured players are recovering. Gilmour is back at the helm, Anguissa's power has been restored and De Bruyne is back after a long injury. If we then add that the Brazilian Alisson (author of the 1-0) is more and more decisive in the Parthenopean attack (some venture comparisons with Kvaratskhelia... but it's a reviewable judgement), we can say that things are looking good for the Parthenopeans. It's true that Vergara went off with a foot problem, but Elmas' good performance (he signed the double) made up for Conte's anxieties. D'Aversa's Torino only woke up when the omelette was made. And after having shortened the score with Casadei, they ate the 2-2 with Adams, still rusty after his comeback. Napoli saw the sun, Toro returned to the fog. 14 defeats out of 28 games do not bode well..

Gasperini was disappointed: in fact he took it out on the Var, guilty of not having seen a penalty on Konè ('If the Var didn't see it, change your job'). But the real problem is that the defeat to Genoa comes a week after the shocking 3-3 draw with Juve, which has still not been digested. It's true that the Giallorossi perhaps deserved a draw, but in the first half Roma were hardly ever in the game. De Rossi, on the other hand, did well: not only did he win a crucial victory for salvation, but he also got his former team into trouble, hooked in fourth place by Como and sucked into the Champions League tussle with Juve only a point behind. And next Sunday there is a direct clash, away from home, between Roma and Como. In short, for Gasp, things are getting complicated. The match at Marassi was close and exciting. After Messias' lead (penalty for a foul by Pellegrini), there was an immediate equaliser by Ndicka. The decisive factor was Vitinha, a recent substitute, who, well served by Masini, scored with the Roma defence standing still.

We don't discuss a nice poker. So cheerful faces and best wishes to Luciano Spalletti on his 67th birthday. But one doubt remains: the first half ended 0-0. And a few whistles were already beginning to hiss. But here, in the process, Spalletti came up with a reversal by promoting Yildiz as a false nine and inserting Boga in place of the phantom David. If we then put a bubbly Conceicao, the poker is done: the first to unlock is Cambiaso, who head intercepts a brushstroke of the Portuguese. Here the Pisa yields and it becomes all easy: the 2-0 is of Thuram, the tris of Yildiz, the fourth of Boga on counterattack launch of Locatelli. In conclusion: ok Pisa is last, it is not a probing test. But this Juventus of the second half bodes well for getting back into the Champions zone. Waiting for Vlahovic (in odor of reconfirmation) finally a Juve Saturday. Spalletti is looking for a home in Turin, something must mean something.

Where the game doesn't arrive, the feat arrives: and Fabregas' team, thanks to a strike at the crossbar by Da Cunha, moves ever closer to the Champions League. Cagliari, penalised by many absences, perhaps would have deserved the draw for agonism and will, but the absence of a role centre forward made itself felt. Como, visibly less impetuous than other times, had however unblocked the result with Baturina. But Esposito's equaliser in the second half had deluded the islanders. "For us it was the most difficult victory," commented Fabregas alluding to the grass on the pitch not being cut by the hosts. A pitfall that, however, served little purpose.

Three days before the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Bayern, a comeback draw for the Dea, without four bigs but totally switched off in the first half. Udinese, with several defensive errors, squandered the double advantage (Kristensen 40', David on 55'), deluding themselves that the Bergamasque were now cooked to perfection. Instead, Palladino changed everything and, with 4-2-4, relied on the tandem of Krtosovic and Scamacca. It was a winning idea, because the Italian scored a double header in five minutes to bring the match back to 2-2. "We deserved the victory," Palladino commented, forgetting that, had the Friulians been more astute, it could have ended in a rout.

A fine result for Hellas, who had never won in 2026. A fair result that photographs a match where the hosts, scattered up front, were never able to impose their own rhythm. To speak of a climb back up or a breakthrough in terms of salvation for the Scaligeri is definitely too much, but seven points to be gained is still not an abyss. The hosts' lead through Rowe in the 49th minute was answered by Frese (53rd minute) and Bowie (57th minute). Bologna, eighth with 39 points, lost after five consecutive victories between the league and Europa League, a competition in which they will meet Roma in the round of 16 on Thursday. It is likely that the Italian team already had their minds elsewhere.

What a bad draw! Especially for the Viola, who lost another opportunity to get out of trouble. So much fear, so little determination, the feeling that Fiorentina were fine even with a draw. Of course, now, thanks to Cremonese's defeat against Lecce, the violets leave the third-last place in the table, but how sad. The fans are increasingly disillusioned. Someone in the team perhaps believes that salvation will come by divine grace. The best way to end up in B.

It looks bad for the Lombardy team, which remains alone in third-last place after the salvation play-off with the Salentini. With coach Davide Nicola increasingly shaky. Next Monday Cremonese will meet Fiorentina, another direct rival, but the air is heavy: there is no game, above all there is no will to get out of this drift. The first half was very bad, where only Lecce soon took the lead with Pierotti and Stulic. In the second half, Bonazzoli reopened the challenge after some changes by Nicola. With the four-man defence, Cremonese went better. But after protests from the grigiorossi over a possible penalty foul on Sanabria, the match ended 2-1 with Lecce taking a big step towards safety. 'We have been robbed,' protested Cremonese with some reason.

Today Monday- Sassuolo (20.45)