Lazio 3-1 AC Milan:
Lazio soundly defeated Milan at home at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, moving the team up to third place in the table and in qualification for the Champions League while Milan stays centered at 10th place in the table.
Lazio came into the game with a tough one-goal loss to Napoli in a battle for European spots. Both clubs are looking for qualification for the Champions League this season, which will be tightly contested until the very last game. Lazio, despite initial struggles, has rebounded successfully as it has risen to a top three spot in the table, enough for it to qualify for next year’s edition of the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Milan has had a very tough season. After selling many key players over the last few years, it is clearly still in a rebuilding phase as the club tries to have a sustainable economic future. This has been reflected this season as the team has struggled to get out of mid table. Milan lost its last game away from home to Atalanta, further pushing it further into mid table.
Milan opened up the scoring early with a goal from French winger Jeremy Menez. After this goal, however, the game was mostly dominated by Lazio. Lazio rallied from the early goal to score two goals in the second half from Marco Parolo and Miroslav Klose. Lazio then sealed the deal with a late goal from Parolo again. Late in stoppage time, tempers erupted on the pitch as Milan defender Philippe Mexes got a straight red card for provoking Lazio players by attempting to choke Lazio captain Stefano Mauri.
Fiorentina 1-1 AS Roma:
Fiorentina and Roma fought it out to a tough draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence. This result sees Roma drop two points to league leader Juventus, who won this weekend, while Fiorentina stays at sixth place, one place off from Europa League qualification.
Fiorentina has had an up and down season due to the many injuries its key players have face. Star Italian-American forward Giuseppe Rossi has been out with another knee injury, a recurring theme in the player’s career. He has had a history of knee problems dating back to his time at Villarreal in 2012 and has been plagued by them ever since. The club also saw German forward Mario Gomez suffer injuries that have kept him sidelined for huge chunks of the season.
Meanwhile, Roma has had another highly successful season under head coach Rudi Garcia. Roma has been resurgent over the past two years as it has consistently competed for a Serie A title over this course of time. This season has been a two-way battle between Juventus and Roma and will most likely continue until the end of the year.
Fiorentina opened the scoring with German forward Mario Gomez netting a goal in his return from injury in the first half. The ex-Bayern Munich striker managed to make a perfectly-timed run to beat the offside and net a close range goal. Roma equalized in the second half, thanks to a well-passed ball from summer signing Juan Iturbe to ex-Fiorentina man Adem Ljajlic, who refused to celebrate the goal in respect to his former club. Despite further chances for both teams, the match ended in a draw.
