Roma forward, with great merit. De Rossi beats Pioli, replicating the victory at San Siro at the Olimpico so that the Giallorossi’s double success erases any debate on the legitimacy of what was shown by the two matches in 180 minutes. Next up is Roma, which opens up to a season finale that was unthinkable even just two months ago, when the Friedkins decided to break away from Mourinho by taking on the responsibility of calling an almost debutant to the bedside of a wounded team.
De Rossi was very good (officially confirmed as well as by popular acclaim), who after having beaten Pioli in the first leg responded in the first half hour of the second leg, until he played in numerical parity before the red card to Celik. Extremely hard blow, but his team were already ahead with a double advantage built by taking advantage of all the defensive uncertainties of an opponent who had to eat up the pitch and, instead, approached with the same passive attitude as challenge number one.
Liverpool’s elimination at the hands of an extraordinary Atalanta now authorizes forbidden dreams. The semi-final will be against Bayer Leverkusen, dominators of the season in Germany: an almost Champions League test, that achievement which Roma is also earning with the comeback in the championship and which will be facilitated by the result obtained by Italian football which will have 5 teams away thanks to the ranking of this more than positive year.
At Milan, however, we have almost reached the moment of taking stock. The double match with Roma had been designed as decisive for the future of Stefano Pioli, who once again returned to play his chances with two months of high level. The knockout and the way in which he has matured put the coach back in the sights of critics and fans. What does Ibrahimovic think? He will be the one to dictate the ways and times of the restart, but it is clear that the air has become heavy around the man of the 2022 scudetto.
Never in the running for the scudetto, Milan played a good Champions League, emerging (with their heads held high) from the group of death that produced the semi-final between PSG and Borussia Dortmund. However, the Europa League has never been fully up to par, even on nights closed by winning. Then the collapse with Roma which on paper certainly didn’t start with the predictions. There are few cards left to play to write a different destiny. Certainly the derby that can give Inter their second star and a fast championship finish. But it is not certain that it will be enough, even if Pioli’s work was certainly not to be thrown away.
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