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Race for the Scudetto: Motta's Bologna stun Mourinho; AC Milan celebrate kid Simic; Gudmundsson stops Juventus

Another weekend of Serie A is behind us, and although there have been a few surprises, there is one fact that seems to repeat itself inevitably: Inter always wins. The Nerazzurri also beat Lazio and took advantage of Juventus' draw against Genoa, thus breaking away in the standings. Jose Mourinho's Roma also fell against his pupil's Bologna. Let's see what happened across Serie A this week:


TEAM OF THE WEEK - INTER MILAN

By now it is not even news anymore, it is simply the rule: Inter always wins, no matter the opponent. Over the last weekend it was Lazio's turn to try ending Inter's run, but even Maurizio Sarri and his guys could not stop Hakan Çalhanoğlu and his teammates.

Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram scored, both strikers at the disposal of Simone Inzaghi, who at the moment is undoubtedly the best Italian coach and among the best in Europe. It is not just a matter of results, though: what is surprising about the Nerazzurri is the very high level of performances that they manage to confirm weekend after weekend.

Not only do they win, but they also play well, very well, so much so that Inter is often a real spectacle for the eyes. Quick plays, vertical passes, always looking for the free player to serve in the spaces and attack the opponent's goal. With the three points earned at Lazio's home, now the Nerazzurri have put their foot on the accelerator and moved to +4 from Max Allegri's Juventus, stalled by Genoa at 1-1. If Inter continue like this, no one will be able to stop them, at least in Serie A.


TEAM PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK - BOLOGNA

Thiago Motta is a constant surprise. His Bologna is almost a perfect machine: they concede very few chances on goal, they manage to create chances with ease, Motta's match preparation is always perfect. So much so that on Sunday, he managed to surprise even Jose Mourinho, his master, who was unable to find a tactical solution during the course of the match.

At the moment Bologna is fourth in the standings, and no it is not a mistake: the 2-0 win over Roma allowed the Rossoblù to make a leap forward in the table and the intention is to continue dreaming of a spot in the next Champions League.

First Nikola Moro's goal, now blossoming under Motta's guidance, then Rasmus Kristensen's unfortunate own goal, that's how the three points came. Regardless of the result, however, what is surprising is the organisation of the game and the team. At times it looked like a top side: so many tactical solutions, so many reasoned countermoves built around the weaknesses of the opposing team. Motta is a master of tactics and match after match he is confirming it.


SURPRISE OF THE WEEK - GENOA vs JUVENTUS

No one really expected this. Not because Alberto Gilardino's Genoa hasn't shown in the past that it can put any team in trouble, but because Juventus seemed to have launched into a tight title fight with Inter.

Instead on Friday came an unexpected pause. The Bianconeri had taken the lead with a penalty earned and then scored by Fede Chiesa (not Dusan Vlahovic, who after a few too many mistakes lost his position as the first penalty taker), but Genoa didn't give up, they never do.

Guess who scored the equalising goal? That's right, always him: Albert Gudmundsson. Gilardino's star, who is now on the notebook of several top European and Italian teams (there is also Roma, which has made a move with the boy's agents). He has yet to find his best form, after being out of action for a long time due to a physical problem, but the Icelandic attacker is really a powerful weapon: he scores in every way, he is always dangerous. If you let him loose or lose sight of him for a moment, you'll have to pick up the ball from the back of the net.

Max Allegri, in any case, failed to get the better of him, this time, and had to surrender to a draw that slowed down the title ambitions for his boys.


PLAYER OF THE WEEK - JAN-CARLO SIMIC

The man you don't expect. He wasn't supposed to play, or at least he wasn't supposed to be a starter, but Tommaso Pobega's injury forced Stefano Pioli to send Jan-Carlo Simic, a central defender born in 2005, onto the field.

He had been highly talked about for a long time, so the chance to show himself among the big boys was expected, but probably not even Jan-Carlo and his family (present at the stadium for the match between Milan and Monza) could imagine or dream of a debut with a goal!

The central defender followed Milan's action and was ready in the middle of the box and with a winning tap-in took advantage of Rafael Leao's assist. An unimaginable joy for the young Simic! Many happy returns!

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Matteo Vitale
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Matteo Vitale

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