Matchday 11 of Serie A showcased the goalkeepers — decisive across multiple fixtures — as Roma and Inter head into the international break tied at the top of the table.
It was a weekend full of shocks, upsets, and dramatic turnarounds. The biggest collapses came from Juric’s Atalanta, stunned 3–0 at home by Sassuolo, and Conte’s Napoli, soundly beaten 2–0 in Bologna.
The most dramatic twist unfolded in Parma, where Milan, seemingly in control for the entire first half, threw away a two-goal lead and were pegged back to a 2–2 draw, dropping two crucial points in the Scudetto race.
The Derby della Mole also ended goalless — Juventus 0–0 Torino — in large part thanks to goalkeeping heroics from Di Gregorio and Paleari, who both produced decisive saves to preserve their clean sheets.
In fact, this entire matchday belonged to the goalkeepers: three games finished 0–0, with stunning performances between the posts. On Saturday alone, Butez and Caprile shone in Como–Cagliari, followed by Falcone and Montipò in Lecce–Verona.
I’ll admit — after the first four matches of Matchday 11, I feared the worst. With just one goal scored across four fixtures (from Friday night through Saturday afternoon), it looked like another goal-shy weekend in Serie A. Thankfully, the trend reversed that evening with the thrilling 2–2 draw in Parma, which opened the floodgates for a more entertaining Sunday.
From then on, every game produced at least two goals, culminating in the wild 2–2 draw at Marassi between Genoa and Fiorentina — the highest-scoring fixture of the round.
Even amid this rediscovered scoring rhythm, goalkeepers remained in the spotlight — producing world-class saves and writing new stories.
Svilar and Sommer stood tall for Roma and Inter, the two clubs that head into the break as joint league leaders. For Svilar, who celebrated his 100th appearance for the Giallorossi against Udinese, it was yet another display of brilliance. The Belgian-Serbian shot-stopper has firmly established himself as the best goalkeeper in Serie A, anchoring the best defense in Europe (just 5 goals conceded in 11 matches, with 6 clean sheets).
For Sommer, meanwhile, his key interventions against Lazio marked a return to top form after a shaky start to the season.
But the most heartwarming story of the weekend came from Bologna — once again involving a goalkeeper. Massimo Pessina, just 17 years old, was unexpectedly called into action after Skorupski’s injury early in the match. Imagine the nerves: a teenage debut, completely unplanned, against the reigning Italian champions, Napoli.
As the late American sports columnist Sam Silverman once wrote — a line made famous in Italy by Rino Tommasi — “Never spoil a good story with the truth.” And so we’ll happily celebrate Pessina’s fairy-tale debut: a clean sheet, carried off the field in triumph by his teammates amid the Dall’Ara’s roar. Let Conte worry about the truth — the reality of a Napoli side that never showed up, never reacted, and looked lifeless even after falling behind.
More than an analysis, Conte’s postgame remarks sounded like an indictment — fierce, direct, and uncompromising. The next few matchdays after the break will reveal whether his scolding sparks the usual reaction. If not, as the coach himself warned, the reigning champions’ season could be heading for a very dangerous turn.
L’articolo Serie A: On the weekend of the goalkeepers, Roma roar back to the top alongside Inter proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
