Five of the seven Serie A matches were decided by goals scored deep into stoppage time
Matchday 24 of Serie A confirmed a trend that was already evident, amplifying it to the point of hyperbole: in Serie A, games are increasingly being decided deep into stoppage time.
Setting aside Friday night’s drab 0–0 draw between Verona and Lecce and Inter’s 5–0 rout of Sassuolo, all the other fixtures of the round, spread across Saturday and Sunday, were quite literally decided by goals scored well beyond the 90th minute, proof that added time has now become absolutely crucial.
The ball got rolling with Conte’s Napoli, who won away at Genoa thanks to a penalty (awarded after a VAR review and still heavily debated) converted by Højlund in the 95th minute.
In Fiorentina–Torino, with the Viola leading 2–1 at the 90th minute, it was Maripán’s goal in the Granata’s final all-out push, precisely in the 94th minute, that sealed the 2–2 draw.
Sunday lunchtime’s Bologna–Parma was decided by Ordóñez’s 94th-minute strike, which earned all three points for the visitors and condemned Italiano’s side to yet another defeat, plunging them further into a tunnel that has now lasted over two months and shows no sign of light.
Lecce, on the other hand, managed to emerge from their own tunnel, rediscovering victory after a long drought thanks to a Banda goal that arrived exactly on the stroke of the 90th minute from a free kick. A hugely important goal in the relegation battle, as it keeps Fiorentina three points behind the Apulian side.
To understand the impact of goals in what used to be called the “Zona Cesarini,” it is enough to project the outcomes of the matches in Florence and Lecce, which temporarily reshaped the relegation fight in the standings.
Granted that the matches were played on different days due to the usual, exasperated fixture fragmentation, if we take the 90th minute of both games as a reference, as if they had been played simultaneously, we find that had the matches ended at regulation time Fiorentina would now have two more points and Lecce two fewer.
A four-point swing that makes all the difference in the world, because it would place Fiorentina in fourth-bottom spot (and therefore virtually safe) on 20 points, and Lecce in third-bottom place on 19.
A matchday that exalted the concept of “until the very end,” which gives this editorial its title, could only be sealed (while waiting for today’s postponed fixtures) by a 96th-minute Juventus goal. A club that has turned the motto “Fino alla fine” into a true existential slogan.
Kalulu’s goal quite literally rescued Spalletti’s side at the final assault from a defeat that already seemed written.
By now it is clear: Serie A matches are often decided deep into stoppage time. Which is why it is increasingly important to stay focused when ahead and to keep believing when behind. Until the very end.
L’articolo Until the Very End proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
