Serie A 2018-19: 5 talking points from Match Day 4

Modified Sep 16, 2018 23:02 GMT

1. Ronaldo fires Juventus to victory over Sassuolo:

Juventus have had a perfect start to the season so far with wins in their first three matches and they faced off against Sassuolo who had not lost a match yet in Serie A this season defeating Inter Milan in the process. Cristiano Ronaldo had so far not scored any goal for his new club and had also requested a break from international duty from Portugal to focus on club football. And Ronaldo did not disappoint as he struck a brace with a close-range tuck in from a rebound and a trademark Ronaldo goal from a brilliant Juve counterattack.

Sassuolo put up a great fight and they were defending physically, but the biggest shock turned out to be a red card for Douglas Costa when he spat on Federico DiFrancesco's face. The next opponents for Juventus would be Valencia where Ronaldo would be looking to continue his goalscoring form in familiar territory at the Mestalla.

2. Ancelotti's Napoli defeats Fiorentina in a close encounter:

Carlo Ancelotti had replaced the outgoing Maurizio Sarri at the end of last season. Sarri had mounted a serious challenge last season and Ancelotti is expected to take them over the line this season.

Napoli had shown great character against Lazio and AC Milan as they came back from behind to defeat both of them. A defeat to Sampdoria seemed to derail their momentum, but Ancelotti's men overcame a gritty Fiorentina side and came out victorious with three points. Lorenzo Insigne was once again the goalscorer who proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Ancelotti will look to continue this form as Napoli will face Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Champions League this week in a very tough group also having Liverpool and PSG.

3. Lackluster Roma was held to a draw against Chievo Verona:

AS Roma, after their brilliant performance leading up to the semifinals in the Champions League last season, did not start the Serie A season in a very convincing manner. They won against Torino but drew against Atalanta while losing in a close match to AC Milan.

Against Chievo, Roma seemed to cruise at the halftime mark with Stephan El Shaarawy and Brian Cristante getting on the score sheet. But a sloppy second half saw them lose two vital points as they conceded two goals and had to settle for a draw.

Roma will have to travel to Real Madrid next to face off in this week's Champions League fixture and would be looking to continue where they left off last season.

4. Inter Milan suffer shock loss to newly promoted Parma:

Inter Milan have not had a great start to this new Serie A season and had lost to Sassuolo earlier in the campaign. In spite of bolstering their squad with the likes of Radja Nainggolan Argentine Lautaro and Martinez, they seem to struggle in terms of scoring goals.

FC Internazionale v Parma Calcio - Serie A

They drew with Torino after being 2 goals ahead and this week as well they could not convert the chances they had throughout the game. They had 28 shots throughout the game which goes on to show that they were unlucky in losing to newly promoted Parma side who took their chances as Dimarco scored in the 79th minute.

Inter's next challenge would be Tottenham in the Champions League as Luciano Spalleti's men would be looking to turn things around.

5. AC Milan comes back from behind to draw at Cagliari:

AC Milan has had a mixed start to the 2018-19 Serie A campaign with a 2-3 loss to Napoli away after leading for the better part of the match and a last-gasp win over Roma. Milan's mixed fortunes continued in their match against Cagliari as well.

Cagliari took the early lead through a Joao Pedro 4th-minute goal and led at halftime. Gennaro Gattuso's men got the scores level in the 55th minute through a Gonzalo Higuain goal. AC Milan still has a lot to improve on this season if they are to catch up with the likes of Juventus and Napoli.

The next match for Milan will be Dudelange of Luxembourg in the Europa league.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.