The newcomers make their mark on Serie A

A fresh breeze is blowing through Serie A. It came from the transfer window and shook up a 21st Matchday that produced just 14 goals in total, with as many as ten teams failing to score, yet remained rich in narratives, numbers and talking points. The new signings struck straight away: Rafiu Durosinmi became a hero in Pisa by scoring the equaliser on his debut, Donyell Malen took just 26 minutes to announce himself to Serie A in a Roma shirt, while Niclas Füllkrug found his first – and hugely significant – goal in red and black at San Siro.

The other defining feature of the weekend was the goalkeepers, true enforcers of control: Scuffet, Carnesecchi, Falcone, Corvi and Audero turned tight matches into showcases of reflexes and reliability. Looking at the table, Juventus’s charge slowed down after a surprise defeat in Cagliari, Como shocked Lazio at the Olimpico, and at the bottom, Fiorentina drew level with Lecce, rediscovering confidence and breathing space.

At the Arena Garibaldi, the draw was decided late on, but both sides’ hopes for a result were sustained across the full ninety minutes by the gloves of Marco Carnesecchi – whose decisive saves extended Atalanta’s run to seven consecutive first halves without conceding – and Simone Scuffet. The Nerazzurri took the lead in the 83rd minute through Krstović, whose goal extended his unique record: five league goals this season, all scored away from home, more than any other player in Serie A with goals exclusively on the road. Pisa refused to give in and found the right man at the right moment in new signing Rafiu Durosinmi: a classic striker’s header, the Toscans’ second home goal of the season and their first in over two months. An immediate impact just 20 minutes into his debut, earning the fastest-ever PANINI Player of the Match award in Serie A and highlighting Gilardino’s side’s growth.

One moment of pure quality is all Inter needed to conquer Udinese and stay top. In the 20th minute, Lautaro Martínez finished with the outside of his foot after a fine solo move, capped by a backheel assist from Francesco Pio Esposito. The “PiLa” connection between El Toro and the former Spezia man keeps delivering: all three of Pio’s assists this season have resulted in goals from the captain. Lautaro continues to perfect the finer details too, confirming himself as one of Europe’s most complete forwards: he is one of only two players across the top five European leagues to have scored more than three goals with both his right and left foot this season. The win was the Nerazzurri’s 16th across the first 21 matchdays; in the previous five instances of reaching that mark, the Scudetto has always followed. Superstition is allowed.

Napoli claimed a victory built on patience and resilience, where their ability to withstand pressure mattered as much as their attacking quality. Milinković-Savić was called into action repeatedly and responded in style, allowing the Partenopei to stay compact even as Sassuolo raised the tempo. Lobotka’s early strike – his first Serie A goal in 1,251 days, back when Napoli still had only two Scudetti in the trophy cabinet – set the course, but it was Conte’s side’s defensive solidity that proved decisive. Napoli won despite conceding over 20 shots, a rarity in their recent history, rediscovering a home success missing since 7 December and staying firmly within sight of the summit.

A nightmare night for Juventus at the Unipol Domus. The numbers told an almost unreal story: 78% possession, 21 shots and seven on target for Juve, who became the first team in the last 20 years to lose a Serie A match with such statistical dominance. Cagliari struck clinically in the 65th minute through Mazzitelli, scoring his first goal in red and blue, and then ferociously defended their lead. With just two shots in total, the Sardinians returned to winning ways at home after three games and claimed another major scalp, having already stunned Roma.

At the Tardini, the undisputed star was PANINI Player of the Match Edoardo Corvi. The young Parma goalkeeper, born in 2001, delivered an outstanding display, denying Genoa’s clearest chances and earning the Gialloblù a valuable point. It was a game of balance, where defences held and fine margins decided the outcome. Parma remained unbeaten for a third straight match, while Genoa, usually solid away from home, failed to score for only the second time in 11 games under their new management.

Fiorentina continue their upward trend by claiming their first away win of the season, dedicating it to the memory of Rocco Commisso. Mandragora and Piccoli scored in the first half, making Fabbian’s late goal purely consolatory. Gudmundsson shone again, providing an assist and thereby registering a goal involvement for the third consecutive match. La Viola recorded their fourth straight positive result and move towards safety, a sign of renewed continuity and confidence. For Bologna, it marks a sharp home decline: since December, no team has done worse at home, with just one point collected and 16 goals conceded – the worst defence over that period.

Donyell Malen’s Roma adventure got off to the perfect start: a goal on debut after 26 minutes, making him the first Roma forward to score on his first appearance since El Shaarawy in 2016. After the break, a sparkling Paulo Dybala sealed the win, returning to the Serie A scoresheet after more than two months. With that result, Roma make it three wins and three consecutive clean sheets, while Torino lose ground: seven defeats in their last ten matches, the worst run among teams in Europe’s top five leagues over the same period.

At San Siro, Wladimiro Falcone dominated the stage for much of the evening, but it was not quite enough. Lecce’s goalkeeper kept his side alive with a string of outstanding saves, holding off the AC Milan onslaught until the closing stages, but the Salento wall finally fell: Niclas Füllkrug opened his Rossoneri account just 2 minutes and 41 seconds after coming on, heading home from a Saelemaekers assist and becoming only the third German player to score for AC Milan in Serie A, after Bierhoff and Ziege. The Rossoneri extend their unbeaten league run to 20 matches, a streak not seen since Capello’s 1992/93 Milan. Lecce suffer a fourth straight defeat and confirm an unwanted record: eight goals conceded from headers, level with Hellas Verona.

Verona’s survival push slowed at the Zini, where neither side was able to inspire a breakthrough. Audero proved decisive late on, resisting the Scaligeri’s pressure, while Cremonese recorded their sixth clean sheet of the season, confirming their organisation at the back despite failing to score in six of their last seven outings. The 0-0 draw enters the record books: only Parma have more scoreless draws than Cremonese and Verona this season (five to four). Verona avoided a third consecutive defeat and kept a clean sheet for the first time since November.

A magical night for Como at the Olimpico, as they overwhelmed Lazio with sparkling football, inspired by the class of Nico Paz and the brilliance of Baturina. After just two minutes the Croatian opened the scoring, before the Argentine bagged a brace – his first in Serie A – and even came close to a hat-trick, denied only by a Provedel penalty save. Como have now secured three consecutive away wins without conceding, something they had never achieved before in the top flight, scoring three goals each time. It is their tenth clean sheet of the season, fewer only than Inter and Arsenal among the top five leagues. Nico Paz sets a personal best with eight league goals, while the Lariani complete a season double over Lazio with an aggregate score of 5-0.

(Photo Getty Images + LaPresse)