The relegation battle heats up
Matchday 25 of the Serie A season has redrawn the league’s landscape. At the bottom, it reopens races that looked almost settled; at the top, it cranks up the intensity of a title fight that refuses to slow down. Fiorentina can breathe again, Lecce get one step closer to safety, and Parma pull clear of trouble. At the other end of the table, Inter and AC Milan keep racking up points, while Roma and Atalanta strengthen their claims in the race for European qualification.
AC Milan edged past Pisa at the Arena Garibaldi-Romeo Anconetani with the composure of a side that knows how and when to strike. It was once again Luka Modrić who settled it late on, keeping the Rossoneri within reach of Inter and extending their unbeaten run to 23 matches, the third-best single-season streak in the club’s Serie A history. Allegri’s men remain unbeaten away from home, a record shared only with Bayern Munich among Europe’s top five leagues. Even after Füllkrug missed from the spot – his second penalty miss of the season – AC Milan stayed in control and steered the match their way, despite a determined Pisa side who had levelled through Loyola in the 71st minute after Atekame and Loftus-Cheek combined in the 39th minute to give the Rossoneri the lead.
At the Sinigaglia in Como, Fiorentina rediscovered both victory and breathing space away from the Franchi after a month. Fagioli opened the scoring before Kean doubled the lead from the penalty spot, netting his first away goal of the season almost nine months after his previous one. Como pulled one back via a Parisi own goal, but it was not enough to prevent only their second home defeat of the campaign. Fiorentina’s second away win in their last three trips underlines renewed efficiency: with 29 goals scored, they boast the strongest attack in the bottom half of the table, level with Genoa.
At the Olimpico in Rome, Atalanta overcame Lazio with authority, their numbers reflecting their impressive start to 2026. Éderson converted his first Serie A penalty, while Zalewski sealed it with a long-range strike — four of his five league goals have now come from beyond the area. La Dea remain unbeaten this calendar year, alongside only Inter and AC Milan, and lead Europe’s top five leagues for clean sheets with six. Lazio, by contrast, have conceded at least twice at home for the fifth consecutive match, losing three of their last five at the Olimpico and slipping further behind in the chase for European football.
At San Siro, the Derby d’Italia was decided by fine margins and raw emotion. For the first time in their history, Inter scored a winning goal against Juventus after the 90th minute, courtesy of Zielinski – his fourth of 2026 – now an indispensable figure in Chivu’s midfield. The Nerazzurri, who had a one-man advantage for most of the match following Kalulu’s dismissal, claimed a victory worth far more than three points. Before that late drama, the match had everything: the constant back-and-forth, Cambiaso’s redemption after his earlier own goal, the youthful spark of Pio Esposito, and a demonstration of Juventus’ attacking depth, with Locatelli’s equaliser making him the Bianconeri’s 17th different scorer this season. At the final whistle, it was Inter who emerged victorious after one of the toughest battles of their campaign.
In Friuli, Solet gave Udinese the lead against Sassuolo, but in the space of 1 minute and 36 seconds Laurienté (55:55) and Pinamonti (57:31) turned the game on its head. The Neroverdi completed another comeback and secured their third win in four matches: no side has picked up more points from losing positions over the last 14 matchdays. Pinamonti ended a 13-game drought with his fifth goal of the season (all scored away from home) and also provided the assist for the opener with a clever backheel. Ulisses Garcia registered his first league assist for the Emiliani. For Udinese, it was a second straight defeat, though Solet remains the centre-back with the most goal involvements in Serie A (7) since his debut in January 2025.
At the Zini in Cremona, the hosts and Genoa settled for a point apiece, more cause for relief than celebration given both sides’ efforts to stay up this season. In a hard-fought but chance-light contest, the decisive moment almost arrived at the death when Bonazzoli struck the post. Cremonese ended a three-game losing run, yet three of the four points collected in their last eleven matches have come from 0-0 draws — a sign of defensive solidity but limited attacking potential. The Grigiorossi boast the best home defence among the bottom half of the league (15 conceded, level with Cagliari), but remain just three points from safety, alongside Genoa.
Parma found timely consistency against Verona, securing back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Goals from Bernabé and Harroui in the first half were followed by Pellegrino’s stoppage-time header – his fourth headed goal of the campaign, level with Lautaro MartÃnez. Since his debut on 22 February 2025, only Budimir has scored more headed goals across Europe’s top five leagues than the Parma striker (six). Verona stay rooted to the bottom, while Parma edge clear of danger thanks once more to Cuesta’s side’s ability to strike late.
Bologna claimed a valuable away win at the Olimpico Grande Torino, ending both a month-long league goal drought and a run of four consecutive defeats. The key phase came within the first 20 minutes of the second half: Vlašić first played a part in the visitors’ opener (credited to Moro), then equalised himself, marking his most prolific Serie A season with six goals. Santiago Castro ultimately settled it, scoring in consecutive away matches and giving Italiano’s side renewed momentum. Torino, meanwhile, suffered their fifth defeat in seven games.
At the Maradona, Napoli and Roma traded blows in a thrilling contest. Donyell Malen confirmed himself as Roma’s standout January signing, scoring his second consecutive brace to reach five goals. Only Batistuta (six) and El Shaarawy had managed at least four goals in their first five Roma appearances in the three-points-for-a-win era. Since his debut on Matchday 21, no player has scored more in the league. Napoli responded each time: first through Spinazzola, now on a personal-best three goals for the season, then via Alisson Santos, the first player to score on his Serie A debut for the club since 13 September 2025. The hosts remain unbeaten when leading, but they have also conceded more penalties than any other side this season. Bryan Zaragoza provided his first Serie A assist, another of the new faces who shaped the weekend.
In the Monday night fixture at the Unipol Domus, Lecce made a crucial move in their bid for survival. Gandelman scored for the second consecutive match, and Ramadani wrapped it up to secure Lecce’s second straight win, the first instance of that this season. Cagliari, struggling in attack, failed to find the net for the second match running and must now begin to worry about their downward spiral towards the lower end of the table.
In the Monday night fixture at the Unipol Domus, Lecce made a crucial move in their bid for survival. Gandelman scored for the second consecutive match, and Ramadani wrapped it up to secure Lecce’s second straight win, the first instance of that this season. Cagliari, struggling in attack, failed to find the net for the second match running and must now begin to worry about their downward spiral towards the lower end of the table.