Images via Mikolaj Barbanell/Shutterstock
There was a full day of Serie A action yesterday as the Italian top flight resumed following the break for the World Cup. Read on to find out how the numerous Polish players contributed to the action.
Krzysztof Piątek - Salernitana 1-2 AC Milan
Image via @OfficialUSS1919 on Twitter
Piątek had a mixed bag of a game against his former side, as he never really got the opportunity to have a proper sight of goal with the ball at his feet, save for one opportunity when Fikayo Tomori made up plenty of ground and gave Piątek a light shove to the ground whilst inside the penalty area one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Instead, Piątek was particularly adept and playing his teammates into good positions, not that anything came of it.
Bartosz Bereszyński - Sassuolo 1-2 Sampdoria
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In what might have been his last game for Samp, Bereszyński was able to help them to an important away win as they look to climb out of the relegation places. It was on the right side of the back three that Bereszyński played yesterday, and it was easy to see why Napoli are alleged to be taking him in this window as back-up to Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Jakub Kiwior, Arkadiusz Reca - Spezia 2-2 Atalanta
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Kiwior spent most of the afternoon having a pitched battle with Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojland, and for most of the game had the measure of the young Dane. However, the one occasion when he got the better of Kiwior saw the teenager score, and he grew in confidence and proceeded to get the better of Kiwior once again, although he did enough to put Hojland off as he took the shot.
Reca was in many ways his usual self; full of running and industry but lacking in the technical qualities against his old club. He’s been having a good season, but yesterday was a fairly average performance, and he was substituted in the 67th minute.
Łukasz Skorupski, Nicola Zalewski - Roma 1-0 Bologna
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Skorupski had an early penalty to face from Lorenzo Pellegrini, and having guessed the wrong way could no nothing about it as the ball was slammed into the opposite corner. Skorupski did make a good save early in the second half from Nicolo Zaniolo, but otherwise had little to do.
Zalewski was thrown on for Stephan El Shaarawy for the last half hour, and certainly looked better than he had in the World Cup for Poland. He was tasked mostly with having to defend Roma’s narrow lead, and he did this perfectly serviceably for the most part.
Paweł Dawidowicz - Torino 1-1 Verona
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Dawidowicz missed out on a trip to Qatar, and whilst this was a briefly contentious decision I think we can all agree it’s unlikely he would’ve received much time on the pitch if he had been taken to the tournament. He’s been in-and-out of a Verona side that has been at the wrong end of the table, and is consistently rumoured to be sought by clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League. Dawidowicz was reasonably solid yesterday, and you would imagine he will more “in” than “out” of the Verona side if he stays put. Karol Linetty also made a late substitute appearance in this game, but it was of little note.
Arkadiusz Milik, Wojciech Szczęsny - Cremonese 0-1 Juventus
Images via @juventusfcen on Twitter
Milik and Szczęsny were two of the most senior members of a young Juventus team away at Cremonese. Szczęsny’s blushes were spared early on as he was deftly beaten by a lobbed header, only for the ball to be cleared off the line and the would-be scorer adjudged offside. Milik had a first half lacking in service, as has been the case more often than not in his first few months with Juve.
Juventus were equally as staid in the second half. The home side tested Szczęsny on several occasions, although he managed to fend off most attempts, even if Cremonese hit both posts during the course of the 90 minutes. Milik was doing well holding up the ball and trying to link up play but got few chances to have a strike at goal. That was, until the first kick of stoppage time, when he struck a wonderful free kick that evaded a narrowly built wall. Milik’s strike dipped just before it reached the Cremonese keeper, and came off the post to snatch an important away victory for Juventus. After the strange circumstance earlier in the season that saw Milik robbed of a last minute winner for Juve, it was pleasing to see this one count.
Piotr Zieliński - Inter Milan 1-0 Napoli
Image via @en_sscnapoli on Twitter
Napoli suffered their first defeat of the Serie A season last night away at the San Siro. Zieliński was arguably the only one of Napoli’s usually stellar cast of creators that looked capable of making something happening, which makes it all the more bizarre that he was the first to be taken off after an hour.
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