Gaetano D’Agostino analyzes the Italian teams in European competitions following Inter, Lazio, and Fiorentina’s qualification for the Quarterfinals and Roma’s elimination.
Inter secured their place in the Champions League Quarterfinals with little difficulty by eliminating Feyenoord. Can they aim to win the trophy?
Inter has been capable of reaching the Final for two or three years now because they are a great team. Of course, ahead of them are Arsenal, PSG, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. The Quarterfinal matchup against Bayern will already be extremely tough because the German side is a European powerhouse in great form. All the big teams are moving forward, but Inter is among them and can certainly aim for the Final.
In the Europa League, Roma failed to capitalize on their narrow first-leg advantage and were eliminated, betrayed by an unforgivable mistake from Hummels, who was sent off after just 12 minutes…
Regarding yesterday’s match, Roma’s game lasted only 12 minutes; after that, it became a battle, and unfortunately, when you are down a man, you risk collapsing. It was a shame they conceded a goal in the last second of first-half stoppage time because had they held on at 0-0, with some adjustments, Athletic Bilbao might have become nervous in the second half if they struggled to break the deadlock. Is it Hummels’ fault? It’s natural and inevitable to say yes. Mistakes happen, but in my opinion, his second mistake was the most glaring, given his experience. After gifting the ball to the opponents, he instinctively tried to recover from his technical error but ended up making things much worse. Perhaps he didn’t realize how much space he had behind him and misjudged his position on the field. Acting on instinct, he took down the attacker, who was heading toward goal. Could the referee have avoided giving the red card? I think so because there were still 50 meters between the foul and the goal, but the expulsion was still justifiable.
Lazio and Fiorentina have reached the Quarterfinals in the Europa League and the Conference League, respectively, and are now aiming for the Final…
Regarding Lazio and Fiorentina in the Quarterfinals, Lazio struggled yesterday, just as they did in the first leg. Their side of the bracket is more manageable compared to Roma’s, so theoretically, they have a clear path to the Final. However, in Europe, you always need to play with rhythm and concentration; otherwise, you risk elimination. Fiorentina deservedly advanced in the Conference League, and given the teams still in the competition, I believe they have the potential to go all the way. However, they need more consistency and, most importantly, must concede fewer goals.
