Serie A Reports

AC Milan 2-1 Roma

Ibrahimovic brace saves Rossoneri as Thiago Silva suffers injury

Massimiliano Allegri's team were given a run for their money, but their star striker once again delivered a world-class performance to secure the three points

 

AC Milan made an important step towards defending their Serie A crown as they came back from a goal down to secure a 2-1 win over Roma at San Siro on Saturday.

Pablo Osvaldo opened the scoring in the first half, but the Rossonerri responded with a brace by Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the break as Massimiliano Allegri's team bagged three important points.

AC Milan started the game brightly, dominating possession and pressing the opposition deep in their own half. Urby Emanuelson was the first to threaten Maarten Stekelenburg's goal as in the 8th minute he saw a low shot from the right wing saved by the Netherlands international.

The Rossoneri received some disturbing news as in the 10th minute Thiago Silva was forced to leave the pitch after suffering a muscle injury. This did not stop AC Milan's attacking momentum, however, as Massimiliano Allegri's men were dominating the proceeding.

Ibrahimovic forced Stekelenburg into a fine save in the 11th minute with a powerful free-kick and moments later Stephan El Shaarawy narrowly missed to the left with a skillful volley from inside the penalty area.

The tempo dropped in the following minutes as most of the action commenced in the centre of the pitch. Roma, however, were slowly improving and looked more threatening on the counter by the minute.

In the 40th minute El Shaarawy rattled the post with a superb finish from outside the box, and the rebound fell to Antonio Nocernio, who failed to connect properly with the ball and convert. AC Milan were tightening the grip on Roma, but against the run of play the Giallorossi took the lead.

A long-range strike by Daniele De Rossi was deflected by Osvaldo into the net from just outside the six-yard box as Christian Abbiati was caught by surprise in the 44th minute. The goal meant the Rossoneri had to withdrew at half-time with a one-goal deficit, much to the dismay of the fans and players alike.

The restart saw Roma continue to take advantage of mistakes by AC Milan in the build-up of their attack. In one such instance, Abbiati gifted the ball to Francesco Totti with a stray pass, but luckily for the goalkeeper the Roma veteran could not find the target with his chipped finish.

El Shaarawy saw a powerful shot blocked in the following attack, but the real trouble for the Giallorossi was yet to come. In the 51st minute De Rossi handballed in the box, conceding a penalty, which Ibrahimovic duly converted to draw the game level.

AC Milan continued to press forward in remaining time to the final whistle, but were repeatedly frustrated in their search for a winner. Sulley Muntary struck the bar with a powerful finish, but it was Ibrahimovic who bagged the winner as in the 83rd minute he powered past Stekelenburg and Simon Kjaer to complete his brace and secure the three points.

Following today win, AC Milan are first in the standings with 63 points, while Roma sit sixth with 45. The Rossoneri's next league game is a visit to Catania in a week, while the Giallorossi host Novara the following day.

Juventus 2-0 Inter

Caceres and Del Piero settle Derby d'Italia and close gap to leaders AC Milan back to four points

Goals from the Uruguayan and the Italian veteran after half-time were enough to give the Bianconeri all three points, in what was a captivating encounter in Turin

 

Second-half goals from Martin Caceres and Alessandro Del Piero were enough to give Juventus a 2-0 win over Inter at Juventus Stadium on Sunday.

A header from the Uruguayan defender and a delightful first time finish by the veteran Italian striker gave the Old Lady a valuable win in their hunt to chase down leaders AC Milan at the top of the Serie A table.

With Juventus fresh off the back of that Coppa Italia semi-final aggregate win over Milan on Tuesday, it was clear that Antonio Conte's men were brimming with confidence, and they started the game as such.

The Bianconeri dominated possession in the early exchanges, but were nearly made to rue their lack of chances created on 13 minutes. Maicon made a trademark run down the right, cut inside, found the run of Diego Milito, and played the Argentine forward in on goal. Unfortunately for the Nerazzurri though, the former Genoa striker couldn't make the most of the opportunity, firing his shot straight at Gianluigi Buffon.

Conte's men still had the monopoly on possession, but were now starting to create chances on goal, and they perhaps should have opened up their account on two occasions midway through the half. First, Alessandro Matri had a header from eight yards saved by Julio Cesar, and then just a few minutes later, a low cross from the right found Matri again, but the Italian forward could only hit his shot over the bar.

Claudio Ranieri's side slowly started to impose themselves on the game; putting pressure on Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal. And it was that leg-work that almost led to Inter opening their account for the night.

Dejan Stankovic dispossessed Marchisio in the centre circle, and played a long, diagonal ball to Milito. The Argentine forward brought the ball down superbly, took it into the box, and fired a shot straight at Buffon, only for the ball to arrive back at his feet for a second attempt. Regrettably for the Nerazzurri though, that effort was also missed, and the sides went into the break all square.

The second half began in almost the exact opposite way to the first, with Inter controlling the play but struggling to create any clear-cut chances. Milito was, as usual, full of running, but the Nerazzurri midfield four were finding it difficult to pick out the Argentine forward's darting runs.

That lack of incisiveness came back to haunt Inter on 57 minutes. A corner from the right was whipped in by Pirlo, and the ball found Caceres, who, unmarked inside the six yard box, headed home easily for his first Serie A goal of the season.

The Nerazzurri starting pushing desperately for an equaliser, but all that pressing left them exposed at the back, and Juventus took full advantage on 70 minutes. A delightful through ball by Vidal found the run of Del Piero, who, just inside the area, gently slipped it past the on-rushing Julio Cesar to make it 2-0.

Late chances for Fabio Quagliarella and Giorgio Chiellini almost made the final scoreline even more resounding, but Conte's men had to settle what they had, as they closed the gap on leaders Milan back to four points. Inter remain in eighth, meanwhile, and now trail third-placed Lazio by 10 points.

Source: goal.com

Serie A

Lecce 0-1 Juventus

First-half Matri strike clinches three points for visitors to keep share of the top spot

In a match devoid of much goalmouth action, a scrappy goal from the first-half substitute was enough to secure all three points for the Turin outfit and keep the pressure on Milan

Juventus produced a controlled display to overcome Lecce 1-0 at the Via Del Mare Stadium and keep up with Milan at the top of the Serie A.

Substitute Alessandro Matri's close range header in the 27th minute proved to be enough for the visitors, who never looked in any real danger despite the efforts of their beleaguered hosts, who remain rooted to the foot of the table. 

The first opportunity of the contest fell to the home side, as Guillermo Giacomazzi found himself unmarked from Christian Obodo’s free kick, but his attempt on goal was struck within the grasp of Gianluigi Buffon.

However, despite some encouraging play from Serie A’s last place side, it was Juventus who would strike first in the 27th minute. Mirko Vucinic’s low shot forced Massimiliano Benassi to parry and Matri, on only four minutes earlier after an injury to Fabio Quagliarella, reacted quickest to the rebound to nod the Turin outfit into the lead.

Juventus began to dictate proceedings, holding nearly two-thirds of possession in the opening period. However, Buffon still had to be alert to tip away a rasping drive from David Di Michele from outside the area deep in first-half stoppage time.

Antonio Conte’s men almost doubled their advantage seconds after the restart when Andrea Pirlo released Claudio Marchisio into the area, but Benassi was on hand to thwart the midfielder’s finish.

Lecce were having a tough time creating anything meaningful after the break, but nearly managed an equaliser shortly before the hour mark. A three on three counter attack saw Di Michele completely miscue a shot from an unmarked position 10 yards from goal, before Leonardo Bonucci blocked Luis Muriel’s goal-bound effort at full stretch.

Juventus had further chances for a second as the match reached its closing stages. Arturo Vidal disappointingly looped a shot over Benassi’s goal in the 76th minute after a great feed by Marchisio, before Vucinic flashed a low drive inches wide of the far post two minutes later.

However, they were given a scare with six minutes to go, as Christian Pasquato’s shot flew just wide after a great cross by Djamel Mesbah. It proved to be the closest that the hosts would get to levelling the scores, and Matri fired wide on a late counter-attack as Conte’s men came away with the win.

The result sees Juventus into second place, level with leaders Milan on 37 points. Lecce meanwhile stay bottom of the standings with nine points, three points behind their nearest rivals Cesena.

Atalanta 0-2 AC Milan

Ibrahimovic goal and assist lead Massimiliano Allegri's side to crucial away win

The Swede again proved the Rossoneri's key performer as the Italian champions emerged from the winter break to record a hard-earned win in Bergamo

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one goal and created another as AC Milan held on to top spot in Serie A with a 2-0 victory over Atalanta on Sunday afternoon.

The talismanic Swede opened the scoring 22 minutes into the game in Bergamo after strike partner Alexandre Pato had been felled in the area, and then turned provider for Kevin-Prince Boateng, who sealed victory for the visitors late on with a fine side-footed finish from an Ibrahimovic cut-back.

Both sides played their part in what was an enterprising and enthralling opening to the game but it was Atalanta who had the better early opportunities, with Simone Padoin twice firing over when well placed.

In the first instance, the winger could have been forgiven for his inaccuracy, Padoin getting under the ball as he attempted to test Christian Abbiati with a first-time effort from the edge of the box.

However, he really should have scored when his intelligent run in behind a stagnant Milan defence was picked out by Luca Cigarini’s wonderfully weighted through-ball from a free-kick on the right-hand side. Frustratingly for the home fans, though, Padoin did not even manage to get the ball on target.

Padoin’s profligacy was punished midway through the first half with a goal very much against the run of play.

The ball broke in the direction of Pato in the Atalanta area and, as he cleverly attempted to shield it, the Brazilian forward was needlessly bundled over by Thomas Manfredini.

Ibrahimovic stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick and found the bottom right corner to register his 12th goal of the season.

Milan would have been expected to take control thereafter but, in truth, it was not until the start of the second half that they threatened to add to their lead, Pato striking the post with a near-post effort from Urby Emanuelson’s header.

The let-off sparked Atalanta back into life, though, and Cigarini tested Abbiati with a  well-struck shot from distance before German Denis somehow managed to hit the post from a yard out at the back stick after a corner had been flicked on to him.

However, Milan weathered the storm and then secured the points when Ibrahimovic controlled a raking crossfield pass on his chest before taking the ball to the touch-line and cutting it back for Boateng to score.

The Italian champions remain just ahead of Juventus at the top of the table on goal difference going into next weekend's eagerly-awaited Milan derby.

Source: goal.com

Serie A table

Serie A matches 2 & 3 december

Genoa 0 - 2 AC Milan

Milan overcome tear gas scare to go top

AC Milan had to overcome tear gas at Genoa's Stadio Luigi Ferraris before downing the 10-man home side 2-0 to go top of Serie A.

The match was suspended for over five minutes as tear gas filled parts of the stadium with fans and some players visibly affected by the effects wafting down from the stands.
Local media reports suggest the gas was released by Police to disperse supporters outside of an ageing venue that is perhaps best remembered for hosting several matches at the 1990 World Cup finals.
Most of the home players returned to the refuge of the dressing room before the players re-emerged to begin play with the score level at 0-0.
Milan - dominating possession against a side who have now won only two over their past nine Serie A games - had always looked the likelier side up to that juncture, but had to wait until the 56th minute to make their superiority count when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was taken out by home defender Kakha Kaladze, who was rightly sent off for a second yellow card.
Ibrahimovic sent the home goalkeeper Sebastien Frey the wrong way from the penalty spot before the busy Antonio Nocerino finished off the 10 men when he converted Kevin-Prince Boateng's cross from close range on 79 minutes.
Milan are one point ahead of Juventus, who will regain top place if they defeat Cesena at home on Sunday.
Milan were busy from the opening minutes when Marco Rossi did superbly well to tackle Nocerino as prepared to pull the trigger before the Frey dived bravely at the feet of the midfielder to prevent a certain goal.
Frey kept out a shot by Robinho on 15 minutes with Milan keeper Marco Amelia doing similarly well to swat a wicked free-kick by Miguel Veloso that was dipping under the bar from out wide.
Veloso saw another effort clawed out by Amelia before half-time before Milan assumed control of matters in the second period.
Robinho somehow managed to flick Alberto Aquialni's cross over the bar from two yards out just before the hour mark, but it was never likely to alter the destination of the three points once Kaladze had been sent off.

Source: Eurosport

Inter 0-1 Udinese

Mauricio Isla and Giampaolo Pazzini penalty miss condemn Claudio Ranieri's side to another home defeat

The Nerazzurri's poor home form continued as Francesco Guidolin's Scudetto-chasers emerged winners in a thrilling game, which saw two penalties and two red cards

Udinese grabbed a pulsating 1-0 victory over Inter at San Siro in a fiery match in Serie A, which offered plenty of action and excitement. Mauricio Isla gave the visitors the lead midway through the second half and shortly after, Javier Zanetti was sent off and conceded a penalty, which Julio Cesar managed to save.

Damiano Feronetti received his marching orders late in the game after he brought down Diego Milito in the box, but Giampaolo Pazzini also missed from the spot as both teams finished with ten men and a spurned penalty each.

Inter were the better team in the early minutes of the game as they were superbly shutting out Udinese's midfield and attack. Milito was the first to seriously threaten Samir Handanovic's goal as in the eighth minute but the Argentine sent a volley well over the bar from a difficult angle.

'El Principe' was guilty of another miss later on, when a through ball by Zanetti found the striker in space inside the penalty area, but he once again failed to find the target. Udinese, however, started to wake up from their lethargic start and soon began creating chance of their own.

In the 22nd minute, a good pass by Antonio Di Natale found Isla free in the box, but the Chilean could only strike wide with just Julio Cesar to beat. Inter were struggling to repel Udinese's attacks, which were growing more dangerous by the second.

The visitors' over-eager play, however, was leaving them vulnerable at the back, and on the half-hour mark Thiago Motta nearly put the Nerazzurri in front after a delightful one-two with Milito. 

The two teams continued to trade chances in the second half as shortly after Gabriel Toje had a header saved in the 54th minute, Pazzini missed a similar opportunity on the other side of the pitch.

Still, Udinese's abundance of pace was causing Inter problems and the visitors were finally rewarded for their efforts. In the 73rd minute, a quick break saw Antonio Floro Flores rush between Walter Samuel and Andrea Ranocchia before teeing up for Isla on the right side of the box, and the Chilean made no mistakes with his thunderous finish.

Inter tried to mount a late comeback, but often found themselves exposed on the counter. One such break saw Zanetti foul Kwadwo Asamoah in the box, which resulted in a penalty for Udinese and a second yellow card for the captain. Di Natale, however, saw his spot-kick kept out by Julio Cesar.

Just as things looked hopeless for the Nerazzurri, Feronetti brought down Milito in the box in a moment of madness, which earned him two bookings in two minutes. The drama was completed, when Pazzini skied his penalty over the bar, wasting a chance to earn a point for his team.

This result sees Udinese draw level on 27 points with leaders AC Milan, while Inter sit 15th, four points above the relegation zone but could drop further down after Sunday's round of matches.

Source: goal.com

Tables from last weekend.

La Liga

Premier League

Serie A

Bundesliga

Eredivisie

Decision!

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First of all thanks to all my followers and subscribers.
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