Calcio 2011-2012

[zocipro]

Originally Posted by master

Serie A: Round 15 Preview

In this penultimate fixtures of 2011, Genoa also looks to bounce back from its midweek defeat with victory over Bologna, while Fiorentina aims to extend its unbeaten home run.


Lazio


PROBABLE LINEUPS


Carrizo
Konko, Diakite, Biava, Stankevicius
Gonzalez, Ledesma, Lulic
Hernanes
Klose, Rocchi


Udinese

Handanovic
Benatia, Danilo, Ferronetti
Basta, Isla, Pinzi, Asamoah, Armero
Floro Flores
Di Natale

Lazio and Udinese recorded a share of the spoils in Serie A on Sunday, after the sides played out a 2-2 draw at the Olimpico.

Antonio Floro Flores broke the deadlock for the visitors midway through the first half, but Senad Lulic and Miroslav Klose put the game in the home team's favor. However, Giampiero Pinzi's late strike ensured the Zebrette left the Italian capital with point.

The match unsurprisingly started in favor of Lazio, as Udinese initially struggled to match the fluency of its host and was forced to settle for a cagey start. Eyebrows were also raised upon the discovery of the team sheets, as Edy Reja opted for a three man back line.

However, the Zebrette worked hard to deny Edy Reja's side from carving out any noteworthy attempts, with only a Cristian Ledesma snapshot to show for their efforts, and they eventually earned a reprieve for their spirited approach on 27 minutes.

Giampiero Pinzi managed to find Giovanni Pasquale in bundles of space down the left side, and the former Inter wing back proceeded to whip an inch-perfect ball onto the head of Floro Flores, who broke through Andre Dias and Stefan Radu to nod home.

Lazio was not prepared to sit back for too long though, as Lulic capitalized on lackadaisical defending from Dusan Basta, who failed to close down his Bosnian counterpart, and struck a low shot past Samir Handanovic with time on his side.

It went from bad to worse for Francesco Guidolin's side after the interval as Tommaso Rocchi glanced a cross into the path of Klose, who slammed the ball on the volley from close range on 51 minutes.

Hernanes' introduction to the match sparked more potential openings for Lazio, which now had the initiative, and he almost made an instant impact upon his arrival after feeding through Klose with a defense splitting through ball, but the German couldn't beat Handanovic one-on-one.

Udinese had an ace in the pack of its own in Antonio Di Natale, who was thrown on by Guidolin, and his fantastic awareness allowed him to find an onrushing Pinzi who charged into the box and slipped the ball under Federico Marchetti to restore parity with 17 minutes spare.

The remaining 15 minutes saw an influx of attacking verve from the home side, but it could not find the elusive winner. Giuseppe Sculli and Rocchi both had great chances to bag the three points for Lazio, but Handanovic was on hand each and every time.

Alvaro Gonzalez could have netted the winner for the Biancocelesti in injury time, but he came agonizingly close from making contact with a low cross in the box, as Lazio sits in fourth place. Udinese, meanwhile, finds itself in third.

[master]

Lazio and Udinese recorded a share of the spoils in Serie A on Sunday, after the sides played out a 2-2 draw at the Olimpico.

Antonio Floro Flores broke the deadlock for the visitors midway through the first half, but Senad Lulic and Miroslav Klose put the game in the home team's favor. However, Giampiero Pinzi's late strike ensured the Zebrette left the Italian capital with point.


The match unsurprisingly started in favor of Lazio, as Udinese initially struggled to match the fluency of its host and was forced to settle for a cagey start. Eyebrows were also raised upon the discovery of the team sheets, as Edy Reja opted for a three man back line.

However, the Zebrette worked hard to deny Edy Reja's side from carving out any noteworthy attempts, with only a Cristian Ledesma snapshot to show for their efforts, and they eventually earned a reprieve for their spirited approach on 27 minutes.

Giampiero Pinzi managed to find Giovanni Pasquale in bundles of space down the left side, and the former Inter wing back proceeded to whip an inch-perfect ball onto the head of Floro Flores, who broke through Andre Dias and Stefan Radu to nod home.

Lazio was not prepared to sit back for too long though, as Lulic capitalized on lackadaisical defending from Dusan Basta, who failed to close down his Bosnian counterpart, and struck a low shot past Samir Handanovic with time on his side.

It went from bad to worse for Francesco Guidolin's side after the interval as Tommaso Rocchi glanced a cross into the path of Klose, who slammed the ball on the volley from close range on 51 minutes.

Hernanes' introduction to the match sparked more potential openings for Lazio, which now had the initiative, and he almost made an instant impact upon his arrival after feeding through Klose with a defense splitting through ball, but the German couldn't beat Handanovic one-on-one.

Udinese had an ace in the pack of its own in Antonio Di Natale, who was thrown on by Guidolin, and his fantastic awareness allowed him to find an onrushing Pinzi who charged into the box and slipped the ball under Federico Marchetti to restore parity with 17 minutes spare.

The remaining 15 minutes saw an influx of attacking verve from the home side, but it could not find the elusive winner. Giuseppe Sculli and Rocchi both had great chances to bag the three points for Lazio, but Handanovic was on hand each and every time.

Alvaro Gonzalez could have netted the winner for the Biancocelesti in injury time, but he came agonizingly close from making contact with a low cross in the box, as Lazio sits in fourth place. Udinese, meanwhile, finds itself in third.

[master]

Juventus defeated Novara 2-0 in Turin on Sunday afternoon as goals from Simone Pepe and Fabio Quagliarella ensured that the home side regained top spot in Serie A.

The Bianconeri took and early lead when Pepe was on hand to finish Paulo De Ceglie's low cross in the third minute, but from there on Juve wasted numerous opportunities before Quagliarella netted his first goal in almost a year in Serie A to ensure his side goes into Wednesday's clash with Udinese top of the league and unbeaten.


The match started at a frantic pace, with the Juventus almost taking the lead inside of two minutes. Quagliarella’s well-timed cut back found Claudio Marchisio on the right side of the area, but the Italy international’s first-time effort flew straight at Samir Ujkani.

Moments later, though, the Bianconeri got their goal. De Ceglie’s low cross went straight across the goal, leaving the on rushing Pepe with a simple finish to put the Old Lady in the driving seat.

With a quarter of an hour gone a great chipped ball from Marchisio fell to Emanuele Giaccherini, but the former Cesena midfielder’s tame shot was easily held by Ujkani.

Just over half an hour in, the home side came close to doubling the lead when Giaccherini’s neat through ball found Alessandro Del Piero on the left side of the box, but the captain's curling strike sailed just past the post.

The second half began with the Antonio Conte’s side still controlling the game, and in the 46th minute Juve again almost doubled the lead when Pepe burst down the right wing before playing in Del Piero with a perfectly weighted pass, but again his curling effort went just wide.

With 65 minutes gone and against the run of play, the visiting side almost pulled back on level terms when another fine cross from Morganella found Raffaele Rubino in the center of the area, but Buffon pulled off a magnificent save to deny the former Perugia striker's low header.

In the 74th minute Juventus finally did doubled its lead. A great corner from the impressive Pepe was met by Quagliarella, whose powerful header flew straight in the top corner to hand the former Napoli forward his first goal of the season.

With just over five minutes to go the home side almost got a third when substitute Alessandro Matri played in Marchisio, but the Italy international’s long range strike was cleared off the line by Massimo Paci.

This result sees Juventus regain top spot in Serie A, and the league leader now faces a difficult trip to Scudetto rival Udinese on Wednesday evening, while Novara welcomes Palermo on the same night.

[master]

AC Milan moved to the top of the Serie A table after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Cagliari at Stadio Sant'Elia on Tuesday night.

A Francesco Pisano own goal and Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike either side of halftime proved enough for Massimiliano Allegri to secure victory against his former club.

And the result ensured that his Milan side would move a point clear of erstwhile table-toppers Juventus, which can, however, retake pole position by defeating third-placed Udinese at Stadio Friuli on Wednesday.

The match had started so brightly for the Sardinians as, with less than two minutes gone, Brazilian loanee Thiago Ribeiro fired an angled drive against the base of Christian Abbiati’s right-hand post after excellent approach play by Andrea Cossu.
However, in what was literally its first attack of the match in the fourth minute, Milan quelled its nerves by taking the lead.

Ibrahimovic dropped deep to pick up possession and then released Robinho with an intelligent through ball. The Brazilian rounded both goalkeeper Michael Agazzi and defender Michele Canini and flashed a low ball across the face of goal, which Pisano turned into his own net under pressure from Antonio Nocerino.

Cagliari refused to allow the goal to dent its confidence, though, and almost restored parity 10 minutes after falling behind when Albin Ekdal forced Abbiati to fly to his right to bat his powerful, swerving drive to safety.

Davide Ballardini’s side continued in this vein for the majority of the first half, with Cossu and Radja Nainngolan driving their team forward. The Belgium international, in particular, seemed intent on drawing his side level, but the accuracy of his shooting failed to match his application as he twice fired wide from the edge of the box.

Milan attempted to put the result beyond doubt with an energetic burst at the start of the second period. Alberto Aquilani passed up an excellent opportunity to double his side’s lead in the 50th minute when he waltzed past Canini and fired straight at Agazzi, who blocked with his feet.

But the second goal seemed inevitable as Milan, although still not quite operating at an optimum level, provided more of an attacking threat – and it duly arrived on the hour mark.

Massimo Ambrosini rolled a simple pass to Ibrahimovic, who instantly flicked the ball to Robinho, fastened onto his strike partner’s headed return and nonchalantly lifted the ball over the advancing Agazzi to make it 2-0.

The second goal knocked the stuffing out of Cagliari, and the match petered to a satisfying conclusion for the new league leader.

Both sides return to action after the winter break on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 8. Milan makes the short journey north east to face Atalanta, while Cagliari has a second consecutive home fixture, as it hosts Genoa.

[zocipro]

Originally Posted by master

AC Milan moved to the top of the Serie A table after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Cagliari at Stadio Sant'Elia on Tuesday night.

A Francesco Pisano own goal and Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike either side of halftime proved enough for Massimiliano Allegri to secure victory against his former club.

And the result ensured that his Milan side would move a point clear of erstwhile table-toppers Juventus, which can, however, retake pole position by defeating third-placed Udinese at Stadio Friuli on Wednesday.

The match had started so brightly for the Sardinians as, with less than two minutes gone, Brazilian loanee Thiago Ribeiro fired an angled drive against the base of Christian Abbiati’s right-hand post after excellent approach play by Andrea Cossu.
However, in what was literally its first attack of the match in the fourth minute, Milan quelled its nerves by taking the lead.

Ibrahimovic dropped deep to pick up possession and then released Robinho with an intelligent through ball. The Brazilian rounded both goalkeeper Michael Agazzi and defender Michele Canini and flashed a low ball across the face of goal, which Pisano turned into his own net under pressure from Antonio Nocerino.

Cagliari refused to allow the goal to dent its confidence, though, and almost restored parity 10 minutes after falling behind when Albin Ekdal forced Abbiati to fly to his right to bat his powerful, swerving drive to safety.

Davide Ballardini’s side continued in this vein for the majority of the first half, with Cossu and Radja Nainngolan driving their team forward. The Belgium international, in particular, seemed intent on drawing his side level, but the accuracy of his shooting failed to match his application as he twice fired wide from the edge of the box.

Milan attempted to put the result beyond doubt with an energetic burst at the start of the second period. Alberto Aquilani passed up an excellent opportunity to double his side’s lead in the 50th minute when he waltzed past Canini and fired straight at Agazzi, who blocked with his feet.

But the second goal seemed inevitable as Milan, although still not quite operating at an optimum level, provided more of an attacking threat – and it duly arrived on the hour mark.

Massimo Ambrosini rolled a simple pass to Ibrahimovic, who instantly flicked the ball to Robinho, fastened onto his strike partner’s headed return and nonchalantly lifted the ball over the advancing Agazzi to make it 2-0.

The second goal knocked the stuffing out of Cagliari, and the match petered to a satisfying conclusion for the new league leader.

Both sides return to action after the winter break on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 8. Milan makes the short journey north east to face Atalanta, while Cagliari has a second consecutive home fixture, as it hosts Genoa.

And will be there until the end of the season !!!

[master]

Siena defeated 10 man Lazio 4-0 at the Artemia Franchi in Saturday evening's Serie A encounter, courtesy of a braces from Mattia Destro and Emanuele Calaio.

The home side began the match brightly, and almost took the lead twice in as many minutes, with Alessandro Gazzi’s long range strike going inches past the post, before Bizzarri pulled off a smart save to deny Emanuele Calaio’s low drive.

Then with just over 10 minutes on the clock, the hosts got their goal through Destro, the on loan striker produced a fantastic run, before firing into the bottom corner from just inside of the area, to give the Bianconeri a deserved lead.

The visitors started to get themselves into the game, and should have been level just before the half hour mark, when a dangerous cross from Lionel Scaloni found Giuseppe Sculli at the back post, but the former Genoa striker blasted way over the bar.



Minutes later though, and the hosts grabbed their second of the night through Calaio’s well taken penalty, after Stankevicius brought down Brienza with a clumsy challenge just inside the box, Calaio stepped up and coolly slotted home to double his sides advantage.

Then just before half time, the Bianconeri were awarded another penalty in bizarre fashion, Destro darted into the area before being brought down by Bizzarri, the striker then rushed to his feet and tap the ball into the empty goal, however the referee ruled out the goal, sent off Bizzarri and awarded the hosts another penalty. Calaio stepped up for the second time of the evening and made no mistake to put his side three up, going into the break.

The second half began with the visitors desperately trying to get back into the game, and in the 48th minute Miroslav Klose almost pulled a goal back, but the Germany international's close range header was just wide of the mark, following a great cross from substitute Alvaro Gonzalez.

The hosts were still controlling the game with Destro looking particularly lively, and in the 69th minute the Genoa owned striker almost doubled his tally with a powerful drive from the edge of the area, but his effort flew just wide.

Then with just over ten minutes to go the home side grabbed their fourth of the evening through the impressive Destro, the former Inter youth rose well to nod home Cristiano Del Grosso whipped cross, to cap off a great night for the Bianconeri.

This result sees Siena pick up its fourth victory of the campaign, and temporarily climb to 16th in the table, the Bianconeri will now hope to build on this result in next weeks clash with Parma, while Lazio who have now failed to win any of their last three league games, will be looking for an improved display when it hosts Atalanta in the next round of Serie A.

[funnyview]

Manchester City have rejected Inter's offer for Carlos Tevez, according to Sky Sport 24.

Inter president Massimo Moratti confirmed earlier on Monday that a €25 million proposal had been faxed to City's headquarters.

It is believed that Inter's offer falls short of City's valuation of Tevez, amid reports that Paris Saint-Germain have offered €30m plus €5m in variables for the 27-year-old.

The cash-rich French club, who missed out on signing AC Milan's Alexandre Pato, are also ready to put together a €10m-a-year deal to convince Tevez to move to the Parc des Princes.

The Argentina international has been frozen out of City's squad after refusing to warm-up during his side's Champions League match against Bayern Munich in September.

[master]

AC Milan has suffered another injury setback with the news that Kevin-Prince Boateng has been ruled out of action for four weeks with a muscular problem.

The Rossoneri released a statement on Monday evening revealing that the versatile midfielder had suffered a thigh injury in Sunday's Serie A clash with Inter and will be sidelined for a month "unless there are complications".

Milan also gave an update on the fitness of goalkeeper Christian Abbiati, who was in obvious discomfort during the Derby della Madonnina.

He is suffering from a muscle strain in his left calf and will be evaluated over the next seven days," the statement read.

The loss of Boateng is a major blow for Milan given that fellow midfielders Gennaro Gattuso and Alberto Aquilani are also out of action at the moment, but the Italian champions have at least signed Genoa's Alexander Merkel on loan until the end of the season.

[master]

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off as AC Milan was held to a 0-0 draw at home to Napoli on Sunday afternoon.

Just when it appeared that the Rossoneri appeared capable of making the breakthrough at San Siro, the Sweden international was dismissed for a petulant slap on Salvatore Aronica.

The hosts threatened on the break thereafter but they were forced to settle for a point by a resolute Napoli side.

When these two sides met at the same venue last season, Napoli failed to register a single shot on goal over the course of the 90 minutes. However, they posed a constant threat this time around.

Indeed, while Milan as expected dominated possession for the majority of the game, it was the Partenopei who looked the more likely to open the scoring during a dire opening period.

Marek Hamsik stung the hands of Christian Abbiati with a powerful strike from distance after being allowed to advance by a lethargic Mark van Bommel, while Ezequiel Lavezzi dragged a shot wide after Philippe Mexes and Ignazio Abate had both failed to cut out Christian Maggio’s cross from the right wing.

Milan, meanwhile, huffed and puffed during the first half but while Urby Emanuelson went close with a half-volley on 28 minutes, the Rossoneri struggled to get in behind the Napoli defense and were left restricted to taking pot shots from distance.

Indeed, Ibrahimovic cut an increasingly disillusioned figure as the half wore on and he took his frustration out on Emanuelson just before the break when the Dutchman failed to provide a decent delivery into the box after finding himself in some space on the right-hand side of the area.

The hosts were forced to replace the injured Abbiati with reserve goalkeeper Marco Amelia during the break but it was clear that Milan’s problems were at the other end of the field.

However, they should have taken the lead five minutes into the second half when Ibrahimovic allowed the ball to run through for Robinho but the Brazilian fired wide from just inside the area with just Morgan De Sanctis to beat.

Seedorf then headed straight at the Napoli goalkeeper after Antonio Nocerino had stood the ball up for him wonderfully well before Ibrahimovic saw his side-footed effort from the edge of the area tipped around the post.

But just when it appeared that Milan was building some momentum, their talismanic Swedish striker was dismissed for sneakily slapping Aronica while pretending to break up a dispute between his teammate and the Napoli center-half.

It very nearly got even worse for the Partenopei on 69 minutes when Ezequiel Lavezzi sent over a terrific cross for Cavani but the Uruguayan headed horribly over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

However, Milan coped quite well with reduced numbers and could even have snatched all three points just before the end but De Sanctis was equal to a well-struck effort from Robinho.

As it was, the Rossoneri claimed a draw which means they remain a solitary point behind leaders Juventus. However, they must now do without Ibrahimovic for their next three league outings, including their meeting with the Bianconeri at San Siro at the end of the month.

[funnyview]

A late goal by Alessandro Matri rescued a point for Juventus after a 1-1 draw with AC Milan in Saturday's top of the table Serie A clash at the San Siro.

A calamitous piece of defending by Leonardo Bonucci gifted Antonio Nocerino an opener in a first half dominated by the home side, which also saw a Sulley Muntari goal questionably not called.

However, Juventus belatedly came alive in the second half, and an equalizer by substitute Matri seven minutes from the end of regulation salvaged a draw, as Artuo Vidal was also sent off on the stroke of injury time for a reckless challenge.
Both sides were clearly not shying away from the occasion in the initial exchanges, with an open game in midfield developing thanks to some sloppy passing by Juventus.

The visiting side was soon made to pay for its carelessness on the ball, after a horror sequence from Bonucci a quarter of an hour in.

Under no pressure, the defender passed the ball straight to the opposition, allowing Nocerino time to stride forward and fire an effort from distance which deflected back off Bonucci, wrong footed Gianluigi Buffon and nestled into the back of the net.

Massimiliano Allegri’s men were in the ascendancy, and should have been 2-0 up after 25 minutes, but for a controversial incident which saw a legitimate goal not given.

Buffon initially did well to parry a header by Philipe Mexes from a corner, but hooked out Sulley Muntari’s rebound with the ball clearly over the line, sparking Milan celebrations.

However, referee Paolo Tagliavento did not signal, and play continued as Juventus immediately stormed down the pitch on the counterattack, with only the fingertips of Christian Abbiati denying Marcelo Estigarribia from range at the end of the move.

Milan was instantly back on the offensive though, as Robinho was put through on goal, but Buffon was quick off his line to thwart the Brazilian expertly from a one-on-one.

The home side was dictating the flow of the game, with Juventus struggling to shift the pressure away from its goal. Artuo Vidal and Mark Van Bommel both flashed efforts wide from outside the box as the half ended with Antonio Conte’s men on the ropes.

Milan continued to find space in and around the visitors’ back line coming out of the break, but lacked the cutting edge of the first half as Buffon remained relatively untroubled.

With the Milan offense seeming somewhat blunted, Juventus slowly grew into the game, and increasingly looked to get shots in on goal as the match crossed the hour mark.

With 68 minutes gone, Andrea Pirlo fed the overlapping Giorgio Chiellini on the left, who in turn teed up Fabio Quagliarella for a shot that was saved superbly by the arms of Abbiati.

Juve thought it had equalized with 10 minutes to go, but Alessandro Matri’s goal was chalked off for an offside on Mirko Vucinic, despite the Montenegrin appearing to be uninvolved in the passage of play.

Matri would get his leveler three minutes later though, after a mistake by Thiago Silva saw Juventus maintain possession and spread the ball wide to Pepe, who crossed for the substitute to volley home.

Conte’s men poured forward for a winner, but their endeavor was halted in the 89th minute after a dangerous challenge by Vidal on Van Bommel saw the Chilean receive a straight red card.

The home side was unable to take advantage of the numerical superiority in the little time that remained, and both teams were forced to settle for a point after a captivating contest.

The result sees Milan move onto 51 points, and maintain its one point lead over Juventus. However, the Turin outfit has the advantage in the title race as it still holds a game in hand.