28 February 2010
CHIEVO 2 (De Paula 33, Granoche 78)
CAGLIARI 1 (Astori 51)
The visitors were caught out by a cleverly worked set piece. Marcolini, standing on the centre circle, launched a free kick into the Cagliari box, Yepes headed the ball across goal and Brazilian striker De Paula beat Marchetti to the ball to score his first Serie A goal. Luciano inadvertently headed on a Marcolini free kick and Astori bundled over the line. Marcolini saw red for a second bookable offence. Nainggolan's Serie A debut lasted less than ten minutes. His first booking, for a supposed elbow, was a joke, and he followed that with a clumsy challenge on Luciano. Granoche grabbed the winner within five minutes of coming on for De Paula. Astori headed a Mantovani cross against a Chievo player, the ball ricocheted off the inside post, off Marchetti, trickled across the goal-line and Granoche beat Ariudo to the rebound.
Attendance : 8,000
Red Cards : Marcolini 60 (Chievo), Nainggolan 71 (Cagliari)
Assists : Yepes, n/a, n/a
GENOA 3 (Suazo 8, Sculli 18, Suazo 38)
BOLOGNA 4 (Busce 11, Adailton 28, Adailton 56, Adailton 79 Pen)
The two teams served up a goal-fest in the pouring rain. Suazo began the scoring after scrambling home from a corner and Busce did the same three minutes later. Palacio was floored in the box as he prepared to shoot, the ball broke for Sculli and his miss-hit shot crept past Viviano. Adailton seized on a mistake by Dainelli, raced upfield and levelled the scores but Suazo put Genoa 3-2 up at half-time after another mistake by the Bologna defence. Five first half goals, zero assists that tells you everything about the first half. Adailton tied the scores for a third time when he knocked a pass outside a defender and shot into the bottom left corner. Viviano made a fantastic save to deny Palacio before Adailton theatrically threw himself over Papastathopoulos on the edge of the box to win a soft penalty. The Brazilian completed his hat-trick from the spot. Sculli had a late chance but he's crap and his shot was deflected to safety.
Attendance : 26,000
Assists : n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a, Adailton (won pen)
LIVORNO 1 (Lucarelli 11 Pen)
SIENA 2 (Calaio 79, Maccarone 91)
Cribari hauled down Lucarelli to concede a penalty which the veteran striker despatched with some force. Livorno were in control but the game turned when Moro lost control of the ball then chopped down Larrondo as he gathered it and attempted to run upfield. Calaio chested down a Vergassola cross then swivelled in the box before firing past Rubinho. Siena's giant Argentinean striker, 6ft 3in Larrondo, missed an open goal and at the other end Livorno should have been awarded a penalty for handball. Maccarone cut in from the left, beat past two players then hammered a right foot shot into the net.
Attendance : 8,000
Red Card : Moro 51 (Livorno)
Assists : Lucarelli (won pen), Vergassola, Tziolis
MILAN 3 (Pato 30, Pato 41, Borriello 61)
ATALANTA 1 (Valdes 56)
Beckham hit a crossfield pass out to defence to Ronaldinho who released Ambrosini on the overlap with a typically flamboyant back-heel and Pato met Ambrosini's cross with a right foot volley which beat Consigli at his near post. Pato lost his balance as he overhit a Ronaldinho pass when attempting to go past Consigli, Bellini slid in with a tackle, kicking the ball in off the Brazilian's chest. Valdes scored a brilliant solo goal, running from his own half and breaking tackles before finishing with a shot inside the right post. Bonera did a parachute dive in the box to win a penalty which Ronaldinho missed but Borriello scored on the rebound. Pato pulled up with what looked to be a hamstring injury and is now a major doubt for Milan's crucial games against Man United and Roma.
Attendance : 38,688
Assists : Ambrosini, n/a, n/a
NAPOLI 2 (Denis 75, Hamsik 90 Pen)
ROMA 2 (Baptista 59 Pen, Vucinic 65)
Both teams shared the spoils in The Southern Derby (Derby del Sud). Baptista maintained his excellent record of conning referees into awarding penalties for theatrical dives and stepped up to convert in Totti's absence. Taddei sent a cross over to the back post, Vucinic brought the ball under control with a chest trap and with Campagnaro slow to make a challenge he curled low past De Sanctis. Denis had come on a minute earlier and flashed a header wide of a post before scoring from a less traditional route with a thumping left foot volley. In stretching to control a cross Denis kicked the ball against Mexes' left hand and referee Rizzoli pointed to the spot, utter bullshit penalty. Hamsik make to mistake to end a miserable week for Ranieri. Milan are up next in a match that will either determine the challengers to Inter or, in the event of a draw, end both teams hopes.
Attendance : 60,000
Assists : Baptista (won pen), Taddei, Rinaudo, n/a
PARMA 1 (Zaccardo 54)
SAMPDORIA 0
Attendance : 18,964
Assist : Dellafiore
UDINESE 2 (Pepe 2, Di Natale 51)
INTER 3 (Balotelli 6, Maicon 21, Milito 46)
Suspensions left Inter with only two recognised defenders and a simple through ball bypassed a poor offside trap, Pepe shot wide of an exposed Julio Cesar. The lead only lasted four minutes. Maicon centred from the right, Balotelli touch one touch before blasting a 25 yard half volley into the net and as good a goal as that was it had nothing on Inter's second. Maicon started the attack with a ball down the channel which released Milito, Milito rolled a centre towards Pandev who lobbed am inch perfect first time pass over to the onrushing Maicon and the Brazilian jumped in the air to slam a right foot volley in off the underside of the crossbar. MAGNIFICENT GOAL. One of the goals of the season. Milito headed in a Balotelli cross to send Inter 1-3 up at half time. Balotelli confirmed his stupidity, as if there was any doubt, by needlessly spiking a free kick. Di Natale converted via a post. Inter sat back and defended as Udinese wasted several chances. With the last kick of the match an Inler shot took a deflection off Stankovic and clipped the top of the crossbar.
Attendance : 20,000
Assists : Di Natale, Maicon, Pandev, Balotelli, n/a
JUVENTUS 0
PALERMO 2 (Miccoli 60, Budan 81)
After an absolutely woeful first half both teams came out with an attacking mindset with Palermo looking considerably more menacing. Miccoli, who Juve failed to take out in the first half following heavy tackles by Candreva and Sissoko, scored another brilliant goal. Liverani flicked on a throw in and from the left hand side of the penalty box Miccoli curled a shot into the top right corner. Juve had a goal disallowed for the faintest of touches by Del Piero, who was standing in an offside position. Fantastic spot by the linesman or ref. Budan scored within a minute of replacing Miccoli. Manninger passed to Grygera and with a Palermo player closing in he decided to pass the ball back only he underhit it terribly and as Budan intercepted and rounded Manninger Grygera turned away in disgust and Budan walked the ball into an empty net.
Palermo, who are dreadful on the road, claimed their third away victory - one of the other two was against Milan. Juve have had lucky breaks from officials in their two games, today their luck ran out. They were beyond awful and had zero invention. Next week they're away to Fiorentina in what will inevitably be an explosive encounter.
Attendance : 18,000
Assists : Liverani, n/a
27 February 2010
CATANIA 4 (Ricchiuti 4, Llama 40, Morimoto 81, Martinez 91)
BARI 0
Ricchiuti exchanged passes with Izco, chased down the ball after a poor first touch and from 20 yards beat a poorly positioned Andujar with a low drive into the corner. Martinez started a counter with a fabulous back-heel through a defenders legs on the half way line, Llama raced upfield, cut in from the left, touched the ball onto his right foot and knocked it forward before whipping a shot inside the left post. Brilliant goal.
Morimoto, once again on as a second half substitute, met an Izco pass with an angled shot wide of the advancing Andujar. Martinez scored a fine solo goal to complete a surprisingly emphatic victory.
Bari will be glad to see the back of February, a month in which they haven't won a single game.
Attendance : 20,000
Assists : Izco, Martinez, Izco, Capuano
LAZIO 1 (Siviglia 7)
FIORENTINA 1 (Keirrison 92)
The Olimpico was deserted as Lazio fans staged a protest against their idiotic owner, Claudio Lotito. Centre back Siviglia gave his side the lead with an extraordinary goal. Ledesma swung in a corner form the left, Siviglia, standing on the left edge of the six yard box, jumped in the air and with the outside of his right foot sent the ball looping over Frey and into the top right corner. In a simply dreadful game Barcelona's Keirrison snatched a point at the death. Jovetic flicked on a Zanetti cross, Keirrison couldn’t control the ball, Marchionni fell as he was tackled and the youngster fired into the right corner.
Attendance : 10,000
Assists : Ledesma (ck), n/a
24 February 2010
FIORENTINA 1 (Gilardino 13)
MILAN 2 (Huntelaar 81, Pato 92)
Gilardino exacted some revenge on his former club with a scruffy goal. Montolivo humiliated Gattuso with some excellent trickery before threading a pass to Vargas, he pulled the ball back to Jovetic and Gilardino got the final touch to the youngster's goalbound effort. Within five minutes of replacing a desperately poor Gattuso THE HUNTER equalised. Fiorentina gave away possession in their own half, Ronaldinho exchanged passes with the Dutchman who broke through Fiorentina's poor offside trap before steering a left foot shot past Frey. Fiorentina were robbed of a penalty at the other end when Thiago Silva was yanking away at Montolivo's shirt before hauling him down, despite the foul Montolivo managed to get off a pass and Keirrison, on loan from Barca, turned and shot but Abbiati denied him with a fantastic save and minutes later flew across his goal to make an unorthodox one handed stop to tip Vargas' shot over via the crossbar. Deep, deep, deep into injury time Fiorentina once again gave away the ball though this time in their box, Ronaldinho nutmegged a defender, lobbed a cross goalwards, Boriello attempted an overhead kick but missed, THE HUNTER couldn't get a touch and Pato steadied himself before slamming a first time shot through Frey's legs. Daylight robbery.
Attendance : 38,389
Assists : Jovetic, Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho
UDINESE 2 (Sanchez 68, Di Natale 70)
CAGLIARI 1 (Jeda 2)
Midget Jeda did it again. Handanovic ran into traffic on a corner but punched the ball away to the relative safety of the edge of the box, Biondini crossed and the unmarked Jeda headed into the net. Sanchez, who has had a poor season, tapped into an empty net after a Cagliari defender collided with Marchetti as he attempted to claim a loose ball. Less than two minutes later Sanchez and Isla combined on the left, Inler cut the ball back to Di Natale and his first time found the bottom corner.
Attendance : 14,000
Assists : Biondini, n/a, Isla