13 September 2009

Controcampo replaced Maria Jose Lopez with an absolute knockout of a brunette who it turned out was Melissa Satta who made her name as one of the Veline on the tacky but brilliant Striscia la notizia. Melissa is unrecognisable from Striscia days, she's gained weight and looks a lot better for it. Today she claimed to support Milan which drew a chorus of boos from the studio audience.

GENOA 4 (Floccari 51 Pen, Mesto 55, Crespo 75, Kharja 88 Pen)
NAPOLI 1 (Hamsik 39)

What should have been a fantastic game between two teams with Champions League ambitions was ruined by an absolutely dreadful display of officiating by Tagliavento. Criscito was sent off for an innocuous looking challenge on Maggio, which the ref mistakenly thought was an attempt to stamp on the Napoli midfielder. Quagliarella slipped a ball between two defenders on the edge of the Genoa penalty area to Hamsik, Amelia rushed off his line but Hamsik touched the ball away from him before slotting into the bottom left corner. Campagnaro motioned for De Sanctis to come off his line as he tried to shield back a ball, Sculli, a notorious diver, ran into him and fell over. Campagnaro, who had already been booked, was shown a second yellow and in the sixth minute of first half injury time Floccari equalised.

Genoa goalkeeper Amelia picked out Mesto with a glorious crossfield pass, Mesto juggled the ball off his right thigh and flicked it away from a defender as he ran infield from the left touchline and from 25 yards sent a right foot shot screaming inside De Sanctis' top left corner. Crespo scored a third on the break after the Napoli defence failed to deal with a longball. Palacios looked odds on to score his first Genoa goal but fell under what appeared to be minimal contact from Aronica, queue third red card. Kharja, who gave him the pass, despatched the penalty.

Poor officiating aside Donadoni has no excuse for the way in which Napoli collapsed after Genoa equalised, after all both teams were playing with ten men.

Attendance : 33,000
Red Card : Criscito 27 (Genoa), Campagnaro 49 (Napoli), Aronica 87 (Napoli)
Assists : Quagliarella, Sculli (won pen), Amelia, Palacios, Palacios (won pen)


ATALANTA 0
SAMPDORIA 1 (Mannini 63)

Attendance : 13,000
Red Card : Tissone 52 (Sampdoria)
Assist : Cassano


BOLOGNA 0
CHIEVO 2 (Pinzi 18, Pellissier 30)

Luciano created the first goal with a marauding run down the right, his low centre to Pellissier was parried by Viviano who quickly recovered to brilliantly deny Pinzi on the rebound but the midfielder beat him at the second time of asking Mantovani created Chievo's second with a wonderful piece of skill. He was hugging the left touchline when Morero headed a ball to him, he controlled the ball with his left foot before flicking it over the head of a defender as he cut inside, exchanges passes with Bogdani via a backheel then fired in a low centre which Pellissier met with a crisp first time shot. Great Serie A goal.

Attendance : 14,896
Assists : n/a, Mantovani


FIORENTINA 1 (Gilardino 55)
CAGLIARI 0

Attendance : 23,176
Assist : Vargas


INTER 2 (Eto'o 71, Milito 88)
PARMA 0

Eto'o, guilty of an awful first half miss, stepped inside a defender and from the edge of the penalty area almost nonchalantly curled a right foot shot in off a post. Balotelli, who sparked the Inter attack following his second half introduction, found Milito unmarked in the centre of the box with a brilliant cross, Milito instantly brought the ball under control before flicking it wide of Mirante.

Attendance : 56,000
Assists : Muntari, Balotelli


PALERMO 1 (Budan 91)
BARI 1 (Allegretti 2)

The match kicked-off 20 minutes late due to a waterlogged pitch. Bari took a shock lead when Alvarez's fierce drive from just inside the box rattled against the inside of Rubinho's left post and fell at the feet of Allegretti who was standing unmarked in the centre of goal. Conditions meant both sides were restricted to long range shots and high crosses into the box, a bit like an EPL match. Second half substitute Budan scored a deserved equaliser. He miss-controlled Balzaretti's cross but was quick to turn onto the ball, ran through a tackle and as Gillet came off his line he hooked the ball into the bottom corner.

Attendance : 20,004
Assists : n/a, n/a


SIENA 1 (Maccarone 26)
ROMA 2 (Mexes 73, Riise 90 fk)

Ranieri replaced Spalletti on the Roma bench and brought his stupid offside trap with him. Calaio released Maccarone with a fantastic pass over the Roma defence, Maccarone bore down on goal and turned Mexes inside out though the Frenchman had forced him wide but he scored nonetheless with a violent shot into the roof of the net from an unlikely angle. Totti touched back Pizarro's cross and Mexes bounced a right foot volley into the ground and into the bottom left corner of the net. What he was doing so deep in the opposition half I don't know. Codrea was shown a second yellow for fouling Totti and 10 minutes later the Roma captain won a free kick on the edge of the D. Riise took a run-up before belting the ball into the top left corner. Brilliant strike.

Attendance : 11,000
Red Card : Codrea 79 (Siena)
Assists : Calaio, Totti, Totti (won fk)


UDINESE 4 (Floro Flores 29, Di Natale 55, Di Natale 70 Pen, Di Natale 79)
CATANIA 2 (Domizzi 12 og, Mascara 34 Pen)

In attempting to clear a Morimoto strike Domizzi deflected the ball into his own net. Floro Flores scored a fantastic equaliser. With his back to goal he pulled down Zapata's deflected cross and rifled a volley into the left corner as he turned. Catania went back into the lead from the penalty spot. Di Natale headed in Udinese's second equaliser from substitute Lukovic's corner. The ref awarded his second dubious penalty, Di Natale sent Andujar the wrong way before completing his hat-trick on the counter attack.

Attendance : 15,000
Assists : n/a, n/a, Mascara (won pen), Lukovic (ck), Floro Flores (won pen), Lodi


12 September 2009

LIVORNO 0
MILAN 0

Attendance : 15,982
Assists : n/a


LAZIO 0
JUVENTUS 2 (Caceres 72, Trezeguet 93)

Lazio's chances of maintaining their 100% start to the season were severely compromised by the absence through injury of star men Zarate and Rocchi. Caceres broke the deadlock with a low drive from 10 yards after Marchisio's excellent cross took a double deflection off his team-mates. Juve's injury time second also followed a cross down Lazio's right flank, Siviglia weak headed clearance fell to Amauri who leapt in the air, turned his body sideways and connected with an extraordinary right foot mid-air volley which Muslera brilliantly saved but Trezeguet tapped in the rebound.

Attendance : 60,000
Assists : Amauri, n/a