19 February 2012
LECCE 4 (Muriel 32, Di Michele 68 Pen, Cuadrado 82, Brivio 94 fk)
SIENA 1 (Del Grosso 25)
Angelo swung a deflected cross over to the back post and Del Grosso send a half volley into the corner. Muriel, Lecce's 20 year old Colombian superstar (in the making) - who is actually on loan from Udinese, scrambled in the equaliser. Gazzi sacked Muriel to concede the penalty. Another of Lecce's Colombian forwards, the over dribbling waster Cuadrado scored what is beyond the shadow of a doubt one of the greatest goals ever scored in a domestic league, I say domestic because had we seen this goal on a bigger stage it would be hailed as the best solo goal ever. He intercepted a cross in the middle of his own half, rode a challenge and ran between three players, as he approached the last defender he threw him off with a series of stepovers, the ball took a weird bounced, forcing Cuadrado to change direction, he shaped to go left then angled his body right and ran between two defenders, he sold the goalkeeper a dummy, sending his flat on his arse THEN lobbed into an empty net. UNBELIEVABLE. Brivio smashed in a gorgeous left footed free kick to complete a stunning victory.
I believe Cuadrado dedicated the goal to his mother.
Attendance : 6,500
Red Card : Delvecchio 91 (Lecce)
Assists : Angelo, n/a, Muriel (won pen), n/a, Di Michele (won fk)
CESENA 1 (Pudil 65)
MILAN 3 (Muntari 29, Emanuelson 31, Robinho 55)
Allegri gave a Milan debut to Muntari and he opened the scored with a tap-in after Antonioli, who began his Serie A career at Milan - TWENTY FOUR years ago, spilled a Thiago Silva free kick. Emanuelson, once again starting as trequartista (ugh) finally scored his first Milan goal, having already gone close in the opening minutes. Robinho lead a counter attack and passed to Emanuelson who was standing right of center, Emanuelson knocked the ball forward, as you would in PES, then let rip with a fearsome low drive which crashed in off the right post. The four players who celebrated the goal at a corner flag - Robinho, Emanuelson, Maxi Lopez and Mesbah, that's how much Milan have changed under Allegri. Abate passed infield to Robinho, a great first touch took him inside two defenders and he swept the ball into the bottom corner. Pudil punished Bonera's awful defensive header to grab a consolation goal.
Juventus up next for Milan. Allegri had the luxury of resting Boateng ahead of next weeks 'title decider' against Juventus. If Milan avoid defeat it's very, very hard to see them failing to retain given how Juventus continue to make heavy work of beating the lesser teams and their tougher run in fact for that reason even a loss wouldn't be a fatal blow to Milan's chances.
Attendance : 20,021
Assists : n/a, Robinho, Abate, n/a
GENOA 0
CHIEVO 1 (Thereau 30)
Attendance : 21,000
Assist : Pellissier
NOVARA 0
ATALANTA 0
Attendance : 9,000
Red Card : Pesce 92 (Novara)
Assists : n/a
ROMA 1 (Borini 26)
PARMA 0
Attendance : 29,433
Assist : Gago
PALERMO 5 (Barreto 10, Donati 20, Silvestre 42, Budan 47, Miccoli 51)
LAZIO 1 (Kozak 85)
After embarrassing themselves and Serie A in their mid-week loss to Pathetico Madrid, Lazio were taken out and flogged by Palermo. Barreto fired them in front from the edge of the box. Donati, the same jobber that once played for Celtic, cut in from the left before blasting into the top corner. Silvestre headed in a wicked Miccoli free kick. Barreto played in Budan with a delightful pass inside the left channel and he left the square Lazio defence for dead before slamming a shot in off a post. Miccoli, far more worthy of an Italy call-up than choker Di Natale, put away an Ilicic pass for the fifth. Dirty Dias was sent off for tripping Vazquez. Incredibly it was only his second dismissal in Serie A. Kozak punished a mix-up in the Palermo defence to score for the second successive week.
Attendance : 18,364
Red Card : Dias 74 (Lazio), Reja 83 (Lazio coach)
Assists : Miccoli, Balzaretti, Miccoli (fk), Baretto, Ilicic, n/a
UDINESE 0
CAGLIARI 0
Attendance : 13,000
Assists : n/a
18 February 2012
JUVENTUS 3 (Pirlo 22, Chiellini 74, Quagliarella 81)
CATANIA 1 (Barrientos 4)
Barrientos turned on a Motta pass before catching Buffon by surprise with a curling shot inside the left post. Pirlo equalised with a brilliant free kick into the bottom corner. Both teams hit the woodwork. Juve were heading for another frustrating draw before Motta, on loan from Juventus to Catania, gave them a helping hand by getting himself sent off for an appalling two footed murder attempt at De Ceglie - who missed 8 months of last season with a ligament injury. Kosicky flapped at a Pirlo free kick and Chiellini headed Juve in front. Kosicky made another blunder, driving a goal kick to Pirlo who put in Quagliarella for the third. In the celebrations Juventus reserve goalkeeper Storari jumped into a posse of Juventus players, busting open Quagliarella on the top of his head and Pepe's nose! Only in Serie A.
Attendance : 36,270
Red Card : Motta 65 (Catania)
Assists : Motta, Pirlo (won fk), Pirlo (fk), Pirlo
17 February 2012
INTER 0
BOLOGNA 3 (Di Vaio 37, Di Vaio 38, Acquafresca 85)
Inter actually played well for the opening 36 minutes. Gillet 'the best a man can get' made excellent saves to deny Maicon and Forlan. Bologna worked a short corner, a deflection took the ball towards Perez on the edge of the box and he shaped to shoot before gently passing to the unmarked Di Vaio on the right of the area, he side stepped Nagatomo's sliding tackle by bringing the ball onto his left foot then slammed a shot against the base of the goal to produce a gratifying, bouncing thud. A ball hitting the frame of the goal has to be one of the best sounds in the World. Seconds later Bologna whacked a longball into the Inter half, Ranocchia chested it down - straight to Di Vaio, 0-2. Former Inter owned striker Acquafresca dribbled past three players and like Di Vaio switched the ball between his feet before beating Julio Cesar to complete the thrashing and give Bologna their first away victory over Inter in 14 years.
I was going to comment on Inter but one of the UK Serie A journalists has asked me to write a piece on them so I'll post that at the end of the week.
Attendance : 20,043
Assists : Perez, n/a, Gillet
FIORENTINA 0
NAPOLI 3 (Cavani 3, Cavani 55, Lavezzi 90)
Hamsik took out two defenders with a terrific reverse pass on the edge of the box leaving Cavani with an easy finish. Both teams hit the woodwork but Napoli were terrorizing Fiorentina on set plays. With his back to goal Cavani chested a ball down to Hamsik, three Fiorentina defenders froze, in two minds as to who to pick up, Hamsik gave the ball back to Cavani, who was being played onside by the fourth defender and he waltzed through to score his second. Napoli broke from defending a corner, Grava hit a longball down the left to Lavezzi, he got the jump on Salifu, which isn't as impressive as it sounds as he's also a shortarse, and ran 60 yards downfield before shooting inside the right post. Let's hope they do this to Chelsea.
Attendance : 20,042
Assists : Hamsik, Hamsik, Grava