Archive for November 28th, 2008

Filippo Inzaghi sends Milan to the Next Round (UEFA Cup Group Stage, Matchday 3)

Friday, November 28th, 2008

After triple and double wins on Matchday 1 and Matchday 2, the Serie A wave of success came to an halt in the UEFA Cup Group Stage.

With Udinese taking a break this round, both AC Milan and Sampdoria couldn’t do better than 2-2 and 1-1 draws vs. Portsmouth and Stuttgart on Thursday. However, while the Blucerchiati’s future in Europe still remains uncertain, Milan mathematically achieved their ticket to the next round thanks to a dramatic last-minute come-back, courtesy of the one and only Pippo Inzaghi.

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Inter Milan 0-1 Panathinaikos: We Lost, We Qualified, We Got Booed… Inter’s Veni Vidi Vici (UEFA Champions League 2008-09)

Friday, November 28th, 2008

One certainly can’t say Jose Mourinho had not warned his players earlier this week. On paper, a home match to Panathinaikos seemed like an easy routine job for Inter, just the Portuguese manager’s concerns had a strong smell of pre-tactical (José-patented) “mindgames”.

Instead, those concerns were well-founded. This was indeed a tough match to handle for the Nerazzurri but what no one expected above all, was how inherently unmotivated and predictable the Milanese team played tonight. On the positive front for Mourinho, tonight’s tied game between Anorthosis and Werder Bremen effectively qualified Inter for the playoff round, but the Nerazzurri will have to wait matchday 6 to determine first-rank seeding business. And the ride to Germany promises to be a bumpy one.

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