Posts Tagged ‘Alexandre Pato’

Siena 1-5 Milan: Super Pippo & The Duck Make Milan… Rock (Serie A Matchday 28)

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

AC Milan's Andrea Pirlo (C) celebrates with his teammates Filippo Inzaghi (L), Pato (2nd L), David Beckham and Paolo Maldini (R) after scoring a penalty against Siena during their Italian Serie A soccer match in Siena March 15, 2009.  (REUTERS)

Yes, I didn’t look for that rhyme very far… sue me for lack of imagination. I stand by it: it’s an appropriate title, and something a bit more original than phrases including “Super Pippo” and “300″.

Milan‘s visit to Siena Sunday was really a one-way encounter for the Rossoneri, who saw the welcome returns of Kakà and Ronaldinho from injury as well as the confirmation that maybe, just maybe (and for one last season), old & new can blend together in this team. On the one hand we have Inzaghi, who followed last week’s Atalanta hat-trick with a brace today, just to confirm that even as a 35 year-old he’s lost nothing of his goalscoring cunning. On the other hand we have Pato, whom Inzaghi has apparently taught well and who quite happily seems be carrying the scoring torch at Milan. With his two goals today (one more spectacular than the other) the “Duck” rises to 14 goals in this Serie A season, just five behind capocannoniere Marco Di Vaio.

Oh, and for those still confused about my “Super Pippo” and “300″ reference: no, this isn’t another Zack Snyder movie. Simply, Serie A goalscorer extraordinaire Filippo Inzaghi just bagged his 300th professional career goal Sunday. Say what want about Inzaghi (he’s always offside, he dives, etc.) but… Mazel Tov! Few people can make that claim about their football career.

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Inter Milan 2-1 AC Milan: ‘How to Put a Scudetto on Ice’ by José Mourinho (Serie A Matchday 24)

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic, left, celebrates with teammate Maicon after scoring, during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and AC Milan and at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009. (AP Photo by Carlo Baroncini)

Temperatura prevista per le 22:30, -11.

Translated: “Temperature forecast for 10:30pm: -11″. Those were the words exhibited by an Inter fan prior to this game, a clever (and prophetic) way to present the 270th Derby della Madonnina, the 56th (and last one) of Paolo Maldini’s career. And surely the Milan captain would have preferred a different outcome than tonight, a 2-1 victory which puts the Nerazurri 9 points above Juventus and 11 points ahead of their cousin rivals.

Too early to say “Scudetto race over”? Maybe, but not many points separate us from that conclusion. In the meantime, Serie A spectators Sunday enjoyed another vibrant, spectacular match, full of intensity and a perfect testimonial for Italian soccer worlwide. With the usual share (can’t do without it) of controversy, from ‘hand arm of God’ goals to non-given penalties.

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Lazio 0-3 Milan: It’s a Beckham-Powered Rossoneri Machine (Serie A Matchday 22)

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

Could this really be possible? Could David Beckham really be the missing piece of the AC Milan puzzle, the piece that so far prevented the Rossoneri from a achieving a consistent string of away victories?

Sunday evening’s match vs. Lazio certainly seems to indicate so, and it was only the umpteenth game in a series of top-notch performances for the Englishman. The term “exceeding all expectations” doesn’t even begin to to decribe the mood at Milanello these days, but suffice to say that Becks not only left his mark on the highlights reel (two very valuable assists to Pato and Ambrosini) but better yet, he didn’t miss a single pass or ball control. Unanimously voted man-of-the-match, it’s no coincidence AC Milan inserted the (soon ex?) Galaxy player into their UEFA Cup list. A strong nudge by Adriano Galliani towards North America…

And just to complete the series of good news for the Rossoneri: they are now sitting second in the rankings, 1 point above Juve and 6 points behind their rival cousins. It’s a bit soon to be talking about “anti-Inter” team again, but what’s certain is that the Serie A race is on now more than ever.

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Juventus 4-2 Milan: The Inter Antidote Is Here, It’s a Black & White Pill (Serie A Matchday 16)

Monday, December 15th, 2008

“Anti-Inter”. A big phrase for Italian newspapers this week-end, as indeed Sunday’s Juventus vs. AC Milan presented itself as a revealing showdown. One to determine the Nerazzurri’s real contender for the Scudetto race, one to decide historical bragging rights between two teams who, in the past two decades, have won more Serie A champions titles than any other team.

Well, at the end of a dramatically intense and exciting match the Bianconeri have claimed those rights, and thus kept within distance of the Inter “enemy”. On Sunday, the Old Lady won thanks to their playing rhythm, the youthful strength of Marchisio, Sissoko and De Ceglie, but also thanks to the exceptional attacking prowess of the Del Piero-Amauri tandem, a tremendous combination of class and power. Milan displayed some pride and quality, but they lacked physical and playing continuity. It was a night in which the absences of Kaká and Gattuso felt very heavy indeed.

Note: I am still without my computer. Right now I can only post through an old Compaq 900 laptop from the pre-war era. For Juve-AC Milan though, some sacrifices have to made. ;)

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Torino 2-2 Milan: Rossoneri “Hand” Granata a Draw… (Serie A Matchday 13)

Monday, November 24th, 2008

What is a handball? What is not a handball? How to define intention? These are just a few of the questions to be raised, once again, after a doubtful night of refereeing in the Serie A. Torino vs. Milan serves as a good example that even an experienced ref like Stefano Farina can sometimes reduce the difference between a good and a bad call to a very thin line.

Was Pratali’s handball on Ronaldinho’s cross a penalty? Was Kaladze’s handball unintentional? The two offenses were probably of equal entity, yet what could have been a nail-in-the-coffin in favor of the Rossoneri rapidly transformed into an equalizing spot-kick for the Granata. All in all, based on both team’s performances tonight, the 2-2 draw was not a scandalous result. Although Khaka Kaladze won’t quite see it the same way…

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