The Italian call-ups for their upcoming World Cup 2010 Qualifying matches vs. Montenegro (March 28) and Montenegro (April 4) have been revealed. Italy coach Marcello Lippi submitted the list of 23 players to FIFA earlier this week, a list which as usual contains notable absentees and a few surprises.
“A big Blucerchiati slap in the face”: there’s little more to be added for José Mourinho after Coppa Italia’s Sampdoria vs. Inter Semi-Finals match. Thanks to the goal by Cassano, the brace by Pazzini, and the saves of Castellazzi, Sampdoria walked all over their Nerazzurri opponents Wednesday, virtually putting one foot and a half into the big final match in Rome.
After conceding three vs. Roma on Sunday and three vs. Sampdoria yesterday, one has to wonder what on Earth is going through the minds of Inter’s defensive line-up at the moment (and particularly, the man picking them out). It wouldn’t take a big stretch of the imagination to postulate José’s anti-Juve and anti-Roma rant earlier this week, psychologically (and adversely) affected his team’s concentration & tranquillity. Or perhaps was it the team had already their minds set on the UCL return leg vs. Man Utd?
Either way, after taking much time to point out Milan and Roma would finish the season with “zero titles”, Mourinho seems to have thrown one out the window himself. For it is hard to foresee any way in which Sampdoria can blow their 3-0 lead at San Siro in two weeks’ time, so good was the entente between Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini. One was the assist-provider and playmaker, the other the ruthless finisher in front of the net. Comparisons are already being drawn with Vialli/Mancini. Call it coincidence, but the last two times Sampdoria eliminated Inter (1988, 1994) they went on to win the Coppa Italia trophy…
February just isn’t AC Milan’s month. With the exception of a (valuable, but unconvincing) victory obtained against Cagliari, the Rossoneri’s performances since their 3-0 thumping of Lazio have been punctuated by mediocrity. They tied to Reggina, lost the Derby della Madonnina to Inter, and got eliminated from the UEFA Cup. Sunday’s match against Sampdoria marks the latest day of a very rainy month for Carlo Ancelotti, his team decimated by injuries and persecuted by fate.
As for the Blucerchiati, perhaps getting rid of European cup engagements was not such a bad thing. Well rested after skipping their mid-week fixture, Cassano & Pazzini were in fine form to provide the winning goals for their team today.
Italian teams made 4 out of 4 in the UEFA Cup Thursday night. Indeed, in the round just before the Group Stage all four Serie A sides in action recorded first-leg victories, some welcome news after the difficulties Roma and Fiorentina encountered in the Champions League. Uefa.com reports. Partial video highlights here.
Seven-time winners AC Milan are having to adjust to a rare season without UEFA Champions League football (not to mention a terrible start to the Serie A campaign) and they quickly found their feet with a morale-boosting triumph against FC Zürich. Meanwhile Sampdoria were the night’s big winners, hitting five past FBK Kaunas in Genoa, while Napoli held off a spirited Benfica and Udinese impressed in their away win to Borussia Dortmund.
Milan vs. Zürich |
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After opening the Serie A season with successive defeats, Milan lifted their spirits with a convincing win against Zürich. Andriy Shevchenko twice went close for the Rossoneri before playing a part in the opening goal a minute into added time at the end of the first half. Zürich goalkeeper Johnny Leoni saved his shot but Marek Jankulovski was on hand to volley in the rebound.
Zürich striker Alexandre Alphonse’s 66th-minute header hit the post and just seconds after that Alexandre Pato doubled Milan’s advantage with a 25-metre free-kick. Substitute Marco Borriello made it three after being teed up by Shevchenko on 74 minutes, though the Rossoneri’s celebrations were tempered by Dušan Djuric’s 30-metre drive soon after which ensures Zurich return to the Letzigrund with a foothold still in the tie.
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3-1 |
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| GOALSCORERS: 45’ Jankulovski (M), 56’ Pato (M), 73’ Borriello (M), 78’ Djuric (Z). |
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| MILAN (4-3-1-2): Dida – Antonini, Bonera, Kaladze, Jankulovski – Ambrosini (68’ Emerson), Flamini, Seedorf – Kaká – Pato (65’ Borriello), Shevchenko (75’ Ronaldinho). (bench: Kalac, Favalli, Darmian, Gattuso). Coach: Ancelotti. | ||
| ZURICH (4-4-1-1): Leoni – Stahel, Tihinen, Barmettler, Stucki – Djuric, Aegerter, Okonkwo, Alphonse – Abdi (88 Mehmedi), Hassli (77’ Nikci). (bench: Guatelli, Lampi, Koch, Buchel, Sconbachler). Coach: Challandes. |
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Sampdoria vs. Kaunas |
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Emiliano Bonazzoli and Antonio Cassano both scored twice as Sampdoria put one foot in the group stage with a crushing victory against the Lithuanian champions. Bonazzoli broke the deadlock when he headed in Angelo Palombo’s corner (14) and added a second eight minutes later. Cassano got in on the act before the break and scored again 12 minutes into the second half with a fine curling free-kick.
A dire night for Kaunas was compounded when Vytautas Lukša was sent off for a second yellow card with three minutes to play before substitute Bruno Fornaroli headed another in the final minute.
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5-0 |
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| GOALSCORERS: 14’, 21’ Bonazzoli (S), 35’, 57’ Cassano (S), 90’ Fornaroli (S). |
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| SAMPDORIA (3-5-2): Mirante – Lucchini, Gastaldello, Bottinelli – Stankevicius, Delvecchio, Palombo (79’ Dessena), Sammarco, Pieri (46’ Ziegler) – Cassano (59’ Fornaroli), Bonazzoli. (bench: Castellazzi, Franceschini, Mustacchio, Marilungo). Coach: Mazzarri. |
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| KAUNAS (4-5-1): Dreer – Radzius, Baguzis (46’ Rikmevicius), Kancelskis, Manchkhava – Zubavicius, Ivaskevicius (79’ Arouri), Mendy, Zelmikas, Luksa – Ledesma. (bench: Vertelis, Valskis, Fridikas, Cinikas, Mamic). Coach: Couceiro. |
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Napoli vs. Benfica |
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Napoli prevailed in a five-goal thriller at the Stadio San Paolo, but Luisão’s 59th-minute strike to reduce the arrears leaves Benfica well placed for the return. The Portuguese side had appeared in good stead in Italy when David Suazo (16) headed them in front, yet within three minutes goals from Luigi Vitale and German Denis had turned the match on its head.
Both owed much to good fortune and there was more than a hint of luck in Napoli’s third goal ten minutes after half-time too as Léo diverted Christian Maggio’s cross past Quim. Luisão quickly responded, however, to leave the tie in the balance.
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3-2 |
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| GOALSCORERS: 16′ Suazo (B), 18′ Vitale (N), 20′ Denis, 55’ Maggio (N), 60’ Luisão (B). |
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| NAPOLI (3-5-2): Navarro – Santacroce, P.Cannavaro, Contini – Maggio, Blasi (46’ Pazienza), Gargano, Hamsik (76’ Pià), Vitale; Denis (66’ Zalayeta), Lavezzi. (bench: Gianello, Rinaudo, Aronica, Montervino). Coach: Reja. |
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| BENFICA (4-4-2): Quim – Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Sidnei – Urreta (46’ Balboa), C.Martins (56’ Katsouranis), Yebda, Reyes – Di María (63’ Nuno Gomes), Suazo. (bench: Moreira, Amorim, Jorge Ribeiro, Vitor). Coach: Quique Flores. |
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Dortmund vs. Udinese |
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First-half goals from Antonio Floro Flores and Gokhan Inler put Udinese in the driving seat at the Westfalenstadion as the Italian side made the most of some sloppy Dortmund defending to take control of the tie. Floro Flores struck on the break 8 minutes in before Swiss international Inler doubled the advantage when he turned in Simone Pepe’s cross with 34 minutes played.
A young Dortmund side regrouped after the interval but were fortunate not to fall further behind as they pressed for a way back into the tie.
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0-2 |
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| GOALSCORERS: 8′ Floro Flores (U), 34′ Inler (U). |
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| BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-4-2): Weidenfeller – Rukavina, Subotic, Hummels (23′ Santana), Lee – Blaszczykowski, Hajnal (63’ Frei), Kehl, Kringe – Valdez, Zidan (9’ Tinga). (bench: Ziegler, Federico, Klimowicz, Schmelzer). Coach: Klopp. |
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| UDINESE (4-3-3): Handanovic – Ferronetti (83’ Motta), Coda, Domizzi, Lukovic – Inler, D’Agostino, Isla – Pepe, Floro Flores (78’ Quagliarella), Sanchez (68’ Di Natale). (bench: Belardi, Sala, Pasquale, Tissone). Coach: Marino. |
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