Posts Tagged ‘Thomas Schaaf’

AC Milan 2-2 Werder Bremen: Claudio Pizarro Vaporizes Rossoneri’s European Dreams (UEFA Cup Round of 32, 2nd Leg)

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Bremen forward Claudio Pizarro, right, of Peru, scores a goal as AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini looks on during the UEFA Cup, Round of 32, second-leg soccer match between AC Milan and Bremen, at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009. (AP Photo)

Don’t trust the numbers you read between Milan and Werder Bremen in the title: the scoreline may say 2-2 but this was match with only one team on the grass. And it certainly wasn’t the Rossoneri. For not only did Werder fight back from an (undeserved) 0-2 half-time deficit: the German side had literally every other goalscoring chance of the 90 minutes, capitalizing the playmaking skills of Diego and lethal aerial ability of Claudio Pizarro.

The idea of winning the only silverware missing from Milan’s trophy room might have been tempting, but Berlusconi has to come down to the sad reality of things: this is a team in need of change, and team needing change fast. “Experience” and “name prestige” just don’t do it anymore.

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Werder Bremen 1-1 AC Milan: Inzaghi for the Opener, Diego for the Finale (UEFA Cup Round of 32, 1st Leg)

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

AC Milan's (from L) Mathieu Flamini, Clarence Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi and Andrea Pirlo celebrate a goal against Werder Bremen during their UEFA Cup soccer match in Bremen February 18, 2009.  (REUTERS)

In times of fluctuating economy, shifting weather conditions, and Blatter’s opinion of South Africa (“2010, yes or no? Should we stay or should we go?”) there is one global truth we can always be sure of today (and probably for the next 10-20 years to come): there will be goals at Weserstadion. Indeed, no other team epitomizes the lack of defensive effort coupled with goalscoring power better than Werder Bremen, and as expected Wednesday’s Round of 32 UEFA Cup tie vs. AC Milan ended with goals. No shower mind you, just 1-1, but it’s a scoreline which leaves everything open for the return leg in Milan next week.

And since we’re speaking of goals, here’s one guy that’s been scoring lots in the past decade (especially in Europe). Wednesday’s tally marked Filippo Inzaghi‘s 66th goal in European competitions, a brilliant achievement for the Milan striker who got his party spoiled by Werder’s 84th minute equalizer. An equalizer bearing the signature of another player in search of European stardom (especially in the region of Turin): Diego Ribas da Cunha.

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Inter Milan 1-1 Werder Bremen: José Gets First San Siro Boos, Nerazzurri Tied at Home (UEFA Champions League 2008-09)

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

The love-story between Mourinho and Inter has hit its first hurdle. Losing the Milan derby was already a big no-no moment this week-end, but Wednesday’s home draw to Werder Bremen really did not sit well with some Nerazzurri supporters, who did not hide their discontent in the San Siro stands.

And with good reason. Much like their match against Milan, Inter only “woke up” in the final 15 minutes of the match, exhibiting severe deficiencies in terms of character the rest of the time. The “José plan” evidently, still needs to be fully absorbed by some Nerazzurri elements, while the three-pure-strikers attacking formation (with Adriano, Ibrahimovic, and Balotelli) still requires quite a bit of fine-tuning. After UCL’s matchday 2 draw, Inter are left sharing the Group B lead with the surprising Cypriot team of Anorthosis.

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