Cagliari Shock Juve As Milan Go Second

Cagliari beat a hapless Juventus 2-0 sending the Bianconeri 8 points adrift of leaders Inter and into third place. Meanwhile, Huntelaar scored twice in injury time to give Milan three points at Catania.

Juventus suffered a shock defeat at Cagliari to see their title hopes recieve another blow. What will worry Ferrara even more is the complete lack of ideas from his team for the second game in a row.

Cagliari deservedly took the lead on the half hour with a 30 yard cracker from Nene. The Brazilian beat Buffon with a thunderous drive into the top corner.

After the break Juve's performance improved a bit but they continued to struggle against a solid Cagliari defence. The final nail in Juve's coffin was sunk in by Matri as Cagliari scored on the counter with ten minutes left.

The loss meant that the Bianconeri slipped to third place before their critical encounter with Inter Milan next week. And they will need to step up their game quite a few notches if they are to seriously challenge for the title.

Cagliari - Juventus (2-0): résumé
by juventusfrcom

Milan Leap To Second

Milan kept their fans waiting till the very end to register a victory over Catania. Klaas Jan Huntelaar was the Rossoneri's rescuer as he opened his account for the club at a decisive time.

Both teams had few chances in the first half as the defences held firm. The second half however was a much more open affair with Milan dominating the chances.

Leonardo showed his Brazilian instincts as he threw on Inzaghi and Huntelaar to accompany Ronaldinho, Pato and Seedorf up front. After the game Galliani joked saying that "4-5-1 formation is the future for Milan".

The move finally paid dividends in the second of injury time when the Dutch forward curled his effort into the far corner. Two minutes later he finished the game off with an immaculate lob.

The win saw them consolidate their return to form. The Rossoneri have now won six of their last seven games in the league and are undefeated in the last eleven games in all competitions.



Inter Bounce Back From Barca Debacle

Inter's midweek defeat to Barcelona was seen by many as a sign f the team's incompetence in Europe. However, the team paid little heed to critics as they outplayed Fiorentina for a 1-0 win.

The league leaders continued their dominance of the SerieA with an accomplished performance. Inter were the better side for major parts of the game and only the excellent Frey made them wait till the 85th minute to open their account.

Inter spurned a host of great chances in the game or were denied by the Fiorentina goal keeper to take the lead. The Nerazzuri did have the ball in the back of the net early in the second half but it was chalked out for a foul.

Gilardino almost won the game for the Viola in the 81st minute as he produced a magical flick to outwit Lucio and Samuel but could only hit the post. Inter were then awarded a penalty when Comotto appeared to bring down Milito in the box.

The Argentine slotted home his ninth of the campaign to give Mourinho something to cheer about. Samuel Eto'o squandered a wonderful opportunity when he was clean through on goal but Frey saved brilliantly yet again.

Genoa Win Derby

The Genovese Derby saw Genoa run out 3-0 winners. The game was hotly contested as usual and ended with only 19 men on the pitch.

Genoa took the lead in the 10th minute after Milanetto converted a penalty. The Grifoni were however reduced to ten men at the end of the half as Biava was sent off for his second yellow.

Ten men Genoa still controlled proceedings and doubled their advantage through Giuseppe Sculli. The numbers were soon even as Marco Rossi recieved his marching orders for Sampdoria after recieving his second caution.

The icing on the cake for Genoa came through another penalty this time converted by Palladino. Sampdoria finished the game with nine men after Cacciatore was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge on Ivan Juric.

The win saw Genoa move up to within a point of Sampdoria who currently occupy the crucial fourth spot.



Round-Up

Roma earned a comeback victory against Atalanta. The Giallorossi fell behind to Ceravolo goal before Vucinic and Perotta put them back in front. The win meant that the Romans climbed into ninth place just 3 points from fourth spot.

In the other games of the week, Palermo lost again despite firing Walter Zenga last week. Chievo ran out 1-0 winners on the day. Lazio also extended their winless streak to 12 games with a 0-0 draw at Bari.

Parma continued their excellent start to the season with a 1-1 draw against Napoli. The equalizer for Parma came through Amorouso from the penalty spot with just five minutes to go after Denis had given Napoli the lead.

Bari maintained their impressive showing with a 2-1 win against Siena. Udinese won the first game on Saturday against Livorno with two unreplied goals.

Atalanta vs Roma 1-2 Serie A 2010 Day 14 Sintesi SKY
by Roma-eterna

©All images are property and copyright of their respective owners. There is no infringement intended of any kind.

Fiorentina - The Sole Italian Bastion

Fiorentina became the only Italian side to book its place in the knockout phases of the Champions League after beating Lyon 1-0. The fate of all the other Italian teams will now be decided only on the final matchday.

Fiorentina's victory meant that Liverpool were sent crashing out of Champions League. The win yet again exemplified Viola's 'European' mentality, a mentality which the other Italian sides seem to lack.

Inter were thoroughly outplayed by Barcelona in a 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou. Mourinho's men had absolutely no answer to Barca's slick passing movement and were found wanting in all departments of the field.

The same could also be said about Juventus who themselves suffered a 2-0 defeat at Bordeaux. The French champions have put up a great display of football throughout the tournament and the victory guaranteed their topspot.

Milan too were extremely lucky to avoid defeat against Marseille. The second half saw the French side being denied a deserved victory as they hit the post twice.

The Italian Struggles In Europe

Last year Italian football was said to have hit a new low after none of the Italian sides made it past the last 16. Inter, Juventus and AS Roma were all dumped out by English sides.

Inter seem to always be suffering from a so-called European curse. The most dominant team in Italy looked completely out of sorts on Tuesday night.

Roberto Mancini was fired because Moratti wanted European glory. But Mourinho's European record is even worse than his predecessor. The Portuguese has won just 3 of the 13 games where he has led the team.

Inter's problem has got to do with confidence levels. The team has not beaten a single European powerhouse in the last six years. They have failed to go beyond the First Knockout phase after 2005/06. Now they need a victory against Rubin Kazan to ensure their progress.

Barcelona 2 - 0 Inter Milan - All Goals & Full Highlights HQ
by FCBarcelona1899ch

Juventus also seem to have been afflicted with this European disease. The team has only won twice and both were hard fought victories against Israeli Maccabi Haifa, a team they are expected to walk over.

Juventus have also seemed very nervous this year when playing in Europe. This was visibly evident in last night's game against Bordeaux.

Whilst watching them in action it almost feels as if the teams are gripped with fear. Passes are all over the place and there is a lack of organisation.

Fiorentina The Fearless

On the other hand we have a Fiorentina a team which is not doing that well in the SerieA but producing great results in the Champions League. Fiorentina's success can probably be attributed to their fearless style of play.

The team is not shy in coming forward. Quick passes, one touch football and shoot at sight are typical characteristics of their game. The type of characteristics which are necessary in Europe.

The other thing the team has which Inter and Juventus lack is speed. Jovetic, Mutu and Marchionni are very fast players and that allows the team to stretch the opposition.


The other feature of this Fiorentina side has been their strong midfield. Inter struggled terribly without Wesley Sneijder and there was no link-up between the midfielders and the attackers. The same is true for Juventus whenever Diego fails to find his footing.

There is also a healthy degree of young blood in the current Viola squad. Players like Jovetic, Marchionni are very keen to impress on the world stage and their desire goes a long way in contributing to the team's success.


Milan Still Italy's Best Bet

However Milan still remain Italy's best chance of European glory. Milan always seem to be able to conjure magical form in Europe.

We already witnessed that in the tie against Real Madrid. The team has what others in Italy lack the belief that they can succeed in the Champions League.

At the start of the season many called it 'The Worst Milan Side In The Past Few Decades'. However, the team's recent performances have revealed the true potential of the side.

Against Marseille the team may have been outplayed in the second half but there were enough chances for the Rossonerri to capitalize earlier.

AC Milan vs Marseille 1-1 09-11-25
by sermon69

One of the most important aspects of the Milan side is that they have a lot of individual talent which the others team lack. As witnessed in Madrid players like Pirlo who are able to single handedly turn a game around make a huge difference.

Similarly Ronaldinho is also finding his form again. Against Cagliari on Sunday, the player had one of his best performances in the Milan shirt.

Alexandre Pato is probably the most talented youngster at the moment in world football. His finishing, his pace, his vision are top quality and that is what provides Milan the thrust to do better than their domestic rivals.

With the final round of matches set to take place in two weeks time there is a strong prospect that four Italian teams will make it to the knockout phases. And this in itself is quite an achievement.

But if an Italian side wishes to win the competition a fair amount of work is still needed to develop the ability to consistently beat Europe's elite.

©All images are property and copyright of their respective owners. There is no infringement intended of any kind.

Italy And Racism - An Ugly History

On Sunday Italy witnessed a new low as racist chants were shouted at Mario Balotelli by Juve supporters at a game the player was not even present.
Racism reared its ugly head in Italy once again at the Juventus-Udinese game. The Old Lady supporters seemed to take sadistic pleasure in belittling Balotelli, an Inter player, who was not a part of the game.

Mario Balotelli is by no means a fan favourite. Even the Inter fans give him the stick sometimes for his 'selfish' play. The player has also come under criticism from his coach.

However, booing and racist chanting are two different things entirely. Last year Juventus was handed a one match stadium ban after their supporters taunted Balotelli incessantly in the Juve-Inter game.

The fans insisted that the chants were not racist but directed at the player's unsporting behaviour and arrogant attitude. But for an onlooker the situation was very clear.

The chants this time round however were not fully racist as the "se saltelli muore Balotelli" translates to jump up and down and Balotelli will die.

On Sunday the crowd was shocking in its conduct as for probably the first time was a player abused in his absence. It seemed the fans were preparing a welcome for the player when Inter visits Juve in two weeks time.

The Juve response

The Juve fans were also taunting two Udinese players . This despite the fact that one of their own, Momo Sissoko, who was making a return after an injury layoff, is black.

Sissoko recieved a very warm reception from the crowd who applauded his substitute appearance. "It's absurd chanting against a player who isn't even on the pitch.I hope certain things won't happen again," he was quoted saying after the game.

Ferrara was slightly more cautious in his reproach of the crowd. "I am against any kinds of insults and racial discrimination but if you go to football matches it shouldn't shock you, these are chants that you hear in all stadiums," he said.

While what Ferrara says is true it would be folly to not study the growing amount of racism in the Italian game. Racism is not a new issue and Balotelli has only served to highlight it.

Balotelli Not The Only Target

Italian fans have rather attained an ominous reputation in recent times. While the Ultras have always been known for their passion, their love for the game has started expressing itself in dark ways of late.

One will remember the rain of flares at the San Siro four years ago during Inter's clash with Milan in the Champions League which was eventually abandoned. That was just the start of a flurry of incidents.

One may also recollect the racist taunting of Marco Zoro in the Inter - Messina game which prompted the player to take the ball and walk off the pitch. It took a huge deal of convincing from the Inter players to get him back on the field.

Clarence Seedorf the Milan playmaker has also been subjected to various taunts in his highly successful career in Italy. The same has been the case with many other black players.


A Problem Not Restricted To Football

The racism issue is not exclusive to football alone. Many in Italy have complained of the growing tensions between locals and immigrants. And it is not just black people that are the victims.

In March this year two Romanian youths were arrested for allegedly raping an Italian teenager in Rome. Il Giornale, a paper owned by Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, was quick to declare "The Romanian beasts have been caught".

In three weeks time it was proved that the Romanians had nothing to do with the crime severely exposing Italy's growing xenophobia.

People of Romanian and Bosnian descent have been labelled as gypsies by most people, but in Italy the problem is even more pronounced. Everyone - a group for international cooperation wrote about this problem recently.

The Italian government faced demonstrations last year in Rome as anti-racist groups took to the streets. There has been a steady escalation in racist attacks around the country and urgent steps need to be taken to curb this growing menace.

He's Still Got It! - Totti Scores A Hat-trick On Return

Francesco Totti proved his value for Roma once again as he scored a hat-trick on his return to the team following a month long lay-off through injury.

'Er Pupone' opened the scoring for the Giallorossi from the penalty box on the 6th minute after Mirko Vucinic was brought down. He then doubled the lead with a well placed free kick on the 14th minute before adding a third on the 28th with a sweet left footed strike from the edge of the box.

Bari's consolation came through a Marco Andreolli own goal. After the game Totti blasted the media saying "Despite my performance, they still continue to say that I am finished. I won't talk to the media for the rest of the day, it would be too easy".

The top four all won their games at the weekend. Inter kicked off at Bologna on Saturday evening and took the lead through Diego Milito from a corner. But their lead didn't last long as Bologna scored straight from kick-off as Zalayeta gathered a long ball and blasted home. Inter spurned a couple of opportunities to retake the lead but eventually did through a Balotelli header.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first with Inter coming at Bologna repeatedly and scored the deserved third goal through Cambiasso. The win ensured that Inter stay five points clear at the top of the table.

Bologna vs Inter 1-3 Serie A 2010 Day 13 Highlights SKY
by Roma-eterna

Inter's closest rivals Juventus and Milan both registered narrow victories to keep up the chase. Milan had the most exciting match of the weekend in a 4-3 victory over Cagliari. Leonardo decided to start with four forwards in Seedorf, Ronaldinho, Borriello and Pato and the move paid rich dividends as all four found the back of the net. But the flipside to playing with the four of them was also evident as the team conceded thrice and it may have been more but for the resurgent Dida.

Milan vs Cagliari 4-3 Serie A 2010 Day 13 Highlights SKY
by Roma-eterna

Juventus however struggled against Udinese who were without star player Antonio Di Natale. The team struggled to find fluidity in their play and Fabio Grosso's solitary goal on the 55th minute earned them a slightly unconvincing win. The game saw the return of Alessandro Del Piero and Momo Sissoko following time on the sidelines due to injuries.

Both the players impressed as substitues and with the Derby d' Italia coming up it will be a welcome return for the Bianconeri. The team had some bad news though as David Trezeguet is expected to be out for 30 days because of a muscular injury he suffered in training.

Fourth placed Sampdoria won for the first time in four games with a hard fought 2-1 win over Chievo. Marco Rossi and Pazzini scored for the Blucerchiati before Mantovani blued one back for Chievo to make for a nervous finish. The win saw them stay in 4th place with 24 points. Rivals Genoa however succumbed to a last minute Pulzetti goal at Livorno as they lost 2-1. The loss sees them drop down to seventh.

The result of the week however was in Florence as newly promoted Parma continued their spectacular start to the season with a highly entertaining 3-2 win. Gilardino opened the scoring for the Viola but Amoruso and Bojinov put the Ducali ahead. Gilardino levelled things for the home side with another header before Lanzafame scored the winner. Fiorentina ended the game with ten men after Donadel was sent off late on. Parma who were relegated last year now see themselves incredibly sitting in fifth place ahead of Fiorentina.

This week promises to be a cracker as Inter take on Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the UEFA Champions League. Stay tuned for coverage.

World Cup Qualifiers Preview : The Final Hurdles

I would like to start off by offering condolences to the family and friends of Robert Enke, the German keeper, who tragically committed suicide this week. Enke was combating with bouts of depression for the past few years and is succeeded by his wife and his adopted daughter. In lieu of his demise the friendly between Germany and Chile scheduled for 14th November has been called off.

The last round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2010 kicks off at the weekend. 23 of the 32 slots have already been booked for the trip to South Africa in the summer and the last 9 will be known to us by Wednesday night. 4 of those 9 spots would be going to European teams who will lock horns with each other in their first leg on Saturday.

IRELAND Vs FRANCE

Ireland were surprisingly one of the five undefeated teams in all of their qualifying games. Trappatoni's side managed to hold world champions Italy in both the home and away legs of their fixtures. The Irish however showed their inability to get a result on numerous occasions in the other games too as they were drew against the likes of Montenegro and Bulgaria. The team's performance particularly against Italy in Dublin was highly praiseworthy and only a last minute Gilardino strike denied them a famous victory. They take on France in the first leg at home and will hope to get a good result in their backyard. The team has always been strong on home soil and has the quality in its ranks to stand up against the French. Trappatoni will use all his wile to ensure that they are in with a fighting chance for the second leg. Robbie Keane will lead the attack and should be most probably accompanied by Kevin Doyle. The important thing for the Irish will be to keep their concentration through the game as they are in the habit of conceding late.

France on the other hand will come into the match in much better form than the one they started their qualifying campaign. Tolouse striker Gignac has proved to be a revelation this season and scored three goals in his last three appearances for the Les Blues. Thierry Henry also seems to be performing much better for the national side and with Madrid striker Karim Benzema too in the squad, the French boast of an attack which will trouble most defences. The goal phobia which the team had contracted in the middle of qualifying, when they scored just five times in five games, was finally in their last two games when they found the net eight times. Against the Irish the strategy has to be to find that decisive away goal. The Irish are terribly goal shy themselves and if they are forced to score in France they will indeed be facing an uphill task. Raymond Domenech despite all his detractors, within the squad and outside, is a master at getting the right results and one can expect the finalists from the last edition to make it through this time as well.

PORTUGAL Vs BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

The Cristiano Ronaldo less Portuguese side will welcome Bosnia in Lisbon for the first leg on Saturday. The Portuguese looked a shadow of the side which impressed in Germany and made it into the play-offs by the skin of their teeths. They have now been greatly helped by Sepp Blatter's decision to seed teams for the play-offs. Carlos Quieroz will have to rethink team strategy a bit because of his captain's absence and also that of Jose Bosingwa, who injured his knee in Chelsea's game against Manchester United. Simao is most likely to take Ronaldo's place and he should play behind Hugo Almeida. The defence will have to be alert against the Bosnians who scored seven times against Estonia during qualifying. It would be rather unwise for the Portuguese to invite the Bosnians on if they are to take the lead.

Bosnia & Herzegovina were quite spectacular in their qualifying campaign. The team from the former Yugoslavia defied all expectations and got second place ahead of the likes of Turkey and Belgium in Group 5. As mentioned earlier the team has no problems scoring the goals and will have Wolfsburg stars, Misimovic and Edin Dzeko, lining up for them. The national team has failed to qualify for any major tournament so far and came closest to qualifying for the European Championships in 2004. In Portugal they face a tough opponent but they have the ability to trouble the big teams as they have displayed in the past. If they can somehow sneak a goal in Portugal they will have a big chance to create history in front of their passionate fans in the return leg at home.

GREECE Vs UKRAINE

This is the third game of the qualifiers and the most unpredictable. Both Greece and Ukraine had decent qualifying campaigns. Greece just missed out by only a point the top spot in Group 2 and Ukraine exhibited glimpses of the form that took them to the quarterfinals of the last World Cup in Group 6. But to put truthfully at the risk of sounding blunt, both these teams look like spent forces. There is no new exciting blood in either side and both of them are still hanging onto the glory days of their old and this is no more evident than in the captains of the two sides. Giorgos Karagounis at 32 and Andriy Shevchenko at 33 are players who have seen the best days of their playing lives well past them. Both teams are however capable of playing some excellent football and one can never discount them. The return leg in Ukraine will be played in freezing conditions and if the tie is balanced after the first leg it will be heavily tilted in Ukraine's favor for the second. The Greeks will be aware of this dilemma and so one can expect to see them attack in the first leg on Saturday. Charisteas and Karagounis will still be the main threats in this Greek side while for Ukraine apart from 'Captain Fantastic', Artem Milevskiy, will be a potent weapon in both games.

RUSSIA Vs SLOVENIA

Like Bosnia, Slovenia too exceeded expectations as they finished second in Group 3 which had Czech Republic and Poland in its ranks. However they will have to really perform out of their socks to beat Hiddink's Russians. The Russian team won many plaudits for its display in the Euros and in particular their performance against the Dutch and the team has continued on from there successfully. The only two losses of their qualifying came against Germany and on both occasions the team fought on right until the end. The first leg in Russia will make life easier for them as they can really exert pressure on Slovenia if they get a good result. The Slovenians will find it hard to overcome this Russian side even on their own territory. Andrei Arshavin should lead his side out and look to translate his domestic form on the international scene as well. To me this one is in no doubt. Russia will book their passage to Africa.