Goal:

87′ [0 - 1] S. Pepe

Goals:

25′ [1 - 0] S. Bentivoglio (pen.)
30′ [1 - 1] F. Totti
42′ [2 - 1] E. Huseklepp
57′ [2 - 2] F. Totti (pen.)
90′ [2 - 3] A. Rosi

Italian Serie A – Genoa

The Argentine was replaced at half-time in the Grifoni’s 2-1 loss to Roma on Saturday evening and tests on Monday have confirmed that he has suffered a thigh muscle strain in his right leg. The 28-year-old will likely be out of action for up to four weeks, according to La Repubblica.

This comes as a huge blow to Genoa, who have started the 2010-11 campaign in disappointing fashion, sitting in 11th spot in the Serie A table with just eights points from seven league fixtures.

Edinson Cavani scored a controversial goal very early in the first-half but five minutes into the second session Gaetano D’Agostino restored parity. Both sides then had a man sent off as Juan Manuel Vargas was given his marching orders in the 67th minute and seven minutes later Napoli’s Manuele Blasi was forced to go for an early shower.

The first chance of the game fell to Napoli as early as the fifth minute when Cavani placed the ball for Walter Gargano but the latter’s shot went wide.

However, a couple of minutes later the Azzurri did find the Fiorentina net. Andrea Dossena crafted a cross from the left that Cavani struck the crossbar with and, although Sebastien Frey claimed the ball, the officials adjudged that it had cross the line.

Moments later the home side could have equalised when Gaetano D’Agostino invented a brilliant ball for Marco Marchionni but Paolo Cannavaro made a good challenge.

Alberto Gilardino came close to restoring parity for the Viola on 20 minutes but Morgan De Sanctis was aware between the Napoli sticks. Three minutes later Juan Manuel Vargas was denied by Napoli goalkeeper.

Both sides continued to test each other but the next proper chance did not come until the 33rd minute when Dossena, Cavani and Marek Hamsik combined; however, the Slovakian couldn’t keep his final shot on target.

Fiorentina could have forced Napoli to pay for that miss moments later but De Sanctis once again intervened to cut out a D’Agostino ball meant for Marchionni at the far post.

On the stroke of half-time it was Frey’s turn to be the hero as he brilliantly kept out Hamsik to keep it 1-0 to Napoli at the break.

Five minutes into the second-half Fiorentina equalised as Gilardino served a brilliant assist for D’Agostino, whose shot went past De Sanctis into the lower right corner of the Napoli net.

On the hour mark it could have been 2-0 to the Viola had Cristiano Zanetti been more alert. Three minutes later Gilardinho was sent through on goal by Riccardo Montolivo but he couldn’t get past the Napoli goalkeeper in the one-on-one situation.

However, things took a turn for the worse for the Florence-based side as Vargas was sent off in the 67th minute. Hugo Campagnaro and he collided with each other on the left wing and as the former collapsed with his hand clutched to his face in the subsequent confrontation, Vargas was show a direct red card.

But ten minutes later Manuele Blasi was show his second yellow card for a confrontation with Marchionni, meaning it was 10 against 10.

A minute later Montolivo took an attempt on the Napoli goal but De Sanctis made a good diving save.

It eventually finished 1-1 between the two sides in Florence, but neither side will be exceptionally pleased with the outcome. [Subhankar Mondal/Goal]

Fiorentina 1-1 Napoli Highlights [2010-08-29]

The action on the field threatened to be overshadowed by Milan’s blockbusting new loan signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic – but even the Swede, who was watching from the stands, must’ve been mesmerised as Ronaldinho rolled back the years and put in a performance reminiscent of those he used to serve up in his Barcelona heyday.

Alexandre Pato opened the scoring in the 16^th minute with a fine angled drive, but it was his fellow Brazilian who stole the show.

The 30-year-old used his magic to conjure first half goals for Thiago Silva, who scrambled home a corner, and then Pato, who rounded the goalkeeper and rolled into an empty net for his second of the night after he was put through on goal by Ronaldinho’s exquisite slide-rule pass.

The ageless Filippo Inzaghi rounded off the victory when he fired through Antonio Rosati’s legs in the 90^th minute.

There was a real fluency to Milan’s play in the first half as they cut Lecce open almost at will, with Ronaldinho’s incisive through balls and Pato’s electrifying pace particularly terrifying the Lecce rearguard.

The second half was a tamer affair, however.

With the match already won, Milan took their foot off the gas and looked content to pass the ball about rather than go for the jugular and run up a significant score line.

Milan had the ball in the Lecce net in the 60th minute but Marco Borriello’s crisp volley was ruled out for offside.

Then, just three minutes later, fleet-footed substitute Filippo Inzaghi raced on to another visionary pass by the masterful Ronaldinho, but his carefully placed lob hit the post and rebounded to safety.

Lecce, on the other hand, were much improved in the second 45. They saw more of the ball but lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

Their only real chance of note fell to substitute Javier Chevanton, but his curling effort was expertly saved by Christian Abbiati.

Inzaghi completed the scoring with seconds left on the clock to ensure that Massimiliano Allegri’s men would be topping the Serie A table tonight.

Both sides now face a two-week hiatus due to the upcoming international break in which the Azzurri travel to Estonia and then play the Faroe Islands at home.

Serie A action resumes on Sunday, September 12 when Milan will look to build on this win with another three points at Cesena, while the Salentini face an ominous away fixture versus Fiorentina on the same day. [Jonathan Mitchell/Goal]

HIGHLIGHTS

“Milan will keep him,” Ancelotti said.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti also insisted that the style of football in the Premier League is the best in the world and he has settled well into life in London.

The Italian has led the Blues to the Premier League title in his first season in charge and has the chance to complete a double at the weekend when his side face Portsmouth in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

He is in no doubt about the quality of the game in England.

“I feel right at home in London. It’s a question of the atmosphere with regards to games, an absence of pressure and of the involvement of the people, I believe it is the best football in the world.” he said.

Ancelotti also believes that a lot could be learned in his homeland from the way in which managers conduct themselves in England, particularly when it comes to referees.

“If I created controversies after a game here, they would look at me as if I was a Martian, I hope Italy can reach the same sporting culture that we have here.”

Interestingly, Ancelotti also hinted that the summer recruitment at Stamford Bridge would be carefully targeted, as there are also plenty of youth players ready to make the step up to the first team.

“We have a healthy club, without debts and with the possibility to invest,” he explained.

“We just don’t invest for the sake of it.

“We have youth team players who are ready and the first thing we will do will be to promote them.”

By Zack Wilson

The 32-year-old only trained in the gym yesterday due to persistent tendinitis and was left out of Leonardo’s 21-man squad.

The untimely setback means that Brazilian shot-stopper Nelson Dida will be in the starting XI tonight as the Rossoneri look to move back to within one point of leaders Inter, who lost 2-1 to Roma yesterday.

Milan will also be without suspended duo Ronaldinho and Andrea Pirlo, as well as the likes of Alessandro Nesta, David Beckham, Alexandre Pato and Amantino Mancini, who are all out injured.

Milan squad to face Lazio:

Dida, Roma, Abate, Antonini, Favalli, Jankulovski, Kaladze, Oddo, Romagnoli, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Ambrosini, Flamini, Gattuso, Seedorf, Streasser, Borriello, Huntelaar, Inzaghi, Verdi, Zigoni – goal

The match was held at the Giuseppe Meazza. Inter, who needed victory to strengthen their position at the top table, dominated ball possesion , 52 to 48 percent of Genoa’s. Soccernet data recorded 11 shots from Inter and only seven from Genoa.

Inter are now still four points ahead of Milan in the second position and seven from Roma who are in third place. Meanwhile Il Grifone are stuck in ninth position with 39 points.

Despite playing away, Genoa took the initiative to attack first. In the first eight minutes, Domenico Cristico and Salvatore Bochetti made some good scoring chances for Genoa, but none could beat Julio Cesar.

Inter had their chance in the 10th minute through by Sulley Muntari’s hard shot from outside the box but just couldn’t find the target. Ten minutes later Muntari saw his shot just wide.

Genoa got a another scoring opportunity in the 24th minute through David Suazo after receiving a pass from Alberto Zapater. However, the shot was blocked. Zapater’s long-distance shot in the 32nd minute once again was wide.

Dejan Stankovic almost beat Marco Amelia but his shot to the top right corner was blocked by the keeper. A minute later Wesley Sneijder failed to convert his chance into goal.

Six minutes after the break, Inter launched a counter-attack as Diego Milito went by two opposing players in the penalty box, but Milito shoots the ball wide.

In the 67th minute Samuel Eto’o assists meet Mario Balotelli in the Genoa defence area. Balotelli’s right footed shot was blocked well by Amelia.

There were not many chances created by both teams until the game ended in goalless draw.

Lineups:
Inter : 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, Lucio 6, 25 Samuel, 4 Zanetti, 5 Stankovic (Queresma 75 ‘), 11 Muntari (Cordoba 58′); 45 Balotelli, 10 Sneijder, 27 Pandev (Eto’o 58 ‘); Milito 22.

Genoa: 32 Amelia; 15 Papastathopoulos, 26 Bocchetti, 24 Moretti; 7 Rossi, 77 Milanetto, 21 Zapater, 4 Criscito; 14 Sculli (Palacio 61 ‘), 19 Suazo (Jankovic 52′) (Palladino 68 ‘), 20 Mesto.