Italian Serie A

[Tito]

but i updated it before you theres no law against that  :argue:

[moby]

ladies lets all get something straight i started this thread.


inter are cruising ibrahimovic is in fine form

[manutd.]

January 12th
Week 18 Highlights

Catania 1 - 1 Juventus (Highlights)
Empoli 1 - 1 Reggina (Highlights)

January 13th
Week 18 Highlights

Atalanta 1 - 2 Roma (Highlights)
Catania 0 - 1 Udinese (Highlights)
Lazio 1 - 2 Genoa (Highlights)
AC Milan 5 - 2 Napoli (Highlights)
Siena 2 - 3 Inter Milan (Highlights)
Sampdoria 3 - 0 Palermo (Highlights)
Torino 1 - 2 Livorno/ Parma 1 - 2 Fiorentina (Highlights, Low Quality)

Nice idea of highlights for this too!  :banana:

[moby]

i just saw some matches where milan beat catania 2-1 i think. was that the cup or what

[Chunkchenko]

no the drawn 1-1 on the second leg but put out a youths team and lost the first leg 2-1.

[Tito]

hahaha take that  :cheers:

[moby]

haha cool.thatnks chunck

[Tito]

Fiorentina – Torino

Fiorentina are well and truly over the poor run of form that had seen them go five matches without a win. Before Christmas they thrashed Cagliari 5-1 at the Stadio Franchi, and they followed this up with a 2-1 win at Parma last weekend and a 2-0 Coppa Italia success against Serie B side Ascoli.

Coach Cesare Prandelli will hope that this sparks the sort of run that saw them rack up 15 matches in all competitions without defeat at the start of the season. The Viola are in fifth position and could move back into the top four given Udinese’s tough fixture with Milan.

Torino have not started 2008 well at all, losing 2-1 at home to Livorno last weekend, and crashing out of the Coppa Italia following a 4-0 thrashing at Roma in midweek.

The Granata are the division’s draw specialists, having tied an incredible 11 games this season. However they have won just two matches in Serie A and hover just three points above the relegation zone.

Genoa – Atalanta

Genoa had been going through a nightmare run of nine games without a win before their 1-0 win over Parma in week 17. This seems to have sparked something of a revival for the team who, have been as high as fifth this season.

They obtained a fine 2-1 win in Rome against Lazio last weekend and will be confident of making it three victories on the trot on Saturday.

Atalanta had been having an excellent campaign, however they are now starting to struggle a little, having picked up just one win in Serie A since the first week of November.

Last week they were somewhat unlucky to lose 2-1 at home to Roma after missing a host of chances in the second-half, and this result sees them drop to ninth in the table.

Inter – Parma

Can anyone stop Inter? It certainly doesn’t look like it at the moment  as they racked up yet another win at Siena (3-2) last weekend.

The unbeaten Nerazzurri consolidated their seven-point gap over Roma at the top of the table, and a reserve and youth-team XI also thrashed Reggina 3-0 in the Coppa Italia on Thursday evening.

Parma had started to show a real improvement from their early-season relegation form, however they will be starting to worry again after losing two in succession. 

Last week they were turned over 2-1 at home by Fiorentina, although they still have a four-point gap above the bottom three. A third defeat on the trot seems inevitable on Sunday evening.

Juventus – Sampdoria

Juve have had a rocky start to the New Year, with a less-than-impressive 1-1 draw in Catania last week and then a see-saw 5-3 Coppa Italia success over Empoli on Tuesday night.

The third-placed Bianconeri have now drifted 10 points behind leaders Inter in the Serie A table, and their Scudetto-chances have all but disappeared. A confident victory is required here to keep them on-track for a Champions League place.

Sampdoria were desperately disappointing in the early part of the season, however the explosion into form of Antonio Cassano in December saw an upturn in fortunes. They have started 2008 in explosive fashion with seven goals scored, and none conceded in two matches.

First of all came the Cassano-inspired 3-0 win over Palermo in Serie A, followed by the 4-0 thrashing of Cagliari in the Coppa Italia. Samp are up to seventh in the Campionato.

Livorno – Empoli

A relegation-battle in the Tuscan derby between Livorno and Empoli. The Amaranto seemed certain for relegation after picking up just two points from their first nine league matches.

They have since gone the next eight unbeaten, winning four of these ties, and indeed they have not lost since the end of October. Last week they won 2-1 at Torino to give themselves a four-point gap above the drop-zone.

Empoli are two points behind their hosts in 16th following a slightly disappointing 1-1 home draw with Reggina last time out. The Azzurri however have also shown great improvement recently, and were unlucky to be knocked out of the Coppa Italia in midweek after a classic 5-3 defeat at Juventus.

Napoli – Lazio

Napoli and Lazio meet again, just three days after their 1-1 draw in the Coppa Italia allowed the visitors to progress to the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.

Both sides are struggling at the moment, with Napoli being thrashed 5-2 at San Siro last Sunday night following a dazzling performance by a Ka-Pa-Ro-inspired Milan. The Partenopei have won just two of their last nine matches, however they are still sitting in an excellent eighth position.

Lazio are having a simply disastrous season and relegation is a serious possibility as they languish in 15th position, just four points above the trap-door. Last week they disappointingly lost 2-1 at home to Genoa.

Palermo – Siena

Things were looking up for Palermo also after an impressive December that had seen them rise to sixth position in the standings.

However following a 2-2 draw with Lazio in week 17, they began 2008 by receiving a 3-0 thumping at Sampdoria. This was followed by elimination from the Coppa Italia after losing 1-0 at home to Udinese. Nevertheless they are still sixth in Serie A and should be confident of getting back on track in this one.

Siena last week did what no Serie A team has done this year – they scored twice against Inter. Unfortunately it proved pointless as the Nerazzurri machine still ran out 3-2 winners.

The Tuscans are real relegation candidates as they currently languish second-from bottom in the league, and they will face a huge task to obtain any points in Sicily on Sunday afternoon.

Reggina – Cagliari

Reggina remain in the bottom-three following last week’s 1-1 draw at Empoli, however this match represents a massive chance for them to try and move up the standings.

Cagliari are rock-bottom of Serie A and are looking like certainties for relegation following yet another defeat last weekend. They lost 1-0 at home to Udinese, meaning they are now six points adrift of safety.

That loss was their seventh in their last eight league games and they simply have to get a positive result here if they are to stand any chance of sparking a recovery.

Roma – Catania

An intriguing game at the Stadio Olimpico as Roma attempt to stay in touch with league-leaders Inter. Roma were given a major scare last weekend by Atalanta but recovered from falling behind to win 2-1.

That result was their second win in succession, and they also thrashed Torino 4-0 in the Coppa Italia in midweek to book their place in the last eight of the competition.

Catania showed twice in a matter of days just why there are few teams in Italy who are better than them at home. The Sicilians drew 1-1 at the Stadio Massimino with Juventus last weekend, and were only denied all three points by a controversial 90th minute Alessandro Del Piero penalty.

Then in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday they held Milan 1-1, thus enabling their passage into the quarter-finals. However Catania’s away form is less impressive and Roma should be big favourites for this one. 

Udinese – Milan

The match of the weekend sees a mouth-watering clash at the Stadio Friuli between Udinese and Milan.

Football purists will be eagerly waiting to see if the Ka-Pa-Ro super-show from last Sunday against Napoli can be repeated. With Milan a long way away from fourth place they really need to go for a win here, however things will not be easy against a very impressive Udinese outfit.

The Zebrette are having an outstanding season and are still flying high in fourth position following another win (1-0 at Cagliari) last weekend.

With Udinese employing a trident attack of their own, including the likes of Italy internationals Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quagliarella, expect fireworks in this game.

weekly preview  :cheers:

[Tito]

Juventus 0-0 Sampdoria

Samp took a deserved point home from Turin as Juventus struggled to build on their early dominance.

Juventus started in some style, with Marchionni missing an absolute sitter, skying the ball far above an open goal from just six yards.

Samp closed ranks after that, but there were still some fine chances for Juve, most notably from Trezeguet, who both hit the bar and had a shot cleared off the line.

It was shaping up to be a frustrating afternoon for the hosts, and thus it proved as an emboldened Sampdoria managed to sit back and soak up what little pressure there was.



Livorno 1-0 Empoli

Livorno's revival continued with a smash-and-grab job at home to Empoli.

Empoli had the best of an uneventful first period, but had relatively few chances to show for all their possession.

One in particular stood out, though: after being put through by Vannucchi, Saudati launched a fine shot goalwards, but Marco Amelia showed why he's on the shopping list of more than a few clubs with a world-class stop.

His team had him to thank, then, for going in level at the break. Then they had a debt to Tavano for giving them the lead, albeit from the spot. Referee Damato awarded a spot-kick after Pratali brought down Vidigal in the area.

That was sufficient to win the game as Empoli's spirits abandoned them.

Napoli 2-2 Lazio

A masterclass from Marek Hamsik left Lazio once again searching for a win in Naples.

After just five minutes, Hamsik was left unmarked in the box and gratefully swept home on his side's first attack of the game.

But Lazio fought back, and found an equaliser 26 minutes in after a great counterattack and fine long-range finish from Ledesma.

Lavezzi almsot re-took the lead for Napoli on the counter, but in fact Goran Pandev was to net first, once again capping off a counterattack after some good link-up play with Tare.

Hamsik always looked dangerous for Napoli, but otherwise it was Lazio that began to appear the stronger side, even as Pandev and Tare were substituted off.

Blasi was then sent off for Napoli right at the death, and Lazio knew that they'd done enough.

Or had they? Apparently not, for Hamsik got the second goal that he'd been angling for all afternoon. The young Slovak smashed home a deflected effort right at the death, before Stendardo was sent off for the hosts to well and truly even things up.

Palermo 2-3 Siena

In a quite unbelievable game on Sicily, it was the Tuscan side that left the happier of the pair after two gutsy comebacks.

Within three minutes, Palermo had taken a deserved lead. Amauri added a few more euros to his transfer value with a bullet of a header after Cassani's cross from the right.

However, Siena managed instant reply when the roasnero completely failed to clear their lines after a cross from the left, leaving Locatelli to slot home unopposed from close range.

It should have been 2-1 seconds later, only for Amauri to stumble on the ball during a goalmouth scramble. Instead, it was 1-2: once again, Palermo's defence failed to deal with a cross, allowing Maccarone to slide in and net from four yards.

It was end-to-end stuff after that, with the hosts having the best of it; however, a series of stops from Manninger kept the scores level going into the hour mark.

Palermo eventually did equalise when Miccoli converted a penalty but, just as earlier, Siena hit straight back. Just two minutes later, Loria gave the visitors the advantage with a great header that left Fontana stranded.

Reggina 2-0 Cagliari

The big relegation scrapended in tears for Caglairi, who now look dead certs to go down after dropping three vital points in Reggio-Calabria.

The first half was as dull as could be, with both sides more scared of conceding than anything else. Perhaps with the stakes so high, that was understandable.

But Reggina needed to use their home advantage: eventually, they did. Twenty minutes into the second period, Brienza took matters into his own hands and beat Storari with a tremendous, left-footed effort from range.

Cozza sealed the deal fifteen minutes from time with a good first touch and a powerful finish, leaving Cagliari's fate more than clear.

Roma 2-0 Catania

They made it difficult for themselves, but in the end the capital club picked up a deserved win over struggling Catania.

Roma started the better side, showing attacking prowess even without Totti in the lineup. Ludovic Giuly, indeed, made it 1-0 very early on with a tap-in after Taddei's long-range drive hit the post.

There were more chances to come, with Mancini proving sadly wasteful in front of goal, but Catania were able to first stabilise and then press forward as the first half ended.

But, just like the first, Roma started the second in dominant mood, but were once again unable to convert in front of goal. However, they had a golden chance to do so when Taddei was tugged down in the box by Terlizzi, allowing De Rossi to beautifully stroke home the penalty.



Udinese 0-1 Milan

An Alberto Gilardino strike right at the death ended Milan's Udine hoodoo and brought the rossoneri one step closer to their Champions League dream.

Despite the goalless nature of the first half, it was nothing if not eventful. Quagliarella was eager to impress for hte hosts, while Zapata and Pepe had their chances as well.

But Ronaldo's chance was perhaps the best of the half, the Brazilian rattling the woodwork from 25 yards.

The former Madrid man was again involved after the break, bringing out the best in Handanovic just after half-time.

As the game wore on, it seemed that it was destined to be 0-0. But nobody, except perhaps Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, had reckoned on the contribution of Alberto Gilardino. The striker, who had only been on the pitch for five minutes, slotted home after being put through by Kaka to break the hosts' hearts.

Re-view from www.goal.com

[moby]

Inter came from behind to score two goals ffrom the 87th minute to keep there unbeaten record going. ibrahimovic is one of the best srickers right know along with van nistelrooy. mancini had his 200th game in charge of inter congrats to him

[Tito]

Spalletti Questions ‘Suspect’ Inter 

Roma boss Luciano Spalletti has admitted his deep sense of disappointment following the “suspect incidents” during Inter’s game against Parma last night.


The Giallorossi, who won 2-0 against Catania earlier in the day, had seemed set to close the gap on leaders Inter to just four points, as the Nerazzurri trailed 2-1 to Parma going into the closing stages.

 

However a hugely controversial penalty award for a handball by Fernando Couto, led to a dramatic late turnaround, as Inter ended up winning 3-2.

 

“There were some suspect incidents at the Inter-Parma game,” Spalletti told Radio Anch’io Sport.

“My feelings are along the same lines as Domenico Di Carlo. I woke up today with a huge feeling of disappointment and the task of lifting the players heads up after they put in such a great performance and made no ground up.”

 

A number of Roma players, including Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti have bemoaned the fact that Inter never seem to drop points, and Spalletti clearly felt that last night would be the time.

“I was so disappointed because this was the round where we could’ve closed the gap on Inter,” he complained.

“We deserved to claw our way back and reduce the gap and we need the stimulus of Inter dropping points.

“But we can take heart that this side can keep pace with Inter even without the high-profile stars.”



i have the same suspicions we might have another case on our hands

[moby]

another case of what? cheating?

Inter is not like milan and juve tito