Post by Salem6 on Feb 13, 2006 0:21:26 GMT
Serie A Week 25 - 12/2/06 (19.30 UK)
Inter 1 - 2 Juventus
Ibrahimovic 63 (J), Samuel 74 (I), Del Piero 85 (J)
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
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Juventus have all but sewn the Scudetto on their shirts after Alessandro Del Piero sealed a 2-1 win at San Siro to go 12 points clear of Inter.
The biggest game of the season so far saw the Derby d'Italia turned into a Scudetto showdown that could either have blown the race wide open or virtually crown Juventus. Both teams stuttered midweek, as Inter lost 2-1 at Fiorentina, while the Bianconeri were held for the first time on home turf this season by Parma.
Obafemi Martins returned to the squad after a bronze medal at the African Cup of Nations, but Giuseppe Favalli, Cesar Aparecido and Ze Maria remained sidelined. Fabio Capello was forced to reshuffle his defence with both Gianluca Zambrotta and Jonathan Zebina injured, handing the full-back roles to Federico Balzaretti and Giorgio Chiellini. Fabio Cannavaro returned to face the club that released him practically on a free two years ago.
Juve have a relatively poor record in the Derby d’Italia in Milan, falling to 32 defeats, 24 draws and earning 17 wins here in the top flight. It has, above all, been a controversial fixture and the current climate raised the tension around refereeing decisions, so the pressure was on Gianluca Paparesta.
Martins had the first real chance on the counter-attack from a cleared Pavel Nedved free kick, but Chiellini got back in time to close down the pacey Nigerian.
Julio Cesar performed an incredible point blank reaction save on a Zlatan Ibrahimovic header, but play was stopped for the Swede's push on his marker.
Moments later Luis Figo skipped between two defenders down the left flank and cut in for Esteban Cambiasso's shot well saved by Gianluigi Buffon.
It was an extremely open game and Julio Cesar's reactions were again tested by an Emerson volley from the edge of the box with another poorly cleared corner kick.
Mauro Camoranesi's set-piece was charged down and his second attempt was deflected inches past the post by Walter Samuel. At the other end, Buffon came flying out to clear Figo's cross off the head of Cambiasso.
Chiellini avoided a booking for a lunging tackle on Dejan Stankovic, then Adriano's deflected header from a Figo corner skimmed the upright. Stankovic nodded another set-piece over the bar, as Inter began to pile on the pressure.
Ibrahimovic earned himself a futile booking for carrying on and shooting at goal long after the whistle had been blown for a handling offence. David Trezeguet rolled across for the unmarked Camoranesi, but his first touch let him down.
There was a bitter blow for Inter, as Juan Sebastian Veron fell awkwardly on his ankle after 32 minutes and limped off to make way for Kily Gonzalez, switching Stankovic to central midfield.
Javier Zanetti and Cannavaro performed crucial tackles on Ibrahimovic and Adriano inside their respective areas and Buffon smothered a Figo piledriver.
Chiellini was booked for another late tackle on Stankovic and from that free kick Adriano curled in directly. However, it was an indirect free kick for dangerous play, so it did not count. Had there been the slightest of touches off the defensive wall or Buffon's fingertips, then it would've been valid, but Adriano was too accurate for his own good.
Martins surged forward on the counter-attack only to blaze well wide and Adriano's hopeful effort was comfortably caught.
Inter had another great chance after the break, as Martins sprinted past Chiellini and rolled across for Adriano, but Lilian Thuram flung himself at the ball to close down his shot from seven yards.
There was panic in the Juventus area soon after, as a dreadful Cannavaro clearance let Martins in, but his effort and Adriano's follow-up were scrambled clear with some difficulty, including Thuram's back laid along the six-yard line.
However, it was Juventus who broke the deadlock against the run of play. Camoranesi found space down the right flank and his cross went past Trezeguet and Samuel, but Ibrahimovic was ready to side-foot home at the back post in front of two defenders.
The tension rose and Samuel was given a yellow card for a horrible late tackle on Ibrahimovic. The Argentine went in long after the ball had gone and was fortunate to escape a dismissal for this mean-spirited challenge.
Ibrahimovic went off soon after for Alessandro Del Piero, while Julio Ricardo Cruz took over from Martins. Del Piero's first touch was a shot charged down by a defender.
There was chaos with five consecutive Inter shots charged down by defensive bodies in the area, but the pressure eventually paid off from a corner kick. Walter Samuel rose for a powerful and precise header from eight yards between Buffon and the far post to draw the Nerazzurri level 15 minutes from time.
Del Piero swung over the bar, though two of his teammates were offside, while Camoranesi also went off with an injury and made way for former Inter man Adrian Mutu. A scuffle broke out between Kily Gonzalez and Emerson, but calm was quickly restored.
Del Piero tried to score with a free kick from a very tight angle and shook the roof of the net. Roberto Mancini made a surprising substitution, as he replaced Adriano with Alvaro Recoba for the closing stages.
Cordoba brought down Nedved on the edge of the area, although there were some doubts over the extent of the contact, and Del Piero curled a perfect free kick into the top corner to leave Julio Cesar immobile.
It still wasn't over, as Recoba's fantastic free kick was fingertipped on to the upright and Nicolas Andre Burdisso nodded the loose ball wide of an open goal on the follow-up.
There was tension in stoppages and a brawl broke out between Kily Gonzalez and Emerson, which spread to several players, but calm was quickly restored.
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Inter: Julio Cesar; J Zanetti, Cordoba, Samuel, Burdisso; Figo, Veron (Kily Gonzalez 35), Cambiasso, Stankovic; Adriano (Recoba 82), Martins (Cruz 72)
Juventus: Buffon; Balzaretti, Thuram, Cannavaro, Chiellini (Blasi 88); Camoranesi (Mutu 76), Emerson, Vieira, Nedved; Ibrahimovic (Del Piero 69), Trezeguet
Ref: Paparesta
www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/sa0506/int-juv.html