A blog about the latest soccer news, best players, transfer talk and anything else about the world game, with a heavy focus on the Selecao and Inter Milan!
Inter had to travel to Rome to face Lazio for round 31. After Roma’s draw to Cagliari they had a good opportunity to increase their lead at the top once again but ended up stumbling also. Crespo was able to put Inter ahead after only 11 minutes when he tapped in a low pass from Maicon but it wasn’t to last. Rocchi left the Inter defense out to dry as he beat the offside trap and slotted past Julio Cesar in the one on one confrontation just before the hour mark. Inter were lucky enough just to come away with a draw and should thank the crossbar for saving their necks not once but twice in the remaining minutes. Hopefully they can get back on track and not throw away their good work like they did in 2002. Highlights below.
Inter paid a visit to Sampdoria this week hoping to put the Champion’s League defeat to Liverpool behind them. Unfortunately the trip to Anfield cost them the services of solid and speedy Cordoba. He damaged the ACL in his knee and will be out for some time. Mancini also had to rest Ibrahimovic and Cruz with the former also suffering from a knee injury although much less severe. Crespo and Suazo were paired up and given a start although neither was particularly impressive.
The match was all Sampdoria to begin with as Cassano continued to inspire and dictate play. Inter slowly began to assert themselves more and more as the game continued but Sampdoria gave them a warning shot on 47 minutes. A goal that was ruled out for offside. Not long after, Cassano’s perseverance paid off as he squeezed past the Inter defense and smashed a rocket into the net on 65 minutes. The goal must’ve shocked Inter into gear as they desperately worked to salvage something from this match.
Crespo was finally able to find the net and preserve Inter’s unbeaten domestic record. The Argentine put away a diving header from a Stankovic cross. Inter grabbed a point to take home but Roma closed the gap to 9 points. A very important match between the two will take place on Wednesday, the result could be enough to put the Scudetto beyond reach or really open up the title race. Enjoy the video highlights below.
Inter had to fight back from being one goal behind to seal a win in Moscow, 2-1.
Inter had a difficult first half, struggling through injuries and suspensions, not to mention Viera breaking down again after just 17 minutes. The frailties were clearly evident and CSKA’s Jo did not hesitate to point this out be scoring the first goal. Things got a bit heated after that with Figo picking up a caution to commemorate his 100th UEFA CL appearance in the black and blue.
Crespo was able to equalise after the restart and Samuel completed the win with a somewhat lucky headed effort. From Figo’s cross he was able to put a deceptive amount of spin on the ball and as it bounced in front of the keeper, it turned a simple save into an embarrassing goal. Zanetti was happy with his fellow country men scoring although worried about Viera’s injury (It was later revealed that he could be out for another 2 months with a new calf problem). Inter are now sitting at the top of group G which makes a nice change from the usual struggle to get out of the group stages. Now they just have to continue to improve and play well to guarantee qualification into the knockout stages.
Inter now need to prepare for their Serie A match against Palermo on Sunday. A difficult game indeed! Enjoy the highlights below until then.
If you’re after extended highlights in good quality, see below.
So the hype and comments are flying as Inter and Roma prepare to do battle to decide the strongest of serie A on the weekend in an epic top of the table clash.
Roma is in blistering form and playing some of the most attractive football in all European competitions at the moment. Inter is up and down as usual but Ibrahimovic is also in blistering form and can’t seem to put a foot wrong! He is sitting at the top of the scoring charts, tied with Trezeque on 6 goals, 2 above Totti.
Inter is somewhat depleted in defense with Materazzi, Maicon and Viera out because of injuries and suspensions. It will be interesting to see what Mancini can do with the players on hand. Roma also has a few injuries to deal with so both teams will have to adjust their regular line-ups.
Roma will have the advantage of a home crowd but Inter go into the match off a 3-0 thumping of Sampadoria in the middle of the week. Hopefully it will be another classic like the 06 supercup match between the two teams…
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If you’d like to see the highlights of Inter’s 3-0 waxing of Sampadoria earlier in the week, see below. A brace for Ibrahimovic and Figo magic to wrap it up.
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Edit: Inter vs Roma = 4-1
You can read my brief review or just skip to the match highlights below.
The score doesn’t tell the full story but it was a convincing win by Inter over an ultimately 10-man Roma. Early on Roma were playing some good football but after Guily blatantly and intentionally handled the ball in the area to prevent a header, following a blocked shot, from going in, Roma were reduced to 10 men. Ibrahimovic calmly put away the penalty.
After that it looked like Roma were going to save themselves and hold out for a draw with Perrota leveling the score. But it wasn’t to last as the immense pressure that Inter laid on eventually cracked Roma open. First with Crespo putting away a deflected Cambiasso shot, then Cruz blasting in a long range effort and finally Cordoba headed home the final nail in the coffin.
