Sabtu, 07 Maret 2009

Ibrahimovic And Balotelli On Target As Inter Sink Genoa

There is likely to be plenty more controversy tonight after another decision helped the Nerazzurri to maximum points. Ibrahimovic started and Balotelli finished the job, but in dubious circumstances.
Genoa 0-2 Inter
7 Mar 2009 19:54:00

Inter will be heading to Old Trafford on Wednesday in confident mood after another convincing win in Serie A. It was the Nerazzurri's tenth away win of the campaign and fourth on the bounce. Ibrahimovic got the champions off to a flyer within the first minute as he kept his cool to lob Rubinho. Balotelli made sure of the points in the second half, albeit in very controversial fashion. Now it's Manchester United in the Champions League for the Beneamata as Genoa are left to pick up the pieces.First Half

Genoa came into the game with great intent and the Grifoni should have taken the lead within 30 seconds of the start. Diego Milito loves a big game and he should have left his mark when he was played through by Bosko Jankovic, but the Argentinean blazed wide. A great miss which was punished just 50 seconds later when a long pass by Dejan Stankovic found Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The big striker controlled perfectly and lobbed Rubinho in goal from the edge of the box. The home side were taken by surprise and the sheer speed of the move. 'Ibra' ran through and showed ice cold technique to freeze Genoa and stun the crowd. It was goal 15 of the season and it came exactly a month after his last strike against Lecce.

It was a fairly open game and the Grifoni continued to carve out good chances. Milito thought he was on when he ran through to Thiago Motta's pass, but he was flagged when he seemed just onside. The chances kept on flowing at either end as both teams went for broke. Inter were hit with bad news midway through the half though as Marco Materazzi was forced to come off with an injury. The Lecce-born stopper seemed to fall awkwardly whilst challenging Domenico Criscito and he was unable to continue.

Inter were not flawless and they showed signs of weakness at the back as Genoa continued to press them. Julio Cesar, as on so many previous occasions this term, came to the rescue when Thiago Motta latched onto Biava's cross. The Portuguese midfielder did brilliantly to execute a powerful header, but the Brazilian's hand extended enough to keep the ball out.

The Rossoblu continued to dominate. Inter didn't really show any prowess when attacking. Luis Figo lost possession and the home side were able to counter attack their opponents. It was all too much for Javier Zanetti and he conceded the foul on Juric. Motta stepped up, but his attempt was poor. The play-maker didn't seem confident as he ran up to strike the ball and the result reflected this. The ball just rose and sailed embarrassingly wide of the mark as a relieved Cesar looked on.

Second Half

The Nerazzurri came out with the same attacking intent as they did in the first half. Genoa looked flat and out of ideas, and it wasn't long before Giampiero Gasperini considered to change it up. Biava, who was outstanding for most of the game should have cut the deficit in half when a loose ball fell kindly to him. Jankovic did brilliant to switch the play and it allowed the stopper to drift in, but his attempt was poor. He lobbed Cesar, but the effort was weak and the Brazilian made the easy catch.

Gasperini introduced Raffaele Palldino into the fray and the decision almost paid off. The former Juve man did brilliantly to beat Cordoba and cross low into Milito's path. The striker reversed the pass, but Palldino's finish was wild. Inter sat back and soaked up the pressure. Jose Mourinho's men didn't seem interested in attacking their opponents.

However, the Nerazzurri doubled their advantage as the clock ticked on thanks to some major blunders by Marco Rossi and both the linesman, and referee. A long ball by Cambiasso was flicked on by Ibrahimovic. Balotelli ran onto it and beat Rubinho with a soft finish. Rossi was on the line to clear, but he made a huge error and the ball went over the line but not fully. However, the linesman seemed to feel the ball had crossed the goal line and awarded a goal, despite major protests from Genoa. Replays show Inter were rather fortuitous at having been given the benefit of the doubt.

The Grifoni were unfortunate. They battled hard to get back in, but Rossi, as he was minutes earlier, was again the culprit for missing the chance of the match. A well worked one-two move with Milito carved open the Nerazzurri, but the stopper went for power over accuracy and blasted high when it was easier to score. Inter held on to record another good win and now the pressure will be on Juventus to keep up the pace at the top of the table.

Teams

Genoa 3-4-3: Rubinho, Biava, Ferrari, Bocchetti, Rossi, Juric, Thiago, Criscito, Sculli, Milito, Jankovic (Palladino).

Inter 4-3-1-2: Cesar, Maicon, Burdisso (Muntari), Materazzi (Cordoba), Santon, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Figo (Mancini), Ibrahimovic, Balotelli.

Goals:Ibrahimovic, Balotelli.

Cards: Milito, Ibrahimovic, Motta, Thiago, Biava.





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