Monday, March 23, 2009

Napoli 0:0 AC Milan - match report


An entertaining and ill-tempered game ended 0-0, but Milan were fortunate to see Marek Hamsik's goal incorrectly disallowed.

Roberto Donadoni made his San Paolo debut against his past, having spent 13 years with Milan and former teammate Carlo Ancelotti. There was no time for sentiment, as Napoli hadn't won in 10, while the Rossoneri had to consolidate third place after their 5-1 triumph in Siena.

Clarence Seedorf, Kaka and Ronaldinho returned, albeit not 100 per cent fit, but Christian Abbiati, Daniele Bonera, Gennaro Gattuso, Marco Borriello, Kakha Kaladze, Emerson, Alessandro Nesta and the suspended Massimo Ambrosini were out. The home side missed Luigi Vitale, Walter Gargano, Christian Maggio, Leandro Rinaudo, Gennaro Iezzo and banned Salvatore Aronica. Daniele Mannini returned for the first time since his one-year doping ban was frozen pending further investigation on Friday.

Milan's last win here was January 1998 and their 3-1 loss cost them the Champions League qualification last season. After three minutes Matteo Contini cleared an Alexandre Pato chipped pass off Pippo Inzaghi's foot at the back post. Fabiano Santacroce intercepted a pass for Inzaghi with his arm, but it appeared to be involuntary, as it glanced off his head.

Nelson Dida smothered a Daniele Mannini snapshot, but a double defensive error almost let Pato through, as the Napoli centre-backs collided. Mannini dispossessed Gianluca Zambrotta and surged forward to drill wide.

Clarence Seedorf's shot was charged down and the ball ping-ponged around the box, but Inzaghi couldn't get the final touch, as Navarro flew to palm David Beckham's cross away. On the counter of the same move Marcelo Zalayeta's strike was deflected wide.

Navarro tipped a Seedorf screamer out from under the bar, but Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi combined beautifully for the Argentine's shot with the outside of his foot that forced Dida into a tough save. Napoli hit the back of the net from the corner, but it was incorrectly disallowed. Hamsik was not offside when he flicked on Zalayeta's towering header from five yards, as Andrea Pirlo was keeping him in play.

While bickering with Manuele Blasi, Beckham proved he has at least learned Italian swearwords. Paolo Cannavaro tracked back to nod Pirlo's chipped pass off Inzaghi's head. Mannini's diving header turned Lavezzi's cross over.

Kaka made his comeback for Seedorf, still struggling from a bruised right foot, and Ronaldinho followed for Inzaghi in an all-Brazilian trident. Paolo Maldini blocked Zalayeta's sliding finish for a corner and Fabiano Santacroce intercepted a Pato slalom.

Napoli should have scored on 64 minutes when Lavezzi floated the ball to the back post for Zalayeta, who miscalculated and volleyed wide with only Dida to beat!

Lavezzi also made a huge mistake, as Mannini had shrugged off Maldini and Mathieu Flamini on the counter from a Milan corner only for Pocho to send a cross-shot out of play.

Dida fumbled a Zalayeta angled drive from point-blank range, but did well to parry the follow-up too. There was almost a disaster in the Napoli box moments later, as confusion saw a back-pass leave Navarro stranded until Santacroce got back to clear off the line!

Lavezzi surged past four defenders in the box only to narrow the angle too much and hit the side-netting, as Napoli were pouring forward in waves. Carlo Ancelotti was tense and kicked the ball away when a handling offence from Mannini was not penalised and a scuffle broke out between Beckham and Blasi, who had been at each other all night.

A well-timed sliding tackle from Maldini cut short Lavezzi's counter, but some fabulous footwork left Pirlo for dead and Mannini was offside as he got on the end of the cross.

Navarro just about got Beckham's stoppage-time free kick under control at the near post, as it squirmed out of his grasp.
Napoli: Navarro; Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini; Grava, Pazienza, Blasi, Hamsik, Mannini; Lavezzi, Zalayeta (Bogliacino 91)

Milan: Dida; Zambrotta, Maldini, Favalli (Senderos 71), Jankulovski; Beckham, Pirlo, Flamini; Seedorf (Kaka 57), Inzaghi (Ronaldinho 63), Pato

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