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25/11/2006 - Serie A - Milan v Messina |
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Nov 26 2006, 03:48 PM
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Prima Squadra
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QUOTE (pKillerMax @ Nov 26 2006, 11:26 AM) Did you watch the match?? 7.5 might have been a BIT exagerated, but he was working hard and trying to make things happen for Pippo ie playing the seconda punta role. When he and Pippo play together I never really expect any one from them to score, although Pippo had some glorious chances that he should have scored. QUOTE (pKillerMax @ Nov 26 2006, 02:21 PM) Do you guys realize how friggin influential Gourcuff was for us in this game? It was like every single play was going through him. I think him and Pirlo pulled all the strings from the midfield perfectly, Pirlo was making the plays and Gourcuff was dictating the pace perfectly.
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Nov 26 2006, 03:51 PM
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Prima Squadra
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Milan 1-0 Messina Maldini 13 (M) Stadio Meazza
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paolo Maldini grabbed the only goal of the game as Milan got back to winning ways against Messina. The Rossoneri captain headed home a 13th minute opportunity to breath new life into the club’s problematic campaign.
Milan went into the tie hungry for a win that would ease their mini crisis. The Rossoneri had only collected one point from their last four games and the pressure has been increasing on boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Yet the tactician’s job has been made spectacularly difficult by an injury crisis. Goalkeeper Dida was the latest casualty to be ruled out – for two months – in midweek, while Seedorf only started on the bench this evening after picking up a minor complaint in training. Gourcuff took his shirt on the left-hand side of midfield.
Messina, fresh from last week’s 4-1 home humbling to Lazio, fielded a 4-5-1 system which was designed to stifle the Rossoneri. Yet that didn’t really happen in the opening 45 minutes where the San Siro giants threatened and entertained.
Gilardino went close on 10 minutes after some fine footwork by Gourcuff who is confirming himself as a star for the future. The striker’s right foot shot beat the ‘keeper, but he failed to add to his solitary one Serie A goal so far this term.
Milan did take the lead soon after through their symbol. Pirlo floated a dangerous ball into the penalty area from a free-kick and Maldini jumped highest to head past Storari. It was a lead which they managed to hold on to until the break, even if they wasted numerous chances to increase it.
Bonera was getting forward dangerously and he assisted Gilardino and Gourcuff on separate occasions. The first cross saw Gila head wide, while the Frenchman forced a save from Storari. The latter also denied Kaka a chance at goal in minute 27 and a Pirlo long ranger.
Messina’s only real effort of the opening 45 unsurprisingly fell to Serie A top scorer Rigano. He underlined his heading ability, but he failed to get the necessary contact or direction to beat giant Australian custodian Kalac.
The second half started in the way the first ended – with Milan pushing for a second. Inzaghi and Gourcuff both saw early efforts sail over the bar, until SuperPippo asked Storari to expertly save his fine volleyed effort.
Milan’s lack of a killer instinct almost came back to haunt them in the 66th minute when Rigano’s header just skimmed past the post with Kalac beaten. Yet that was an all too rare Messina attack as the Rossoneri continued to have the better chances.
Storari was again superb to deny a Maldini header and a shot from substitute Seedorf, until the woodwork interfered with the Diavolo’s season again. After hitting 10 posts in 12 games already, the on-fire Kaka made it 11 with a sublime effort.
Floccari and Kaka exchanged efforts in the closing stages but they didn’t change the result of the tie. Milan, for tonight at least, are now just eight points away from fourth place and next season’s Champions League.
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Nov 26 2006, 04:01 PM
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Milan back to winning ways A 1-0 win over Messina courtesy of Paolo Maldini's first half header at the San Siro on Saturday helped ease the pressure on Milan and their coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The Rossoneri headed into the game without a win in their last four attempts and with a great deal of pressure resting on their shoulders. But Maldini's goal and an inspired performance from the wonderful Brazilian midfielder Kaka might now have got Milan back on track.
Only time will tell how long the Diavolo will be able to continue in their winning ways, but there can be no denying that this was a crucial result for Ancelotti's side.
Milan fielded a heavily weakened side due to an injury list nearly as long as the wait Milan fans have had to endure for a Serie A win of late, but the understudies excelled and ultimately proved they could succeed where their peers have failed over recent weeks.
In particular Yoann Gourcuff, the young French midfielder, stood out, and at times the comparisons between him and his compatriot Zinedine Zidane did not seem so outrageous.
But it was Kaka who ran the show, and as long as Milan have his almost unrivalled talent in their side, they will never be short of creativity, excitement and flair. The Brazilian came close on a number of occasions to getting himself on the scoresheet, not least with a second half drive that cannoned off the angle of bar and post.
But perhaps it was inevitable that, given the Milanese strikers' recent difficulty in finding the back of the net, the opener should come from the unlikeliest of sources.
Maldini's header after just 13 minutes gave the hosts the perfect start and who better than the veteran defender to calm the nerves after an awful run of domestic form?
The goal came from a dangerous Andrea Pirlo free kick, swung into the danger area with typical precision, with veteran Maldini doing nothing more than helping the ball on its way.
The slight diversion created by the full back's forehead fooled Marco Storari in the Messina goal, who could only palm the ball further into the corner of the net.
Milan had dominated the first half, and Messina struggled to even get out of their own half.
On one of the few occasions they did, Alessandro Parisi found Cristian Rigano in the box, but the marksman could only head straight at stand-in keeper Zelijko Kalac.
Chances fell thick and fast for the Rossoneri, as Gourcuff, along with Pirlo, pulled the strings in midfield.
Pirlo saw a well struck long range effort punched to safety by Storari - easily Messina's busiest player on the night - before Kaka wasted the best opportunity of the first half.
The Brazilian's control from Alberto Gilardino's knock down was exemplary, but his stabbed effort went wide of the mark on 24 minutes.
The second half was no less littered with chances for the home side, with Inzaghi twice going close in the opening stages after the restart. First the Italy international shot wide before forcing Storari into a save, both times after having been set up by Kaka.
Maldini nearly had a second goal to celebrate, but his looping header was tipped over the bar to safety by Storari on 70 minutes.
Kaka and Christian Brocchi both had further chances for more goals, and even Alberto Gilardino, who has so struggled for form this season, nearly got in on the act when he stung Storari's fingers with ten minutes left on the clock.
In truth Messina did not deserve to nick a point, but get something from the match they nearly did when Rigano wrong footed Kalac on 65 minutes with a header that fell just wide of the upright.
Eurosport.com
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Nov 26 2006, 04:27 PM
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Prima Squadra
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QUOTE (pKillerMax @ Nov 26 2006, 03:13 PM) It's really not about how hard you try as a striker... It's about the impact you make... and both Gila and Inzaghi look like handicapped players who can't run AT ALL!!! Of course it's about how many goals you score when you are a striker. But the point is, since you zeroed in on my Gila rating, he is 'trying' to play in the Sheva role, and that means create plays and try to make as many assists to the main target man as possible. But Gila is NOT that kind of striker. But was he trying hard enough to fill those shoes ?? Yes definately!! And comparing his performance last night to the previous 2, then I would say he made an improvement, at least he's not invisable. About Pippo, well I really don't have anything to say to try and defend him, his misses were BAD!! If those chances fell to the Pippo of a couple of months agao he would have scored all of them.
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Nov 26 2006, 09:20 PM
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Prima Squadra
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since we're on the subject of Pirlo and Gourcuff pulling the strings in midfield they are the 2 players with the most played balls in the game.
Pirlo with 114 played balls and Gourcuff coimng in behind him with 90.
Plus Gourcuff won a total of 6 balls and Pirlo 5. I would say that's pretty impressive especially since both of them are mainly attacking mids. I like how they have taken some responsability due to the loss of Rino
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Nov 27 2006, 01:41 AM
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Giovanissimi Nazionali
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during a dark time, this was definately a great result
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Nov 28 2006, 12:40 AM
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Token Girl
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I know this is a little late, but I'm just back with net connectivity after the trip to Milan. My seat wasn't the best for pictures but I did have a wonderful view of Maldini's goal.
Herewith are some observations on the Messina game, from someone who shivered through the 2 hours at San Siro (it was /cold/ Saturday night!).
Kalac did a good enough job in goal but he got very, very lucky on a couple of the saves. Then again, Rigano was pretty much shut down for much of the game, which is a credit to the Milan defense.
Maldini. What can one say? He played an amazingly good game, and his header was beautiful. The stadium erupted when he scored, and I'm really glad to have had the chance to see it in person.
Brocchi. His workrate was amazing, constantly chasing after balls. I do hope the fall wasn't serious (though it doesn't seem to be?).
Pirlo. He had a good first half, showing flashes of his regular form. But he slowed down noticeably after half time.
Gourcuff. This kid is someone to watch. He was brilliant on Saturday, and if he keeps playing like that, he's going to be very very special. I was impressed.
The strikers. None of them really impressed me overmuch, to be honest. There were efforts on goal, but the real impetus in the team seemed to be from a midfield that was /finally/ acting cohesively. There were some wonderful one-touch passing sequences in both halves. The other thing that struck me in general was that the team was playing attacking football at pace; granted, it didn't pay off in terms of goals by the strikers, but I think it's a move in the right direction. Had Storari not been so brilliant in goal for Messina, the score would've been much higher.
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