Serie A round-up: Chasing pack stalled as Inter go six points clear | inside World Soccer

Serie A round-up: Chasing pack stalled as Inter go six points clear

Thursday, January 29, 2009

AC Milan
AC Milan logo
1 - 1
Genoa logo
Genoa
David Beckham 33
Diego Milito 87


David Beckham scored again for AC Milan but it was not enough to beat battling Genoa as they were held to a 1-1 draw at the San Siro.

Beckham, in front of the onlooking England boss Fabio Capello, nearly scored in the opening minute as he tested Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho with a shot from the edge of the area after just 20 seconds.

Andrea Pirlo nearly broke the deadlock from a free-kick but he curled the ball against the crossbar with Rubinho beaten.

Beckham was next up after 33 minutes and, from what seemed a difficult angle, curled his trademark free-kick past the wall and into the side of the goal they were meant to be covering.

Genoa responded and showed their own prowess from set-pieces in the 42nd minute when Thiago Motta took aim from 20 yards but Christian Abbiati saved down low to his right.

At the other end it was Pirlo's turn to take the next Milan free-kick and he repeated his previous effort by striking the bar via a deflection off the glove of Rubinho.

Milan lost their way a little in the second half with Beckham tiring and eventually leaving the field 19 minutes from time to be replaced by Mathieu Flamini.

With 10 minutes left, Abbiati rescued Milan with a stunning save to deny Diego Milito, whose header from Raffaele Palladino's cross was arcing into the far corner before the goalkeeper's intervention.

Milan looked to be heading for all three points but Milito popped up with the equaliser three minutes from time, although he may have been offside.


Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates scoring against Catania
Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates scoring against Catania
Photo: AFP/Getty Images


Catania
Catania logo
0 - 2
Inter Milan logo
Inter Milan

Dejan Stanković 5

Zlatan Ibrahimović 71


Inter Milan extend their lead at the Serie A summit to six points with a 2-0 win at Catania.

The visitors got off to a flying start with Dejan Stanković firing them in front after just five minutes, heading in a cross from Julio Cruz.

Catania were unlucky not to equalise seven minutes later when Michele Paolucci put the ball in the net but the referee controversially disallowed the goal for an apparent dangerous play by Japan striker Takayuki Morimoto.

Zlatan Ibrahimović, who came back from one match suspension, almost doubled the advantage in the 22nd minute but saw his left-footed drive crash against the crossbar.

Inter were reduced to ten men on 32 minutes when midfielder Sulley Muntari was shown a straight red for a bad lunge on Giacomo Tedesco.

Catania forward Giuseppe Mascara squandered a glorious opportunity to draw level two minutes later but missed wide, then hit the post in the 61st.

Inter put the game beyond Catania with their second 19 minutes from time when Ibrahimović collected a great pass from Stanković, lifted the ball over Bizzarri and tapped into the empty net.


Juventus striker David Trezeguet reacts during their match against Udinese
Juventus striker David Trezeguet reacts during their match against Udinese
Photo: AFP/Getty Images


Udinese
Udinese logo
2 - 1
Juventus logo
Juventus
Fabio Quagliarella 20
Vincenzo Iaquinta(pen) 77
Antonio Di Natale 74



Juventus suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at struggling Udinese to slip further behind leaders Inter Milan.

The visitors rested captain Alessandro Del Piero and struggled from start to finish.

Gianluigi Buffon gifted the home side an early chance when he misjudged a ball and allowed Cristian Zapata to shoot from close range only for the defender to waste the opportunity.

Juve fell behind after 20 minutes when Fabio Quagliarella fired home with his left foot after being set up by strike partner Antonio Di Natale.

Shortly after the half-hour mark Quagliarella had the ball in the net again, only for the goal to be ruled offside.

The home side doubled the lead with 16 minutes remaining as Di Natale beat Buffon with a precise shot on a counterattack.

Former Udinese ace Vincenzo Iaquinta pulled a goal back with a penalty for Juve three minutes later after Zdeněk Grygera had been tripped by Giovanni Pasquale.

France striker David Trezeguet came on for the final nine minutes for Juventus, making his first action since surgery to both knees in September.


Elsewhere in Serie A on Wednesday:

AtalantaAtalanta logo
0 - 1
Bologna logo
Bologna
Cagliari
Cagliari logo
1 - 0
Siena logo
Siena
Chievo
Chievo logo
1 - 1
Lecce logo
Lecce
Fiorentina
Fiorentina logo
2 - 1
Napoli logo
Napoli
AS Roma
AS Roma logo
2 - 1
Palermo logo
Palermo
Sampdoria
Sampdoria logo
3 - 1
Lazio logo
Lazio
Torino
Torino logo
0 - 0
Reggina logo
Reggina


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