AC Milan still hold onto 3rd place in the Serie A despite losing 1-0 to fierce rivals Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris yesterday. The Rossoneri were lucky that their nearest challenger Sampdoria played out a 1-1 draw with Palermo at the Renzo Barbera stadium to keep them 3 points clear in 3rd place with 1 game left to end the season.

This only makes it harder for Milan as they now have to win next weekend’s game against Juventus at the San Siro if they are to keep their pride intact.  Milan’s Rookie coach Leonardo has been an integral part of their success this season however, a falling out with club president and owner Silvio Berlusconi means that next weekend’s game against the Bianconeri will be his last in charge. Former Milan great Marco Van Basten has been tipped to take over as coach although nothing has been made official yet.

I honestly thought that Milan would win some silverware this season and i know i speak for a majority of the club’s fans when i say that they are losing their status as a competitive club. Even Ronaldinho‘s ingenuity has not been enough to turn their fortunes around. After providing brilliant displays to keep his side in the title hunt, Milan has fizzled out these last few weeks to leave them battling for a spot to represent the nation in top flight European football next season.

Moreover, the future of a number of their stars hangs in the balance. Brazilian play maker Ronaldinho is yet to sign a new contract and club veteran Filipo “Super Pipo” Inzaghi is determined to renew his contract in spite of fan protests. This has not gone down well with a majority of die hard fans who think that his contract renewal will deny younger stars like Ghanaian striker Dominic Adiyiah the opportunity to sharpen his skills. Although grateful for his contribution to Milan, many think that ‘Pipo’ is past his prime.

Milan definitely have to win their last fixture against Juventus next Sunday to keep their pride and end the season on a positive note.

Photo credit: from Franky T @ acmilanblog.net

Looking at Milan’s remaining fixtures, i had started to fear the worst for the Diavolo. Prior to their victory over Fiorentina at the San Siro yesterday, Milan had lost their last 2 matches to Sampdoria and Palermo effectively ending any dreams they had of lifting the scudetto this season.

With Fiorentina, Genoa and Juventus still left to play, i am sure i was not the only worried about the Rossoneri finishing the season in 3rd place. However, Last night’s victory eased my nerves ahead of crucial fixtures against Genoa and Juventus.

To say this victory was important would be an understatement. Milan desperately needed to win to keep the chasing pack of Sampdoria and Palermo from significantly reducing their lead over them. Dinho again  showed why Dunga should include him in his world cup squad as he was at the heart of Milan’s every attack setting up Huntelaar as early as the 8th minute.

10 minutes later and he was at it again this time setting up Borriello with the opportunity to open the scoring but the striker could not make the most of this chance. In the 19th minute, Fiorentina keeper Sebastian Frey pushed Ronaldinho‘s shot away. The teams headed into the break level.

Ronaldinho continued where he left off in the first half as his 62nd minute effort was again denied by Frey. The game however shifted in Milan’s favour after Italy international Borriello was fouled inside the area by Per Kroldrup with 12 minutes left in the game.

Ronaldinho this time made no mistake from the penalty spot as he sent the ball past Frey to make it his 10th goal of the season. Ronaldinho had this to say about Milan’s Victory:

“It is the most important win of our season because it allows us to qualify for the Champions League and look forward to next season with great enthusiasm.”

“I am happy to be doing well for the team and for me,” he smiled.

“Then, if Carlos Dunga will take me to the World Cup all the better.”

Photo credit: from uefacl2009

This weekend’s round of fixtures proved to be a mouth-watering affair. On Saturday night Juventus played host to Inter Milan who they eventually beat 2-1 to cut down the champions lead over them to just 5 points.

Earlier on, Ac milan beat Sampdoria 3-0 at the San Siro. Their star player Ronaldinho was once again at the heart of every Milan attack and he showed just why he is an integral part of Leonardo’s long term plans. The Brazilian maestro supplied two crosses that eventually led to 2 of Milan’s goals.

Things are heating up in the scudetto race with all the ‘big four’ proving to be no push-overs this time round. Roma who had started the season poorly, seem to have found a winnig formula and it has taken them all the way up to 6 th position in the league standings.

Last night, they hosted fellow city rivals Lazio in a fierce derby that ended with Roma getting all the 3 points thanks to a 79th minute strike from their defender Marco Cassetti. This derby was like all the others in fact play had to be stopped because the fans continually threw firecrackers into the pitch.

Lazio are now in 15 position and it might have very well been Davide Ballardini’s last game in charge as the Rome outfit are looking for answers to their poor showings. Goran Pandev was once again left on the bench after Ballardini lost faith in him.

The Macedonian international fell out of favour with his coach after he publicly stated his desire to leave the club. I truly think that Ballardini is only making matters worse for his team. Pandev is an amazing striker and i think Ballardini should draw the line and swallow his pride. They could really use a player of his calibre at this point in time.

One thing is for sure, the title race is far from over. Although Inter are leading the table, its hard to know who will be crowned the champions of Italy when the season ends.

Saturday proved to be an important day for local rivals Genoa and Sampdoria in the Serie A. After the final whistle, the score line was 3-0 in favor of Genoa and yet this was not to be a precise reflection of the match. Three red cards and two penalties later, Genoa gained the victory that propelled them into position 5 in the table standings.

Although Genoa beat Sampdoria, they are still trailing their rivals albeit with a slim margin. Sampdoria are currently in 4th place just a point above Genoa. You can now understand just how important this game was to both these teams.

Genoa took the lead in the 10th minute when Omar Milanetto sent the ball past Luca Castellazzi after his team-mate Rodrigo Palacio had been brought done in the area. Genoa proved to be a thorn in the flesh of the Sampdoria defense as they hit the post twice from attacks that should have resulted in goals.

However, their momentum was significantly reduced when Guiseppe Biava foolishly handled a Sampdoria assault that was marshalled by Antonio Cassano. The referee handed him a second yellow that eventually led to his sending off.

After the break, Genoa seemed to pick up from where they left. Just 8 minutes into the 2nd half and  Marco Rossi doubled the home teams advantage when he beat the offside trap to beat Castellazzi with a right-footed shot. The second player to be sent off was  Sampdoria’s Marco Rossi – not to be confused with Genoa’s player who bears the same name.

Again it was the case of a second yellow card and the teams were now even player for player. In the 75th minute, Sampdoria were put out of their misery when Milanetto beat Castellazzi from the penalty spot after substitute Sekratis Papastathopolous (wow aint that a mouthful) was brought down by Reto Ziegler. In the 88th minute Sampdoria’s Fabrizio Cacciatore was sent off after a horrific tackle on Ivan Juri. However, by this time Sampdoria could not reverse the result.

Sampdoria sporting director Beppe Marotta has said that his club would consider making a move for former Internazionale striker Adriano if he was interested in returning to Serie A.

Adriano is currently playing in his native Brazil with Flamengo, but Sampdoria would be interested in speaking to the striker who went AWOL from Inter.

“We are pleased with our squad at present. However, we are missing some important pieces, which hopefully we can fix in time,” Marotta told the Corriere dello Sport. ”Our preferred policy is youth, but we also need to focus on filling the holes in our line-up. Adriano? He would be a player who could do exactly this. It’s a pity that he has decided to remain in Brazil for now, but we would certainly consider taking him on if he were to return to Italy.”

AC Milan have ended their interest in Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano, according to the club’s lawyer, Leandro Cantamessa. Milan are thought to have offered 14million euros for Fabiano, some way short of the fee the La Liga club had been demanding for the Brazilian.

“It’s all a question of opinion. Jose Fuentes (Fabiano’s agent) feels the money is not enough, whereas we feel it is,” Cantamessa told Calciomercato.it. ”Has the deal failed? I don’t think so, no. That’s not the right word to describe it. We made an offer, they never replied on paper but they used strong words in a press conference to give a negative response. For now the deal is closed and, if Sevilla don’t value our offer, then we will pull out.”

Internazionale’s Argentina defender Nicolas Burdisso is a target for a major Spanish club according to the player’s agent. The 28-year-old centre-back was linked with Chelsea earlier this summer, having slipped down the pecking order at the San Siro.

However, Spain now seems like Burdisso’s most likely destination, with Fernando Hidalgo telling Calciomercato.it:

“I heard Roma want him but I have not spoken to them. I am speaking with a big Spanish side at the moment and I am trying to close the deal. I think that an offer will be made by the end of the week and I have already informed Inter. However, there could be problems within the next few days and I will tell Inter about them if they arise.”

Lazio and Sampdoria have flattered to deceive in Serie A this term despite their attacking potential but Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final offers a chance to end the season on a high and qualify for Europe.

Lazio, 10th in the league, lost 3-1 at home to Udinese on Saturday with their eyes firmly fixed on the Cup final which will be played at their Stadio Olimpico base in Rome.

Fans hoped the club would be pushing for a Champions League berth this season with strikers Tommaso Rocchi, Goran Pandev and Mauro Zarate among the most dangerous in Serie A.

Inconsistency has been the problem for Delio Rossi’s side, however, but Rocchi is determined to reach the Europa League through winning the much-maligned Cup.

“We thought about this game too early. Now we must turn the page and prepare for the final, thinking only about winning it,” the captain said.

Macedonia’s Pandev is battling to overcome a thigh problem while midfielder Pasquale Foggia has an ankle knock and Brazilian Matuzalem is suspended.

Sampdoria, sixth last term but only 12th this season, hammered lowly Reggina 5-0 on Saturday despite fielding a reserve side with the final in mind.

Inspirational playmaker Antonio Cassano will return up front alongside Giampaolo Pazzini, a partnership which has gradually lifted Samp from near the drop zone since the latter joined from Fiorentina in January.

“I never like to use the word ‘win’ before games for reasons of fate. We’ve got to try to do it without thinking about it too much. In these games, little incidents make the difference,” coach Walter Mazzarri said. ”For us, it is already a great result to have reached this final after 15 years.”

Nickname(s): The Blue-Ringed

All-Time Ranking: 10th

2007/2008 Finish: 6th

2008/2009 Position (as of 04/07): 12th

Coach: Walter Mazzarri

Key Players: Antonio Cassano, Paolo Sammarco, Giampaolo Pazzini

History:

Sampdoria was founded in 1946 when two historic squads merged to form one “supersquad”. But, other than their 90/91 league title and four Coppa Italia victories between 1984 and 1994, they haven’t had much of an impact on Italian soccer. In fact, they have been labeled as “underachievers” because they seemingly waste their talent.    

Sampdoria’s latest stint in the top flight began in 2003 and last year they appeared to be a team on the rise and even qualified for the UEFA Cup. But, poor results this year have them mired in mediocrity and in the bottom half of the table. Though I highly doubt they are in danger of being relegated, they must find a way to maximize their skills.   

American Sports Doppleganger:

Sampdoria’s best player is the temperamental Cassano. He has played for the ITA National Team, but he is reputed to lack team spirit and only care about his own stats. Thus, I will compare Cassano, a petulant star, and Sampdoria, a middle of the table team, to the NBA’s most selfish star, Allen (“Practice?”) Iverson, and his mediocre Detroit Pistons.

The final of the 2009 Coppa Italia will be between Lazio and Sampdoria. After four finals in a row between Inter and Roma: the first two won by the Nerazzurri, the last two by the Giallorossi. Samp made it through to the final by holding on at San Siro against Inter, limiting the damage following their sensational 3-0 win at Marassi. It ended 1-0, with a goal from the outstanding Ibrahimovic. Thus the Blucerchiati won the tie and are in the final, despite the 34 point difference between the two teams in Serie A. Inter at least gave themselves a chance, turning a near mission impossible into a possibility. They played with pride and determination, but it wasn’t enough, despite the fact that Mourinho fielded a side seemingly very close to his best. A very good spell at the end of the first half was only partly capitalised on by the Nerazzurri, and in the second half Samp were better organised in defence, and counter-attacked through an inspired Cassano.

SAMP’S START – The Blucerchiati started well, with a very mobile Cassano, who came up with a nice ball to release Sammarco – his left-footer was kept out by a great save from Julio Cesar. Sampdoria almost took the lead, which would have ended any doubts about who was going through to the final.

IBRA STRIKES – But on 27′ the match turned: a manoeuvre worthy of the America’s Cup. Ibrahimovic scored with a spectacular right-footed volley from Cruz’s header. Now Inter were in with a chance, and they threw themselves back on attack. Ibra changed up a gear – he was dangerous with a header, but Castellazzi made the save. But Inter kept up the pressure. And Ibra conjured up a billiards-like shot on the half-volley, a gentle lob with the inside of his right foot that hit the post with Castellazzi beaten. Inter were very close to making it 2-0, which would have meant bedlam at San Siro (even though there were 13,000 visiting fans in the stands). The last chance of the half came five minutes into stoppage time, thanks to a header from Cruz that was just wide from an assist by none other than the unstoppable Ibrahimovic.

CASSANO’S SHOW – The second half began as the first had ended: Ibrahimovic was still unstoppable. A powerful right-footer from Ibra was wide of the mark, but not by much. Then two calls for penalties, one each. Pazzini pleaded in vain for one when he was held by Chivu; Materazzi asked the same question after a tussle with Raggi. Mourinho rang the changes: on came Cambiasso and Crespo for Vieira and Cruz. Samp, who were struggling, looked to their most skilled player, the Blucerchiati’s answer to Ibra. And Cassano came up with a great run into the area, past two defenders, but was stopped by Julio Cesar with a marvellous save to his left. Samp tried to turn things around: a right-footer in a goal mouth scramble by Campagnaro, Maxwell cleared it from the goal line with Julio Cesar beaten.

INTER’S FINALE – Everyone forward, heads down. Ibrahimovic was dangerous again, with a right-footed volley that was just wide from Cambiasso’s header. Then they hit the woodwork, and Burdisso first, followed by Materazzi went close to making it 2-0. But they didn’t. Materazzi was sent off in stoppage time, and Samp went through to the final, to try to claim their fifth Coppa Italia in Rome on 13 May.