Inter 3 A.C Milan 2FT
On a Saturday night at the San Siro we saw one of the biggest matches in Italian football. In what is and has been a tradition one of the most competitive and exciting Derbies in all of Europe. Saturday night we saw the Milan Derby between Inter Milan and AC Milan go head to head at the San Siro Italian football’s Cathedral. Inter Milan have been for the most part over the last several seasons be significantly better team and have gotten the better of AC Milan more consistently over the last couple years. It’s still a derby records and positioning always gets thrown out it doesn’t matter when these two teams meet it’s always exciting dramatic and each team wants to prove their superiority in Milan. Is Milan red or blue truly one of the most fascinating football matches in all of Europe. It was Derby Day in Milan this Saturday outside of playing for superiority this time there was something at stake. AC Milan since signing and Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played some of their best football of the Season while Inter Milan after dropping points in three of their last four games had an opportunity to go to the top of the table with Juventus falling to Hellas Verona it was entered opportunity to overtake the top of the league. It was a match that had some really incredible drama exciting goals and is everything that you would want for the Milan Derby. Going into this game there was no question that Inter Milan are the superior team as they are positioning themselves for a title race this season while AC Milan have struggled to keep themselves afloat in the top-flight. The roles were reversed at least for much of the first half. AC Milan was playing some of their best football completely controlling the Midfield and having the majority of the chances. Inter Milan failed to create much while Milan were pressurizing trying to break their way open. A big victory in the derby would give Milan confidence and momentum going forward. Meanwhile Inter Milan didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity. That started to slip Anton Rebic gave Milan the shock lead after beating Inter Milan’s backup keeper to the far post. Samir handanovic was out of this game with a minor injury and his backup seemed a little rusty early. The croatians execution on the strike that was supplied by Zlatan Ibrahimović gave Milan a 1-0 lead with not much time remaining in the first half. It was going to get even worse for Inter as Milan doubled it right on the stroke of half-time. in the closing moments of the first half after a scramble inside the box across met the head of a Zlatan Ibrahimović as his vicious header ripped through the goalkeepers hand into the back of the net as AC Milan took a 2-0 lead. It was their chance to try to pull a fast one over there heavy favorite neighbors. Inter Milan created very little in the first half all the cards seem to be with AC Milan. However Inter Milan is a team with quality from Back to Front and it didn’t take them a very long to find their way back into the game. Marcelo Brozovic scored an absolute scorcher to get Inter Milan back into the game. After clearance by Zlatan Ibrahimovic to get the ball outside of AC Milan’s at danger area Marcelo Brozovic connected on a malicious strike on the volley as he sent a rocket into the bottom corner giving Gigi donnarumma no chance in what was A stroke of Genius from the Croatian midfielder as Inter Milan minimized the deficit. Just minutes later Inter Milan would strike again as inter seem to have the momentum and they were driving it towards a victory. Everything was going for them all of a sudden and they had the confidence to continue to search for that winning goal. In what was a beautifully orchestrated play Nicolo Barella released Alexis Sanchez inside the box as Gigi donnarumma followed Alexis Sanchez cut back to find Matias Vecino who blasted the ball into the back of the net to equalize with everything to play for. Before you knew it AC Milan choked away their lead and now found themselves behind. On a cross sent inside to the Box Stefan de vrij connected on a perfectly executed header that found the top corner just outside of the reach of Gigi donnarumma. All of a sudden inter had gone From being down by two goals to a 3-2 lead in the second half. They struck and continued to ride their momentum into the lead. AC Milan slowly try to Chip Away looking for that equalizer. All the energy they had to start the game just wasn’t there anymore as they struggle to find their way back. late in the match Nicolas barela nearly scored coming off a breakaway as he didn’t have the finishing touch that would have killed off the game. Just before the 90th minute AC Milan looked like they’d found their response. Ibrahimovic towered over the inter back line connecting on a vicious header that hit the post. That was AC Milan’s chance to get back in the game. They were so close but yet so far. Then as time winding down in the dying minutes of the match Victor Moses picked out a cross for romelu Lukaku who made his run getting himself in position before connecting on a header that gave Inter Milan a 4th as he beats donnarumma in what was a 4-2 victory for Inter Milan as they continue to claim their superiority in Milan. The title race is on As Inter Milan earn a come to behind Victory without Samir handanovic and Martinez with martinez coming back next week and new signing Christian Eriksen getting integrated within the team this Inter Milan team could be the most dangerous thing going in Italy if they stay focused on the task ahead this season could very well end With Inter Milan lifting the scudetto for the first time in a decade. Inter Milan go to the top of the table as they send a message to the rest of Italy.
Hellas Verona 3 Juventus 1FT
We were put on upset alert in Verona Juventus had picked up the momentum and was driving themselves through to another league title. Obviously Inter Milan and Lazio have been on their tail the entire way however Juventus is a team with winning intangibles and is capable of lifting multiple trophies each season. Since Cristiano Ronaldo has got hot the Champions haven’t looked back and going into Verona on a Saturday evening Juventus was looking for more of the same as they continue to try to build their title campaign. Juventus is a team that knows how to win games regardless of how pretty or ugly it may be. Meanwhile the hosts were up for the challenge. Hellas Verona has been this season’s Cinderella Story. They were promoted to the top of Italian football this year and despite very little expectations of what they could do they have found themselves in the top 10 and have been able to get points against several of the big teams in the league. They earned a big points against third-place Lazio earlier in the week and we’re now preparing for the biggest challenge of all the Juggernaut Juventus. Hellas Verona from the start of the game had a certain level of confidence about them. They didn’t waste any time trying to put themselves in the right position to try to put themselves in front. It was very attacking style football and Juventus had a little bit of trouble dealing with it. Hellas Verona by surprise did seem to have the control out of the two teams and had the better chances. In fact they even took the lead. At least that is what it appeared to be. VAR ended up taking away a perfectly good goal. The confidence of the team didn’t change though. Even before that they were on the verge of breaking through on several opportunities. Juventus had significantly less chances and there was a certain insecurities about them in the way they played especially in the first half. However a Douglas Costa strike from outside the box looked like it was going to take the visitors in front it ended up clipping the inside of the bar before coming out. It was a goalless game after the first half but Verona were in a really good position against a Juventus team that was really struggling. In the second half the league champions grew into the game a little more and after Paulo dybala was brought on in the second half he set up the opening goal as Juventus we’re about to run out in front. It was the man the myth the legend Cristiano Ronaldo scoring in his historic 10th straight game. However on this occasion list might have been his very best one on a break away from the center of the pitch he drove the ball into the box coming forward in a tense situation and slotting the ball into the back of the net to give Juventus a 1-0 lead. It seemed very harsh on Hellas Verona who outplayed Juventus for the majority of the game. However they would have their moment and eventually they got back into it. With a little over 20 minutes to go Fabio Borini took advantage of a mistake in the Juve a backline. He drove the ball into the box from the side tucking the ball into the back of the net scoring a really crafty goal to equalize. They were on the verge of losing they were on the verge of losing their spot at the top of the table Inter Milan beat AC Milan on Sunday and they could overtake Juventus and go to the top of the table if Juve failed to in. That concern became a reality the Ageless Wonder Giampaolo Pazzini had the opportunity to give Verona a historic victory. Leonardo bonucci made a bonehead play giving Verona the penalty with less than 10 minutes to go. Giampaolo Pazzini stepped up and delivered to push Hellas Verona in front in what would be the winning goal. Hellas Verona pulls off a huge upset beating Juventus at home 2-1 In a match that could be hugely important not only to their season but to the title race at the top. It was collectively a very poor performance from The League champions.
Bologna 3 A.S Roma 2 FT
On a Friday night bologna issued even more misery on a Roma team that just can’t seem to get it together. Atalanta at this point look more likely to make the Champions League then Roma. If things don’t start changing it will get out of hand since the start of the new year Roma have lost four League games which is more than that had during the first half of the season. Roma needed points and badly as they came into this game hoping it will be a chance to turn things around however bologna was not going to lie down for them. Mikhailovich had his team ready to play as all of a sudden bologna is one of the most in-form team in all of Italian football having won three of their last six games being unbeaten. Roma’s first-half performance was reminiscent the last week they were abysmal and made defensive mistakes all over the place that allowed a bologna to take an early first-half lead. Chris Smalling made a catastrophic error that allowed Riccardo Orsolini to break through giving bologna a 1-0 lead. Despite playing very poorly Roma ended up getting back in the game just a few minutes later. On a Counterattack constructed by Diego Perotti and under they ended up forcing an own goal on a cross intended for Edin Dzeko was put in the back of the net by the bologna defense allowing Roma to get back into the game. The Equalizer didn’t Inspire Roma and push them on the rest of the game. It was a absolutely devastating first half as they provided next to nothing. They were back into the game but it didn’t last very long new bologna signing Musa Barrow came in and delivered a stroke of Genius curling a strike from the corner of the Box taking a slight deflection and finding the top corner to give a bologna a 2-1 lead. They held on to that lead going into the second half as Roma had a lack of inspiration. Roma were awful during the first 45 minutes and early in the second half it didn’t look like there was much change. Once again Musa Barrow was the story of the match as he took the ball on a Counterattack breaking through the Roma defense Inside the Box before calmly and collectively sliding the ball into the bottom corner as bologna ran out to a 3-1 lead with Musa Barrow’s second goal of the game they could not contain him much like problems they had with Francesco Caputo Roma could not handle the pace of the counter-attack as the defense continue to struggle. The match seemed all but over but Roma still try to fight back. Carlos Perez came into the game midway through the second half and the game changed Roma had the momentum and found their way into the danger area on numerous occasions. They still needed two goals and even though Roma did not play particularly well in this game they found a way back into it. Edin Dzeko delivered a short pass to Bruno Peres as the ball was inches away from going out the Brazilian Defender hit the ball into the line of play to find Hendrick Mkhitaryan who delivered a emphatic header into the back of the net. it was a one-goal game with a little over 15 minutes play there was a chance Roma could seek a late equalizer to earn a point. It would have been a point they did not deserve but nonetheless Roma went further in that final 15 minutes and came close on several occasions but despite late chances from Edin Dzeko it was too little too late as bologna go to the Stadio Olimpico to hand Roma their fourth League loss Since winter break as bologna storm the Italian Capital with a 3-2 victory. Bologna stay hot while Roma seems to be on the verge of collapse.
Everything Roma 