Serie A Round-Up: The Aquile join the Summit after Roma shock Inter

• AC Milan  1 – 0  Genoa
• AS Roma  1 – 0  Inter Milan
• Cesena  1 – 4  Napoli
• Bari  2 – 1  Brescia
• Catania  1 – 1  Bologna
• Chievo  0 – 1  Lazio
• Fiorentina  2 – 0  Parma
• Palermo  2 – 2  Lecce
• Sampdoria  0 – 0  Udinese
• Juventus  4 – 2  Cagliari

Not convincing enough?

A goal out of nowhere gave AC Milan a much needed victory over their transfer window allies Genoa at the San Siro. It was a disappointing start by the Rossoneri and the only player that looked likely to score was Gennaro Gattuso. Allegri, criticized for his affinity towards the old horses started Rino ahead of Frenchman Flamini and the move almost paid off. Everything looked out of synch and the first half could have seen Genoa taking the lead due to a defensive error by Abbiati. The 49^th minute saw Pirlo with a very ambitious long ball and it found Ibrahimovic surrounded by Dainelli and Ranocchia. It was the class of the man which made him chip the ball above Eduardo’s head for his second goal of the week. Milan could have secured the victory in the 81st minute but Robinho’s shot was cleared off the line by Criscito. Milan are in the 5^th spot, just 2 points away from rivals Inter.

The Roman Shock

Later in the night, title holders Inter were shocked at the Olimpico by Mirko Vucinic’s last minute diving header which turned out to be the only goal of the match. Roma were looking for some inspiration from the return of Francesco Totti, who was rested in their loss to Brescia. He almost gave Roma the lead with a free-kick in the 60^th minute, which went over the bar. Inter have no one else to blame but themselves as they had bulk of the chances but were never able to convert any of them. Otherwise they would certainly not shy away from blaming Bogdan Lobont. The Roma keeper had at least two, if not three, tremendous saves against Sneijder and Eto’o. Roma turned the course of the match in the last 10 minutes and it was down to the last minute when De Rossi’s cross saw a diving Vucinic to give the Romans their first victory of the Season.

Opportunity Lost

After Inter’s loss, the most critical match of the next day turned out to be Chievo Verona vs Lazio. A victory to any team could send jitters into Rafael Benitez’s spine. Had Chievo won this match they would have taken over Inter to the topmost spot but Mauro Zarate had completely different plans. The guy has been out of sorts for a long time now but he chose the best time to rise to the occasion. Mauri found Zarate in a counter attack and the Argentine hit the back of the net in the 69^th minute to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Chievo could have equalized with just six minutes to go after Kevin Constant attempted a fierce strike that went wide and helped Lazio join the Summit with Inter Milan.

Another Upset? Not Really

Cesena, after returning to top flight Italian football after 19 years are being appreciated a lot. Another upset looked on the cards when they took the lead against Napoli in the 48^th minute with a goal by Marco Parolo. Napoli equalized with a goal by “El Pocho” in the 72^nd minute. After that it was no looking back for the Naples outfit and a controversial penalty by Marek Hamsek ensured that the match was secure. Edinson Cavani, who signed with Napoli on a loan deal from Palermo struck a brace in the final three minutes to sink Cesena’s ship.

The Florence Tail

Apart from Roma, fans at the Arternio Franchi were also hoping for their first victory as Fiorentina hosted Parma. A penalty by Adam Lejajic gave them a lead in the 61^st minute and De Silvestri added some insult to injury with a deflection that gave the Viola their first win of the Season.

TheHardTackle’s Match of the Week

The last match of the week turned out to be the most exciting fixture at the Grande Torino. Juventus finally got back to winning ways with a 4-2 win over Cagliari. The Sardinians had a good defensive record coming into this game but it was shattered. Milos Krasic continued his rich vein of form with a hattrick. His first goal was almost like Pavel Nedved, a man who is compared to Leonardo. Bonucci, Serie A’s most prolific centre-back grabbed another goal. Juve’s defensive problems are not yet cured. Cagliari scored two shockingly easy goals. Matri continued his good form against Juventus as he grabbed a brace.