The week kicked off as AC Milan travelled to face Palermo at the Renzo Barbera, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first ever hat-trick for AC Milan on his comeback to Serie A following a three match ban for slapping Salvatore Aronica. Two of them were assisted by Robinho, who has now been directly involved in at least one goal in the last four games.
In the second half Thiago Silva killed the game as he scored the fourth goal of the match and his second of this season in Serie A. This is only the second time that Palermo fail to score at home while this is AC Milan’s first win at the Renzo Barbera after five games in a row without a win against the Rosanero in Serie A. Note that AC Milan have won their last three away encounters in this campaign.
The still unbeaten Juventus suffered another draw, this time to the Flying Donkeys. Paolo De Ceglie scored his first goal of the season from a header after a free-kick from Andrea Pirlo. In the second half Boukary Dramé bagged his first goal of the season to score the equalizer. The Bianconeri are now the team with the second most draws in Europe’s top five leagues behind French side Brest. Chievo are now unbeaten in their last five encounters against Juventus.
At the Ennio Tardini Napoli got their fourth Serie A win in a row as they beat Parma, inflicting Roberto Donadoni’s first home loss with the Gialloblu this season. Edinson Cavani opened the scoring in the 40th minute netting his 16th goal of the season. Cristian Zaccardo scored the first goal against Napoli, while Ezequiel Lavezzi bagged the winner in the 86th minute to take his tally to five goals and an assist in the last five games in all competitions.
For the second week in a row Genoa drew 2-2, this time it was against lowly Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare. Giuseppe Sculli scored a brace for the Grifone, while the Giallorossi’s goals were scored by Luis Muriel, who has gotten on the scoresheet for the third week in a row. Lecce are now unbeaten in their last five Serie A games and have suffered only one loss in their last nine matches while Genoa are without a win in their last five games and without a clean sheet in their last 16 consecutive encounters (worst defensive record in Serie A).
Siena have won two matches in a row for the first time this season after they beat Cagliari 3-0. The first goal was scored by Erjon Bogdani, who scored for the second match in a row, then Emanuele Calaiò scored his eleventh goal of the season meaning he has now been involved in 40% of Siena’s goals this season. Cagliari are now without an away win in their last six fixtures, while Siena have bagged seven goals in the last two rounds which is 23% of the total they have scored throughout the entire season.
After three consecutive defeats without scoring Fiorentina finally got back onto the winning road as they defeated Cesena at home. La Viola’s goals came from Cesena defender Vangelis Moras and their own Matija Nastasic. Cesena have lost their last four consecutive games and have failed to win in their last seven. Note that Cesena have never beaten Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi in Serie A.
At the Stadio Friuli Udinese for the second match in a row at home have failed to score, and this time it was against Atalanta. Two of Serie A’s leading scorers, Antonio Di Natale and German Denis, were unable to find the net. Thus the Nerazzurri are unbeaten in their last five Serie A games, while Udinese haven’t won in their last three home games.
Meanwhile, in the Derby della Capitale, Lazio scored the first goal which was eerily similar to one they scored in the previous derby, as Hernanes netted from the penalty spot following a huge mistake from Roma’s defense which earnt Maarten Stekelenburg a red card. Minutes later Fabio Borini fired the ball past Federico Marchetti to score the equalizer and his sixth goal in the last seven games. Note that the Giallorossi haven’t failed to score against Lazio in their last ten meetings in Serie A.
In the second half the Biancocelesti’s captain, Stefano Mauri, gave the fans a reason to cheer as he scored his first goal of the season and his first against La Magica in the Rome Derby. As a result Lazio have beaten Roma twice this year in Serie A, an event that last happened in the 1997/98 season.
Bologna stole a 1-0 win at the Renato Dall’Ara stadium against Serie A’s bottom team Novara. Samir Ujkani saved Marco Di Vaio’s penalty at the 19th minute, however later in the second half Robert Acquafresca bagged the winning goal of the game and his fifth of the season. During their eight games in 2012 Bologna have managed six clean sheets more than any other Serie A team, while Novara have only one win in the last 14 games.
At the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza the clash between Inter and Catania ended in a 2-2 draw. The Elefanti opened the scoring thanks to Alejandro Gómez, who scored in the second week in a row, than Mariano Izco bagged his first goal of the season. In the second period and after five consecutive games without scoring in all competitions, Inter finally found the net through Diego Forlan, who scored only his second goal of the season, with his first being on the opening week of the season. The home side’s second goal was scored by Diego Milito, who took his tally to 13 goals and an assist this season which is 38.8% of Inter’s goals this season. In their last seven games in Serie A, Inter have failed to win any and also failed to score in five of them while Catania have only lost once.
For all the latest Serie A news don’t forget to check out the news section of Forza Italian Football.
Join Forza Italian Football on Twitter and Facebook.
