Final score

20 December 2009 20:45

Inter
14' Eto'o
Lazio
Referee: Carmine Russo / Linesmen: De Luca, Coriolato / Fourth official: Romeo
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
47' Half time. Inter lead Lazio one-nil, Eto'o the scorer on 14 minutes.
42' Two minutes of injury time.
42' Another save by Julio Cesar, from Rocchi this time.
41' Julio Cesar saves a deflected shot from Mauri.
40' Diego Milito's shot from the edge of the box is inches wide of Muslera's left-hand post.
38' Thiago Motta's low free kick takes a slight deflection off the wall. Cambiasso is first to the loose ball and the Argentine sees his shot on the turn saved by Muslera.
35' Meghni hooks wide from close range after Inter fail to clear a Baronio free kick.
33' Maicon whips in a cross from the right. Stendardo makes a headed clearance.
30' Baronio is booked for foul play.
30' Eto'o is closed down by four Lazio players and is dispossessed after receiving in the area from Milito.
26' Milito heads away Baronio's right-wing cross from a free kick.
26' Patrick Vieira comes on for the injured Sulley Muntari.
24' Lazio work the ball to Lichtsteiner on the left and the Swiss winger crosses to Rocchi, who is promptly intercepted by Ivan Cordoba.
23' Thiago Motta is booked for a late challenge on Baronio.
21' From the left wing Kolarov sends a high ball into the six-yard box. It's straight into the arms of Julio Cesar.
18' Lazio counter-attack after an uncharacteristic error by Maicon. Rocchi steals in at the near post to stab wide Mauri's left-wing cross.
16' Inter win a free kick out on the left after a Siviglia foul on Milito. Maicon's inswinging cross is caught by Muslera.
14' GOAL!!!!!! Samuel Eto'o blasts home from close range after Muslera makes a point-blank block from his initial header from Stankovic's cross. INTER 1-0 LAZIO.
13' Julio Cesar blocks Kolarov's fiercely struck angled drive.
6' Maicon makes a strong run into the box and has a penalty claim turned down by Carmine Russo after being shoved by Radu.
4' Muslera spills Thiago Motta's long-range effort and the Lazio defence concedes a corner.
1' Minus nine. No, it's not the number of points that Juve are behind us in the standings, at least not until after the final whistle tonight. It's the temperature at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza where the Nerazzurri face Lazio in the last Serie A match of the decade.
1' Muslera spills Thiago Motta's long-range effort and the Lazio defence concedes a corner.
1' Meghni chips the ball into the area for Rocchi, who is flagged offside.
1' Lazio kick off against Inter, who are wearing the Centenary strip for the second consecutive league fixture. FORZA NERAZZURRI!!!
1' Lineups: <br> Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 2 Cordoba, 11 Muntari; 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 8 Thiago Motta; 5 Stankovic; 22 Milito, 9 Eto'o.&#8232;<br>Subs: 1 Toldo, 14 Vieira, 15 Krhin, 18 Suazo, 23 Materazzi, 29 Donati, 45 Balotelli.<br> Lazio: 86 Muslera; 13 Siviglia, 28 Stendardo, 26 Radu; 2 Lichtsteiner, 33 Baronio, 11 Kolarov, 81 Del Nero; 23 Meghni, 5 Mauri; 9 Rocchi. &#8232;Subs: 88 Berni, 3 Scaloni, 4 Firmani, 18 Makinwa, 25 Cribari, 74 Cruz, 87 Diakité.
1' Tonight's fixture is also the first meeting between the two teams who contested the first ever Italian Super Cup in China. On 8 August 2009 at 8pm, exactly a year after the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the Nerazzurri and Biancocelesti battled it out in front of a packed crowd at the iconic Bird's Nest stadium. It ended 2-1 to Lazio on that occasion, so we're obviously hoping for a different result tonight.
Minute Text commentary
48' Full time. Inter beat Lazio 1-0 and take a massive eight-point lead into the winter break. Buon Natale to all Nerazzurri fans. See you on 6 January for our 12:30 kick-off away to Chievo.
47' Julio Cesar smothers the ball as Kolarov hooks a dangerous ball into the six-yard box.
46' Stankovic scythes a 25-yard shot over the crossbar.
45' Three minutes more to go until the final whistle.
44' Marco Materazzi comes on for Diego Milito.
42' Cruz sends a low 25-yard shot wide of Julio Cesar's left-hand post.
41' Samuel Eto'o is replaced by Mario Balotelli.
40' Another yellow card - number six. It goes to Radu for a foul on Milito.
39' Stankovic is booked for a foul on Baronio. The Serbian, along with Thiago Motta, is automatically ruled out of our Epiphany match away to Chievo on 6 January 2010.
37' Lucio makes an acrobatic clearance from Mauri's high cross into the area.
35' Lazio bring on Makinwa for Rocchi, and Firmani for Del Nero.
33' Del Nero is booked for clattering into Lucio.
32' Stankovic plays through to Milito but Radu does enough to thwart the Argentine.
31' Vieira just fails to connect with Cambiasso's corner before Lazio boot clear.
27' Kolarov volleys way wide from long range after Cambiasso's clearance from Baronio's cross.
26' Maicon finds space for a shot but his effort spins off Milito, going behind for a goal kick.
23' Cambiasso's curling free kick sails wide of the diving Muslera and his left-hand post.
22' Stendardo gets a yellow carded for tripping Maicon just outside the Lazio box.
18' Kolarov volleys just wide from the left edge of the Inter area.
18' Stankovic plays a beautiful ball to Milito in the area but Il Principe can't find space for a shot.
15' Julio Cesar is out quick to deny Rocchi a chance from a loose ball in the area.
14' Stankovic receives from Zanetti about 20 yards from goal and sends a low shot several yards wide.
13' Lazio replace Meghni with ex-Inter forward Julio 'El Jardinero' Cruz.
8' Eto'o drags a low 20-yard shot wide of Muslera's right-hand post.
2' Inter hit the Biancocelesti on the break with Eto'o firing wide after entering the area.
1' Inter get the match restarted.
1' Lichtsteiner's right-wing cross for Rocchi is headed away by Lucio.
Zanetti
7.18
7.18
Cordoba
7.6
7.6
Materazzi
6.74
6.74
Stankovic
7.19
7.19
Cambiasso
7.44
7.44
Julio Cesar
7.1
7.1
Maicon
7.17
7.17
Vieira
6.22
6.22
Balotelli
6.59
6.59
Muntari
6.34
6.34
Milito
6.39
6.39
Motta
6.38
6.38
Lucio
7.2
7.2
Eto'o
7.79
7.79
Average rating 6.95
4 shots on target 1
8 shots off target 8
19 fouls committed 19
5 corners 2
1 offsides 4
27:45 ball possession 25:38
Mourinho v Ballardini

José Mourinho faces Davide Ballardini for the third time after a win, a draw and a defeat. His Inter side have scored in all three games for a total of five goals.

Details:
2008/09 Serie A Inter-Palermo 2-2 2-0
2009 Italian Super Cup Inter-Lazio ---- ---- 1-2 (in Beijing)

Mourinho v Lazio

José Mourinho meets Lazio for the fourth time after two wins in last season's Serie A and a defeat in the 2009 Italian Super Cup. His Nerazzurri side has scored in all three previous encounters, netting a total of six goals.

Details:
2008/09 Serie A Inter-Lazio 2-0 3-0
2009 Italian Super Cup Inter-Lazio ---- ---- 1-2 (in Beijing)

Le sfide Mourinho-Lazio

Quarto confronto ufficiale tra Mourinho e la Lazio e finora non è mai stato pareggio: lo score è di 2 vittorie per il tecnico nerazzurro ed 1 successo laziale, con l’Inter di Mourinho sempre a segno con un totale di 6 reti realizzate.

il dettaglio:
2008/09 serie A Inter-Lazio 2-0 3-0
2009 supercoppa Lega Inter-Lazio ---- ---- 1-2 (a Pechino)

Ballardini v Inter

Sunday night's clash at the Meazza is Davide Ballardini's fifth against Inter after 1 win, 2 draws and a defeat. His teams have conceded on every occasion, letting in a total of 7 goals.

Details:
2007/08 Serie A Cagliari-Inter ---- 1-2
2008/09 Serie A Palermo-Inter 0-2 2-2
2009 Italian Super Cup Lazio-Inter ---- ---- 2-1 (in Beijing)

Inter goalless in one of last 21 Serie A games

The Nerazzurri have failed to score in only one of their last 21 Serie A matches (Sampdoria 1-0 Inter on 26 September 2009). José Mourinho's team have netted 47 goals in the other 20 games.

Inter unbeaten at home for over a year

Inter last lost at home on 26 November 2008 when they were beaten 1-0 by Panathinaikos in the Champions League. They have since played 29 European and domestic fixtures, winning 20 and drawing 9.

Three clean sheets in a row

Inter haven't conceded at home since Mirko Vucinic's 13th-minute goal in the 1-1 Serie A draw with Roma on 8 November 2009. The Nerazzurri have since played three matches at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, keeping clean sheets against Fiorentina (1-0, Serie A), Rubin Kazan (2-0, Champions League) and Livorno (1-0, Coppa Italia).

Inter unbeaten in last 30 home league matches; one goalless game in last 84

Inter have avoided defeat in their last 30 Serie A games at home, collecting 22 victories and 8 draws since their 2-1 reverse against Juventus on 22 March 2008. In league matches at the Meazza the Nerazzurri have failed to score in just one of their last 84 - a 0-0 draw with Genoa on 26 October 2008. They have scored 184 goals in the other 83 matches.

Zanetti's record-breaking 2009

Javier Zanetti has played all 37 Serie A fixtures from January to date. So has Chievo's Sergio Pellissier, but the Inter captain has never been substituted, racking up a total of 3,330 Serie A minutes. Zanetti hasn't missed a league game since Inter 4-1 Livorno on 28 October 2006, a run of 122 consecutive matches. In 14 seasons at Inter the Argentine has been ever present in six Serie A campaigns, while in all competitions this season, Zanetti has made 50 appearances for a total of 4,530 minutes.

Contrasting attacks

Serie A's strongest and weakest attacks of 2009 go head-to-head at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday evening. Inter have scored 74 league goals this year - more than any other team, while Lazio have the top flight's weakest attack with just 30 goals.

Lazio chasing 800th victory

The Biancocelesti are one win away from their 800th victory in Serie A since Italy's top flight became a nationwide competition in 1929/30. The first of their 799 victories was a 3-0 home win over Bologna on 6 October 1929, Spivach (15'), Rier (56') and Pastore (84') the scorers.

Lazio goalless away from home since 1 November

Lazio haven't scored away from home in Serie A since Mauri's 8th-minute goal in their 1-1 draw at Siena on 1 November 2009. The Biancocelesti have since played two away games, drawing 0-0 at Napoli and losing 1-0 to city rivals Roma.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(46) draws(25) defeats(10)

MILAN - Defending Italian champions Inter beat Lazio 1-0 in the last Serie A match of the decade to go into the winter break with an eight-point lead over second-placed AC Milan, whose Week 17 fixture away to Fiorentina was postponed.

Samuel Eto'o, who scored against Lazio in the Super Cup in Beijing last August, netted the winner on a freezing cold evening in Milan as the Nerazzurri homed in on the platonic - but significant - title of winter champions with two matches to go until the halfway point in the season.

Inter, playing with Stankovic behind the strikers in place of the suspended Sneijder, and Muntari continuing at left-back before his early exit due to injury, took the lead on 14 minutes when Eto'o fired home from close range after Muslera had blocked his header from Stankovic's cross.

Before half time Mourinho's men created two good opportunities to add to the Cameroonian's tenth goal in an Inter shirt, Cambiasso seeing his shot on the turn saved by Muslera before Milito fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

Eto'o had more chances early in the second half and with Lazio struggling to provide a reaction Davide Ballardini threw on ex-Inter favourite Julio Cruz for Meghni. But it was Kolarov who continued to pose the main threat. The Serbian, who saw his angled drive saved by Julio Cesar just before Eto'o's opening goal, came close with a diagonal volley that went just wide.

In a second half of few clear-cut chances, Inter's best opportunity of a second goal fell to Esteban Cambiasso, whose well executed curling free kick went wide of the diving Muslera and his left-hand post.

Inter 1-0 Lazio (HT: 1-0)

Scorer: Eto'o 14.

Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 2 Cordoba, 11 Muntari (14 Vieira 26); 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 8 Thiago Motta; 5 Stankovic; 22 Milito (23 Materazzi 89), 9 Eto'o (45 Balotelli 86).
Subs not used: 1 Toldo, 15 Krhin, 18 Suazo, 29 Donati.
Coach: José Mourinho.

Lazio: 86 Muslera; 13 Siviglia, 28 Stendardo, 26 Radu; 2 Lichtsteiner, 33 Baronio, 11 Kolarov, 81 Del Nero (4 Firmani 80); 23 Meghni (74 Cruz 58), 5 Mauri; 9 Rocchi (18 Makinwa 80).
Subs not used
: 88 Berni, 3 Scaloni, 25 Cribari, 87 Diakité.
Coach
: Davide Ballardini.

Referee: Carmine Russo (Nola).

Booked: Thiago Motta 23, Baronio 30, Stendardo 67, Del Nero 78, Stankovic 84, Radu 85.

Att.: 52,859.

starting lineups

Julio Cesar 12 Muslera
Cordoba 2 Lichtsteiner
Zanetti 4 Mauri
Stankovic 5 Rocchi
Lucio 6 Kolarov
Motta 8 Siviglia
Eto'o 9 Meghni
Muntari 11 Radu
Maicon 13 Stendardo
Cambiasso 19 Baronio
Milito 22 Del Nero

substitutes

Toldo 1 Berni
Vieira 14 Scaloni
Krhin 15 Firmani
Suazo 18 Makinwa
Materazzi 23 Cribari
Donati 29 Cruz
Balotelli 45 Diakitè