Final score

19 January 2011 20:45

Inter
46' Chivu
15' Milito
14' Eto'o
3 - 2
Cesena
29' Giaccherini
23' Bogdani
Referee: Carmine Russo / Linesmen: Bianchi, Iannello / Fourth official: Rizzoli
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
46' After a minute's added time and Chivu's goal, Inter and Cesena head in at half time with the score at 3-2
46' GOAL FOR INTER. Chivu puts the black and blues back in front. Maicon's cross is met by Chivu with a towering header and the ball hits the back of the net
45' The ref signals one minute of added time
42' Eto'o causes Sammarco and Von Bergen all sorts of problems with his trickery down the left then tries a shot but his effort is high
40' Following another dangerous Inter break, Chivu's chips the keeper only to see Colucci head off the line and behind for a corner
39' Biabiany makes hay down the left and crosses for Pandev, who is brought down on the edge of the box. Stankovic's freekick hits the ball, from the rebound Cambiasso heads goalwards but Antonioli mops up
36' Materazzi booked
33' Biabiany crosses from the right and Lucio connects with a flying header that goes a yard wide
29' GOAL FOR CESENA. 2-2. Jimenez catches the Inter defence napping with a chipped ball behind the back line. Giaccherini latches onto it and volleys low beneath Castellazzi to pull Cesena level
26' Materazzi nips in to clear, with Bogdani about to pounce on a loose ball
23' GOAL FOR CESENA. Bogdani chests down a cross from the right and fires past Castellazzi from outside the box. 2-1
22' Eto'o sends Zanetti down to the by-line with a backheel after bamboozling a defender. Offside
20' Change for Inter: Leonardo takes off Milito as a precaution after the striker signalled a muscle twinge. Biabiany on to replace him
19' Maicon puts in a deep cross that ends up over the bar
15' INTER 2-0 CESENA. Milito immediately doubles Inter's lead. Eto'o shakes off two opponents and plays in Pandev, whose low cross is met in the centre of the box by the oncoming Milito
14' GOAL FOR INTER. Eto'o the scorer. Milito and Eto'o link up superbly and the Cameroonian fires home after dazzling with Cesena defence with some nifty footwork
12' Maicon's cross is dealt with by Antonioli
8' Following a corner, Jimenez lets fly with an insidious cross-come-shot that goes just wide
5' Pandev tests Antonioli from outside the box but the keeper is alert
3' Parolo tries a right-footed shot, but the Nerazzurri defence snuffs out the danger
1' Welcome to the stadio Meazza, where we're all set for Inter v Cesena, the rescheduled Serie A 2010/11 Week 16 game.
1' As he starts this evening's game, Javier Zanetti becomes Inter's record Serie A appearance holder. With 520 games in the top flight, he has now overtaken Beppe Bergomi
1' A minute's silence is held in remembrance of Alpine soldier Luca Sanna, who was killed in Afghanistan yesterday
1' Inter start the game at a high tempo with Maicon and Pandev attacking early on
1' Inter get the game underway
1' Against Cesena Leonardo opts for a central defensive pairing of Lucio and Materazzi in front of Castellazzi, with Maicon and Chivu as full-backs; midfield trio of Zanetti, Cambiasso and Stankovic; Pandev sitting in the hole behind front two Milito and Eto'o
Minute Text commentary
48' The final whistle goes after 3 minutes of added time. Inter win 3-2 and haul themselves level with Roma in fourth on 35 points
46' Budan hits a shot over the bar
45' We will have 3 minutes of injury time
41' Benalouane booked
40' Inter change: Cordoba on for Pandev
38' Maicon's shot is saved by Antonioli
36' Another chance for Cesena: Parolo finds Budan in space on the right. His shot hits the side netting
35' Budan finds himself with a chance following a lucky rebound, but his angled effort is dealt with by Castellazzi
33' Another change for Cesena: Jimenez is replaced by Budan
32' Obi skips past 4 players on the left and pulls back for Pandev at the near post, but the forward is unable to coordinate himself and he fires over
30' Inter substitution: Obi replaces Biabiany
29' RED CARD. Giaccherni is shown his second yellow card of the evening for shooting the ball into the back of the net long after he'd been blown for offside
28' Maicon and Pandev link up and create a chance, but the shot is too close to Antonioli
24' Cesena make a substitution, Caserta coming on for Sammarco
23' Jimenez hits an effort just wide
21' Cambiasso pings in a low cross from the right and Eto'o strikes the bar from the edge of the six-yard box
19' Cesena make a change: Lauro is replaced by Dellafiore
15' Eto'o heads goalwards and hits a powerful shot. Over
13' Biabiany whips in a dangerous ball for Pandev, who can't reach it
10' Ceccarelli crosses. Lucio clears
5' Chivu puts in a low cross looking for Biabiany. Von Bergen knocks it behind
1' The second half kicks off with no changes made for either side
1' Giaccherini booked
Zanetti
8.26
8.26
Cordoba
6.48
6.48
Materazzi
4.45
4.45
Stankovic
6.35
6.35
Cambiasso
7.17
7.17
Maicon
7.67
7.67
Biabiany
4.73
4.73
Chivu
7.93
7.93
Milito
7.58
7.58
Obi
7.24
7.24
Lucio
5.82
5.82
Eto'o
8.87
8.87
Pandev
5.48
5.48
Castellazzi
6.22
6.22
Average rating 6.73
7 shots on target 3
8 shots off target 6
8 fouls committed 9
5 corners 3
2 offsides 2
35:44 ball possession 23:04
Leonardo's first against the team from Romagna

Today's game is the first time Leonardo has faced Cesena as coach.

Ficcadenti defeated in only previous encounter

There has only been one previous game between Ficcadenti and Inter: the Nerazzurri beat his Reggina team 0-1 away in Serie A 2007/08.

Inter looking to make it seven in a row for first time since 2007/08

Inter are on a six-game winning run in all competitions: the two wins in the Club World Cup under Benitez and four games in 2011 with Leonardo in charge (three league and one cup). Inter have scored 18 goals in these six games. The last team to take points off Inter was Werder Bremen, who ran out 3-0 winners in Germany in the Champions League on 7 December. If Inter managed to add another win today, it would be their longest winning run since November 2007-January 2008, when the team put together a 13-match winning streak.

Zanetti to become Inter's record Serie A appearance holder

Javier Zanetti will today become the Nerazzurri's record appearance holder for top-flight games when he overtakes Beppe Bergomi,whose 519 appearances he equalled in last Sunday's match against Bologna.

Only one home defeat for Inter in 59 competitive fixtures

Inter have lost just one of their last 59 competitive matches played at the stadio San Siro: the Serie A match against AC Milan on 14 November 2010 (0-1). The Nerazzurri's record in the other 57 games in that period is 44 wins and 14 draws.

Inter's best period of the game and Cesena's worst

In Serie A 2010/11 Inter have been the most prolific scorers in the middle of the second half (from the 61st to the 75th minute), hitting the net 11 times in that period. Cesena, on the other hand, have been particularly distracted in the final 15 minutes, letting in 9 goals. The only team to have done worse in the same period in Serie A 2010/11 is Lecce with 13 conceded

January a golden month for Ficcadenti

Considering only professional league matches, January is the month in which Massimo Ficcadenti's teams have obtained the highest points average per game: 1.47, earned with 9 wins, 4 draws and 8 defeats over a total of 21 fixtures. Ficcadenti's points average is actually higher in August (2.0), but fewer league games are played in that month.

Cesena 2010/11: no goals from the bench

Cesena are one of 3 teams in the Serie A 2010/11 season - along with Brescia and Sampdoria - to have only scored goals through players that started the match.

Cesena goalless for 229 minutes

Cesena haven't scored in a league game for 229 minutes, since Ceccarelli's goal in the 41st minute of their 1-2 away win over Brescia on 6 January. They have failed to score in the remaining 49 minutes of that game plus the two matches played at the stadio Manuzzi against Genoa (0-0) and Roma (0-1).

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(8) draws(4) defeats(1)

MILAN - Inter beat Cesena 3-2 in the rescheduled Serie A 2010/11 Week 16 match played at the stadio Meazza this evening to maintain their perfect record under Leonardo.

Two quick-fire goals in as many minutes from Eto'o and Milito put Inter firmly in control after just 15 minutes but the Prince had to leave the pitch five minutes later with a muscle complaint, Biabiany coming on to replace him. Strikes from Bogdani and Giaccherini brought Cesena level within six minutes to give the away side hope, but Chivu headed Inter back in front seconds before the first-half whistle. Cesena were reduced to 10 men in the 74th minute when Giaccherini picked up his second booking.

FIRST HALF - With Thiago Motta unavailable, Leonardo opted to start with Pandev in the hole behind Milito and Eto'o. The club decided not to risk playing Ranocchia, with doubts still unresolved about whether the defender was eligible to feature in a game that qualified as a Week 16 match, considering that he was a Genoa player when the other Week 16 games were played ("We haven't been told we can't play him but we haven't been told clearly that we can either," explained technical director Branca). That meant Materazzi was handed a first start since the Milan derby in November. Cesena fielded a three-pronged attack of Jimenez, Bogdani and Giaccherini.

Parolo had an early sight on goal after just three minutes but his right-footed drive went wide. Shortly afterwards a late challenge by Lauro gave the Nerazzurri a freekick from which Cambiasso found himself one-on-one with Antonioli - the Cesena keeper was quicker to react though. On 13 minutes Lucio made his way as far forward as the opposition's box before laying off for Maicon, whose cross-shot forced Antonioli to make a high catch at the near post. A minute later Eto'o showed once more just how lethal he is at the moment: after playing a one-two with Milito, the Cameroonian made some space for himself and angled a shot into the far corner leaving the keeper with no chance. Before you could catch your breath Inter had scored a second, with Eto'o again at the heart of it, this time shaking off two defenders and threading a delightful ball through for Pandev. The Macedonian's low cross was met by Prince Milito in the centre of the box and the Argentinian made no mistake in putting Inter 2-0 up. However, just five minutes after his goal Milito was forced off with a muscle problem and Biabiany came on to replace him.

Bogdani pulled one back for Cesena in the 23rd minute, when he took a cross down on his chest and struck a powerful effort beyond Castellazzi and into the bottom corner. Then, just as Inter had done, Cesena followed up their first goal with an immediate second. Ex-Inter player Jimenez was the orchestrator, chipping a perfectly weighted ball in behind the Inter back line for Giaccherini to latch onto and volley beneath Castellazzi. 2-2 and back to square one. Lucio had a chance to restore Inter's lead on 33 minutes when he met Biabiany's cross from the right with a flying header but his effort went wide. The Frenchman created another chance on 39 minutes when he fed Pandev, who was brought down on the edge of the box. Stankovic's freekick came off the wall and Cambiasso headed goalwards but his effort wasn't powerful enough to trouble Antonioli. The tempo was showing no signs of slowing down and Inter had their best chance yet to get their noses back in front just a minute later, when Chivu chipped the keeper but was denied by Collucci on the line. Nonetheless, the Romanian did succeed in restoring Inter's lead in first-half injury time, rising well to head home Maicon's inch-perfect cross.

SECOND HALF - The second half got underway with no changes made and Eto'o was soon causing havoc again with a series of initiatives. In the 56th minute he surged down the right and Benalouane just managed to contain him. Four minutes later he fired in a shot from the edge of the box which failed to hit the target, then on 66 minutes he went about as close as you can, his thunderous strike cannoning back off the crossbar after he had connected with Cambiasso's low ball. Maicon, who clocked up miles and miles down the flank this evening, had a good chance after linking up with Pandev but hit his shot too close to Antonioli. Cesena were reduced to ten men in the 74th minute after Giaccherini was shown his second yellow card of the evening (the first for diving and the second for shooting at goal after the whistle had gone). With a quarter of an hour to play, Leonardo decided to shake things up and brought on Joel Obi for Biabiany. Cesena refused to lie down, though, and twice threatened through Budan: his first chance came from a rebound - with the inadvertent help of Chivu - but Castellazzi was on hand to save; then, after being played in by Parolo, he hit the side netting. Cordoba was brought on to replace Pandev and strengthen the rear guard with five minutes remaining.

After three minutes of added time the Week 16 game between Inter and Cesena came to an end. Inter now sit on 35 points, just 6 behind league leaders AC Milan and with a game in hand.

Inter 3-2 Cesena (HT: 3-2)

Scorers: 14 Eto'o, 15 Milito, 23 Bogdani, 29 Giaccherini, 45+1 Chivu.

Inter: 12 Castellazzi; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 23 Materazzi, 26 Chivu; 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 5 Stankovic; 27 Pandev (85th 2 Cordoba); 22 Milito (20th 88 Biabiany - 75th 20 Obi), 9 Eto'o.
Unused subs: 21 Orlandoni, 11 Muntari, 17 Mariga, 39 Santon.
Coach: Leonardo.

Cesena: 1 Antonioli; 77 Ceccarelli,, 25 Von Bergen, 6 Lauro (64th 29 Dellafiore); 18 Parolo, 14 Colucci, 24 Sammarco (69th 8 Caserta); 10 Jimenez (78th 11 Budan), 70 Bogdani, 23 Giaccherini.
Unused subs: 33 Calderoni, 3 Pellegrino, 4 Appiah, 17 Malonga.
Coach: Massimo Ficcadenti.

Referee: Nicola Russo (Nola).

Yellow cards: 36 Materazzi, 46 and 74 Giaccherini, 86 Benalouane.
Red card: 74 Giaccherini.

Attendance: 52,507.

Added time: 1+3 minutes.


starting lineups

Castellazzi 12 Antonioli
Maicon 13 Lauro
Lucio 6 Jimenez
Materazzi 23 Colucci
Chivu 26 Benalouane
Zanetti 4 Parolo
Cambiasso 19 Giaccherini
Stankovic 5 Sammarco
Pandev 27 von Bergen
Milito 22 Bogdani
Eto'o 9 Ceccarelli

substitutes

Orlandoni 21 Calderoni
Cordoba 2 Pellegrino
Muntari 11 Appiah
Mariga 17 Budan
Obi 20 Caserta
Santon 39 Malonga
Biabiany 88 Dellafiore