Final score

9 January 2011 15:00

Catania
26' (2nd half) Gomez
1 - 2
Inter
34' (2nd half) Cambiasso
29' (2nd half) Cambiasso
Referee: Antonio Damato / Linesmen: Cariolato, Maggiani / Fourth official: Giannoccaro
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
48' The first half of Catania v Inter ends with the teams tied on 0-0
47' After receiving the ball from Stankovic, Motta fires well over the bar
45' Damato awards three minutes injury time
40' Long range effort by Pesce with his left, ball just wide
38' Sliding challenge by Silvestre on Zanetti who was running on the right
36' Maicon's cross from the right, Gomez anitcipates Eto'o and clears the ball
35' Alvarez shoots with his right from 25 meters, his weak effort is caught by Castellazzi
34' Maicon's cross from the right is caught by Andujar
31' Pass for Milto in the box, silvestre beats him to the ball
30' Stankovic clears from Gomez's cross
29' Chivu stops Gomes who had started a run on the right
25' Eto'o tries to lose his marker on the left but his touch is too heavy and he loses the ball
22' Llama loses his marker on the edge of the box and tries the shot, it goes over the bar
20' Vertical pass for Lopez, Lucio anticipates with a sliding tackle
19' Pesce shoots from outside the box with his left, ball out wide
17' Ball up the field for Milito, he's brought back in front of goal because of offside
16' Maicon's cross from the right is caught by Andujar
13' Cross by Maicon from the left, Stankovic beats Alvarez to the header, Andujar however is ready
8' Dangerous run by Maxi Lopez on the left, Cordoba does well to close him off
7' Llama's cross from the left is met by Lucio who beats Silvestre to the ball
5' Motta clears from a Llama free-kick
3' Castellazzi comes off his line very well and catches Llama's corner
1' Welcome to the Angelo Massimino stadium: all is ready for Catania v Inter, Week 19 of the Serie A TIM 2010/2011
1' Kick-off taken by Catania
1' For the game with Catania, Castellazzi is confirmed in goal, Maicon and Chivu full-backs, and Lucio-Cordoba in the middle; the midfield is made up of Zanetti, Cambiasso and Thiago Motta; Stankovic plays as attacking midfielder behind Milito and Eto'o who returns after his suspension
Minute Text commentary
48' The game Catania v Inter ends with a win for the Nerazzurri thanks to two goals by Cambiasso. Inter moves up to 29 points
46' Substitution for Inter: Milito off, Ranocchia on
45' Damato awards three minutes of injury time
45' Yellow card for Lucio for time wasting
44' Yellow card for Martinho after a foul on Cambiasso
44' Milto's left foot shot goes just wide after Pandev's cross
38' Substitution for Inter: Thiago Motta off, Mariga on
37' Substitution for Catania: Pesce off, Antenucci on
37' Substitution for Catania: Alvarez off, Spolli on
36' Yellow card for Cordoba after a foul on Maxi Lopez
34' GOAL INTER: CAMBIASSO again. Maicon crosses and the Argentine headers the ball into the net
31' Bellusci is quick to close on Milito who was running into the box from the left
29' GOAL INTER: CAMBIASSO scores. Stankovic serves the Argentine who controls with his left and then shoots with his right. The ball ends up in the back of the net
26' GOAL CATANIA: GOMEZ scores. Stankovic saves on the line from Maxi Lopez's shot, on his clearence however Gomez is ready and scores with his right
24' From Maicon's corner, Thiago Motta heads the ball but Andujar is ready
24' Good shot by Milito with his right, Andujar manages to clear the ball
22' Great save by Castellazzi on Martinho
21' Substitution for Inter: Chivu off, Pandev on
20' Eto'o gets free on the left inside the box, he moves towatds the middle and takes his shot: Bellusci gets in the way
17' Another save by Castellazzi, this time on Maxi Lopez's left foot shot
15' Maxi Lopez's right footed effort is out by a whisker
11' Stankovic takes a shot, but Andujar saves
11' Castellazzi saves Maxi Lopez's shot after he'd been served by Pesce: the striker was however offside
10' Milito with his left, Andujar saves the shot
7' Castellazzi gets low and blocks Ledesma's left footed shot
6' Change for Catania: Llama off, Martinho on
5' Stankovic's cross from the right goes straight to Andujar
4' Cordoba stoped a move between Llama and Pesce
3' Chance for Catania as Capuano's left foot shot goes wide
1' Second half kicks off with the teams unchanged
Zanetti
7.14
7.14
Cordoba
6.65
6.65
Stankovic
7.28
7.28
Cambiasso
9.12
9.12
Maicon
7.45
7.45
Chivu
5.72
5.72
Milito
6.17
6.17
Motta
6.82
6.82
Lucio
7.16
7.16
Eto'o
6.26
6.26
Pandev
7.2
7.2
Mariga
6.43
6.43
Castellazzi
8.11
8.11
Ranocchia
6.95
6.95
Average rating 7.03
6 shots on target 7
7 shots off target 2
14 fouls committed 13
5 corners 3
3 offsides 4
25:20 ball possession 33:13
Leonardo victorious in the only precedent - his first ever game as coach

There has only been one previous game between the two coaches: a 1-2 away win for AC Milan against Giampaolo's Siena side in Serie A 2009/10.

Giampaolo still seeking his first win

This is the fourth match-up between Giampaolo and Inter, with the Nerazzurri unbeaten so far (2 wins and 1 draw). Inter have scored in each of these 3 matches (6 goals in total).

Leonardo unbeaten

As a coach, Leonardo has faced Catania on two previous occasions - both in Serie A 2009/10 - winning one and drawing the other.

Catania have scored in 17 of their last 18 homes games

Catania have failed to score in just one of their last 18 competitive fixtures played at home: a Serie A match on 31 October when they played out a 0-0 draw with Fiorentina. In the other 17 games in that period the Sicilian side have netted 33 goals.

Distracted by the half-time oranges?

Catania have conceded more goals in the final 15 minutes of the first half than any other Serie A side this season: 8 of the 22 goals they have conceded (36.4%) have come between the 31st minute and the half-time whistle.

Inter strong in the middle of the second half

Inter have been the most prolific scorers in the middle of the second half (from the 61st to the 75th minute) so far in Serie A 2010/11, hitting the net 8 times in that period.

January pickings for Pandev and Sneijder

January is a prolific month for these two Inter players. In professional league games in Italy they have scored more goals in the first month of the year than any other: for Pandev 10/57 goals (10 also in December) and for Sneijder 2/4 (2 also in October).

Inter's fair play

Inter are one of four teams in the Serie A 2010/11 season - along with Cagliari, Palermo and Sampdoria - yet to have had a player sent off. The last player to be sent off for Inter in a league tie was Muntari on 12 March, in a game Inter lost 3-1 away to Catania. Since then they have played 25 league games without receiving a red card. Inter are also the team that has received the fewest number of yellow cards: just 22. The Nerazzurri have, however, played fewer games, as they have games in hand against Cesena and Fiorentina.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(10) draws(2) defeats(5)

CATANIA – Compared to a year ago, Inter and Esteban Cambiasso changed the ending of the game with Catania at the Stadio Angelo Massimino. This time it was the Nerazzurri who won the game: final score 1-2, but everything happened in the second half. After the first half ended 0-0, Gomez’s goal opened the scoring taking the Sicilians into the lead on 71 minutes, but Inter’s reply came quickly and it was devastating: three minutes later Cambiasso found the net twice and in four minutes the score was 1-2.


FIRST HALF –
After enduring a three-game suspension, Samuel Eto’o returned to the Inter side for the game with Catania. Leonardo fielded him from the start alongside Diego Milito, with Stankovic behind them in the attacking midfielder role. Giampaolo left Mascara on the bench and decided on a lone striker formation with Maxi Lopez up front.
The game’s first corner came on 3 minutes, and it went Catania’s way: Llama took it, but his ball was met by a very good Castellazzi who knocked the ball on. Same vibe from Cordoba, who on 8 outran Maxi Lopez as the striker was through on goal and put the ball out for a corner. The Nerazzurri’s first chance came on 14 minutes as Maicon crossed from the left and Stankovic beat Alvarez to the header, only to have Andujar save with relative ease. Catania held the majority of the possession during the middle part of the half, and on more than one occasion they tried to threaten the Nerazzurri goal. Pesce on 19 minutes tried from long range, his effort going wide, then on 23 Llama shot from the edge of the box, but he also failed to find the target. On 29 minutes Gomez got away from Cambiasso, but was then stopped by Chivu who sent the ball out for a corner as the opponent was very close to the Nerazzurri goal. Catania were again dangerous on 40 minutes with a long range effort from Pesce, but the ball went just wide of Castellazzi’s goal; Inter replied on 47 with a shot from distance by Motta which however was considerably off target. After 3 minutes of injury time, Damato called an end to the first half, with the two teams tied on the score of 0-0.


SECOND HALF – The second half kicked off without any changes and with Capuano’s left footed effort catching Zanetti and Stankovic off guard after 3 minutes: but the ball ended wide. Giampaolo made the first substitution replacing Llama with Martinho, whilst on 7 minutes Ledesma took a shot from the edge of the box which was again a threat to Castellazzi, who saved with a diving effort. On 11 minutes, although offside, Maxi Lopez forced the Nerazzurri goalkeeper to another save after he received the ball from Pesce. The Argentine striker was one of the liveliest protagonists at the Massimino: on 15 minutes he shot from distance and the effort went just over the bar, and two minutes later it was only Castellazzi’s quick reflexes that kept his shot from the edge of the box out. On 21 minutes Leonardo made his first change: Chivu out and Pandev in, but it was once again Castellazzi who performed a miracle, his third in a row, as he closed the Nerazzurri goal to a Maxi Lopez close range effort, who’d received the through ball from Martinho. On 24 minutes, from Maicon’s corner, Thiago Motta came very close to a goal; it came however two minutes later for the home team: Catellazzi managed someway to contain Maxi Lopez, but the Argentine got past Cordoba and got the shot off, Stankovic headed the ball off the line, but it fell to Gomez who shot into the top corner and rippled the net for the 1-0. But once again it was Cambiasso who turned goal scorer, from Stankovic’s assist, he controlled with his left, dispatched a shot with his right and levelled the scoring. And there was more to come: on 34 minutes Maicon’s perfect cross was met by Cuchu's head and the ball was once again in the back of the Catania net, Andujar was powerless and the score was 1-2. Inter and Cambiasso changed the face of the game, on 44 Milito could have wrapped the game up but his shot went just wide of the far post. On 46 minutes Leonardo made his last substitution and gifted Ranocchia his debut with the Nerazzurri jersey. Inter win their second game under Leonardo and reach 29 points in the table, 11 behind league leaders AC Milan, but still with two games in hand.

Catania 1-2 Inter (HT: 0-0)

Scorers: Gomez 61,  Cambiasso 74, 79.

Catania: 21 Andujar; 22 Alvarez 3 Spolli, 82), 14 Bellusci, 6 Silvestre, 33 Capuano; 17 Gomez, 8 Ledesma, 5 Carboni, 24 Pesce (9 Antenucci, 82); 16 Llama (20 Martinho, 51); 11 Maxi Lopez.
Unused Subs: 30 Campagnolo, 4 Delvecchio, 7 Mascara, 26 Sciacca.
Coach: Marco Giampaolo.

Inter: 12 Castellazzi; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 2 Cordoba, 26 Chivu (27 Pandev, 66); 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso; 8 Thiago Motta (17 Mariga, 38), 5 Stankovic; 22 Milito (15 Ranocchia, 90+1) 9 Eto'o,
Unused Subs: 21 Orlandoni, 11 Muntari, 15 Ranocchia, 23 Materazzi, 88 Biabiany.
Coach: Leonardo.

Referee: Mr Damato (Barletta).

Notes. Yellow cards: 81 Cordoba, 89 Martinho, 90 Lucio. Injury time: 3 and 3

starting lineups

Andujar 12 Castellazzi
Alvarez 13 Maicon
Bellusci 6 Lucio
Silvestre 2 Cordoba
Capuano 26 Chivu
Gomez 4 Zanetti
Ledesma 19 Cambiasso
Carboni 8 Motta
Pesce 5 Stankovic
Llama 22 Milito
Maxi Lopez 9 Eto'o

substitutes

Campagnolo 21 Orlandoni
Spolli 11 Muntari
Delvecchio 15 Ranocchia
Mascara 17 Mariga
Antenucci 23 Materazzi
Martinho 27 Pandev
Sciacca 88 Biabiany