Final score

11 May 2008 15:00

Inter
45' Balotelli
11' Vieira
Siena
25' (2nd half) Kharja
30' Maccarone
Referee: Gabriele Gava / Linesmen: Giachero, Comito / Fourth official: Marelli
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
46' Half time. INTER 2-1 SIENA.
46' One minute of added time to play.
45' GOOOAAALLL!!!!! From two yards out Mario Balotelli heads into an open goal Vieira's flicked header from Maicon's throw-in. INTER 2-1 SIENA.
44' Jimenez crosses into the sidenetting after a darting run in from the right.
43' Balotelli's left-wing free kick is headed behind for a corner by Maccarone. Mario crosses to the back post, where Materazzi heads wide.
42' The second yellow of the afternoon goes to Ficagna for a foul on Balotelli.
41' Siena close to a second through Rossi. Julio Cesar narrows the angle and denies the Bianconeri full-back.
39' Loria heads clear to deny Balotelli a back-post chance from Cruz' right-wing cross.
37' Materazzi unwittingly blocks Maxwell's shot from distance. What a goal that would have been.
32' Incredible save by Manninger from Jimenez - but it wouldn't have counted if it had gone in, as the flag went up for offside.
30' The visitors equalise and we have a match on our hands. Massimo Maccarone slides past Julio Cesar from an acute angle after receiving in the area. INTER 1-1 SIENA.
28' Yellow card. Materazzi is booked for a foul on Locatelli.
28' Rossi hooks clear Maicon's right-wing cross as Inter attack Siena following a few minutes of Tuscan possession.
23' Roma are in front against Atalanta, Panucci the scorer.
22' Siena clear with some difficulty after Cruz' weak header from Balotelli's outswinging cross.
21' Free kick to Inter about 30 yards out on the right after a two-footed challenge from behind by Locatelli on Jimenez.
18' Siena break but Javier Zanetti gets back in time to block Maccarone's shot.
17' Another corner for Inter after Rossi makes a clumsy clearance.
16' Balotelli skips past Rossi on the right and delivers a cross. Manninger clears.
15' Loria beats Cruz to Jimenez' whipped cross, conceding a corner.
13' Maicon has a shot blocked as the Nerazzurri come looking for a quick second.
11' GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!!!!!!!!! Patrick Vieira powers home a header from Balotelli's corner. INTER 1-0 SIENA, and one hand on the Scudetto!
11' Jimenez has a go with a flicked header, forcing a Siena defender to boot behind for a right-wing corner.
10' Oooooooh! Marco Materazzi's header from Mario Balotelli's left-wing corner comes back off the crossbar.
9' Beautiful floated cross from the left by Maxwell. Cruz is beaten to the ball by Manninger.
8' Balotelli gets two crosses in from the left. They are both cleared.
6' Inter back in attack and Jimenez gets a cross in from the right. Siena clear.
4' Ficagna tests Julio Cesar with an angled drive from inside the box.
3' Maicon intercepts Kharja's pass for Locatelli as Siena venture into our half for the first time.
2' Another chance for us as Patrick Vieira's 25-yard grasscutter is a whisker wide.
1' Welcome to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza for this afternoon's potential title decider against Siena. We need just a win (or even a draw or a defeat if Roma lose) to become Italian champions for the 16th time.
1' An early chance for Inter. Cruz pouncs after a mistake by the Tuscan rearguard - but the Argentine's shot is too central. Easy save for Manninger.
1' Go! Inter kick off.
1' Siena win the toss and elect to attack the Curva Nord in the first half.
1' Siena: 1 Manninger; 33 Ficagna, 90 Portanova, 15 Loria, 21 Rossi; 8 Vergassola, 5 Codrea, 14 Galloppa; 6 Kharja, 20 Locatelli; 32 Maccarone.
1' Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 16 Burdisso, 23 Materazzi; 6 Maxwell; 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 14 Vieira; 11 Jimenez; 9 Cruz, 45 Balotelli.
1' Inter beat Siena away last season to secure their 15th title. Marco Materazzi scored both goals on that occasion.
1' There's a cracking atmosphere inside the stadium, with over 80,000 fans awaiting the entrance of the two teams.
Minute Text commentary
49' Full time. Siena hold Inter 2-2. No Scudetto celebrations today.
48' Cruz scythes over from an inviting position. It just won't go in.
47' Jimenez blasts high and wide from 25 yards.
45' There will be four minutes of added time.
44' It's 2-1 in Rome as Atalanta pull one back.
44' Back under the Curva Nord, Manninger makes a punched clearance from Jimenez' high cross.
43' Siena make a rare sortie into our half after a period of Inter pressure. Maccarone's cross is comfortably handled by Julio Cesar.
42' Inter so close... Jimenez' flicked header from Vieira's placed pass is just wide of the far post.
40' Mancini bring on Pelé for Cambiasso.
39' Play momentarily halted as Cambiasso receives medical attention in the Siena box.
36' Inter bring on Hernan Crespo for Maxwell.
33' Incredible. Marco Materazzi's penalty kick is saved by Manninger.
33' Riganò is booked for protesting.
32' Materazzi is brought down in the area, and it's a penalty to Inter!!!
32' Cambiasso gets into a shooting position in the box. His effort is deflected out for a corner.
31' Great chance for Cruz, but for the second time this match, Materazzi involuntarily blocks a shot from one of his team-mates.
29' Jimenez fires wide after dribbling two opponents in the area.
24' Siena equalise again... Kharja finds the bottom right corner with a low curling strike from just outside the box. INTER 2-2 SIENA.
23' De Rossi has given Roma a 2-0 lead against Atalanta.
20' Siena make their last change. Riganò comes on for Galloppa.
18' The Meazza applauds Mario Balotelli as he makes way for David Suazo.
18' Julio Cruz skips past two but slips before he shoots at Manninger.
16' Materazzi crashes over his header from Balotelli's left-wing corner.
15' Vergassola is booked for protesting.
14' Jimenez' effort from the free kick takes a deflection of the black 'n white wall. Left-wing corner.
13' Another booking. Coppola is cautioned after a foul on Cruz. The free kick is in a central position 35 metres from goal.
7' Houssine Kharja is booked for a foul on Balotelli.
6' Materazzi's back-post header from Balotelli's corner is wide of the target.
5' Mario's inswinging free kick is headed behind for a corner by Maccarone.
5' Vergassola is lucky to escape without caution after taking out Balotelli in full flight. Free kick.
4' Maccarone shoots way off target after drifting across the edge of our box.
2' Great chance for a third. Mario Balotelli dribbles an opponent and plays in Cruz who fires into the sidenetting.
1' Siena kick off the second half. FORZA INTER!!!!
1' The visitors have brought on Coppola for Locatelli and Alberto for Codrea.
Zanetti
6.39
6.39
Materazzi
4.9
4.9
Crespo
5.18
5.18
Cruz
5.56
5.56
Cambiasso
5.88
5.88
Burdisso
4.7
4.7
Julio Cesar
5.66
5.66
Maicon
5.83
5.83
Maxwell
5.12
5.12
Vieira
6.54
6.54
Suazo
4.83
4.83
Jimenez
5.84
5.84
Pelé
5.62
5.62
Balotelli
7.95
7.95
Average rating 5.71
5 shots on target 4
18 shots off target 1
14 fouls committed 14
14 corners 0
6 offsides 4
28:00 ball possession 27:00
Mancini v Beretta

Roberto Mancini has faced teams coached by Mario Beretta on 9 previous occasions, winning 5, drawing 3 and losing 1. He is unbeaten at home to the Siena tactician, with 2 wins and as many draws from 4 games.

Details:
2004/05 Serie A Inter-ChievoVerona 1-1 2-2
2005/06 Serie A Inter-Parma 2-0 0-1
2005/06 Coppa Italia Inter-Parma 0-0 1-0
2006/07 Serie A Inter-Siena 2-0 2-1
2007/08 Serie A Inter-Siena ---- 3-2

Mancini v Siena

Roberto Mancini has won 5, drawn 3 and lost 1 of his 9 previous meetings with Siena. At home to the Tuscans the Inter coach is unbeaten, with 3 wins and a draw from 4 games. His teams have scored in all 4 matches, netting a total of 10 goals.

Details:
2003/04 Serie A Lazio-Siena 5-2 0-3
2004/05 Serie A Inter-Siena 2-0 2-2
2005/06 Serie A Inter-Siena 1-1 0-0
2006/07 Serie A Inter-Siena 2-0 2-1
2007/08 Serie A Inter-Siena ---- 3-2

Beretta v Inter

Mario Beretta faces Inter for the tenth time in his coaching career after 1 victory, 3 draws and 5 defeats. His teams have never won away to Inter - 2 draws and 2 defeats from 4 games.

Details:
2004/05 Serie A ChievoVerona-Inter 2-2 1-1
2005/06 Coppa Italia Parma-Inter 0-1 0-0
2005/06 Serie A Parma-Inter 1-0 0-2
2006/07 Serie A Siena-Inter 1-2 0-2
2007/08 Serie A Siena-Inter 2-3 ----

Scudettos on 11 May

Only once in the history of the Serie A championship has the Scudetto been won on 11 May. It happened in the penultimate round of the 1968/69 tournament when Fiorentina secured the title with a 2-0 home win over Juventus to take their points total to 43 and open up a three-point lead over AC Milan, who were held 0-0 at home to Napoli in the Saturday evening fixture.

Eighteen Inter players on target this term

Eighteen Inter players have hit the target in this season's Serie A - that's more than any other team.
In alphabetical order, they are: Adriano, Balotelli, Burdisso, Cambiasso, Cesar, Cordoba, Crespo, Cruz, Figo, Ibrahimovic, Jimenez, Maicon, Maniche, Materazzi, Stankovic, Suazo, Vieira, Zanetti.

Cruz set for 200th top-flight appearance

Julio Ricardo Cruz will make his 200th appearance in Italy's Serie A if he plays against Siena in Week 37. The Argentine forward made his top-flight debut in Bologna's 2-0 defeat at Roma on 1 October 2002.

Mancini chasing 200th victory of coaching career

Roberto Mancini has won 199 matches from 366 as a coach, drawing 100 and losing 67. The Inter tactician, who has also coached Fiorentina and Lazio, has won 134 games in Serie A, 31 in Coppa Italia, 32 in European cups and 2 in other tournaments. His first coaching victory Fiorentina's 3-1 home win against Roma on 9 April 2001.

Cesar, Materazzi and goals against Siena

Inter's Cesar and Materazzi both count Siena as their favourite targets. Of his 22 goals in Italy, the Brazilian wing-back has scored 4 against the Bianconeri. The Italian defender, scorer of 49 goals in his career, has also netted 4 against the Tuscans (including both goals in last April's Scudetto-winning victory).

Inter on target in 56 consecutive matches

Since their goalless draw with Reggina on the final day of the 2004/05 season, Inter have notched in 56 consecutive league games, scoring a total of 128 goals.

Beretta's black May

According to the stats May is Mario Beretta's second-worst month of the footballing year. His teams have won 7, drawn 8 and lost 10 of 25 league games in the fifth calendar month - a points per match average of just 1.16. Beretta's only June match ended in a draw, meaning his average for the sixth calendar month is 1.00.

Siena approaching 200th goal in A

The Tuscan Bianconeri are two away from their 200th goal in the Serie A (since the tournament became a one-division championship in 1929/30). Their first top-flight goal was scored by Andrea Ardito in the 19th minute of Perugia 2-2 Siena on 31 August 2003.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(6) draws(2) defeats(1)

MILAN - The Serie A title race will go down to the wire as Siena held Inter 2-2 at a packed Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Second-place Roma beat Atalanta at the Olimpico, cutting the Nerazzurri's lead to a point with one round of matches remaining.

Patrick Vieira gave Inter a dream start, powering home a header from Mario Balotelli's corner in the 11th minute, just after Materazzi had headed against the crossbar.

Siena came back strong and Maccarone slid past Julio Cesar on the half hour to bring the teams on level terms.

Vieira went from scorer to provider as Inter restored their lead on the stroke of half time.

The France captain flicked Maicon's throw into the path of Balotelli and the seventeen-year-old sensation nodded in from a yard out.

But Siena struck back again in the 69th minute, Houssine Kharka Siena finding the bottom right corner with a low curling shot from just outside the box.

Inter produced a dozen chances in the closing stages, and Materazzi had a penalty saved by Manniger, but the ball just wouldn't go in, meaning Mancini's men now need to beat Parma next weekend to wrap up the title.

Inter 2-2 Siena (HT: 2-1)

Scorers: Vieira 11, Maccarone 30, Balotelli 45, Kharja 69.

Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 16 Burdisso, 23 Materazzi; 6 Maxwell (18 Crespo 81); 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso (30 Pelé 85), 14 Vieira; 11 Jimenez; 9 Cruz, 45 Balotelli (29 Suazo 63).
Subs not used: 1 Toldo, 24 Rivas, 28 Maniche, 31 Cesar.
Coach: Roberto Mancini.

Siena: 1 Manninger; 33 Ficagna, 90 Portanova, 15 Loria, 21 Rossi; 8 Vergassola, 5 Codrea (22 Alberto 46), 14 Galloppa (9 Riganò 65); 6 Kharja, 20 Locatelli (55 Coppola 46); 32 Maccarone.
Subs not used: 31 Eleftheropoulos, 11 De Ceglie, 13 Rossettini, 7 Frick.
Coach: Mario Beretta.

Referee: Gabriele Gava (Conegliano Veneto).

Booked: Materazzi 28, Ficagna 42, Kharja 52, Coppola 58, Vergassola 60, Riganò 78.

starting lineups

Julio Cesar 12 Manninger
Maicon 13 Ficagna
Burdisso 16 Portanova
Materazzi 23 Loria
Maxwell 6 Rossi
Zanetti 4 Vergassola
Cambiasso 19 Codrea
Vieira 14 Galloppa
Jimenez 11 Kharja
Cruz 9 Locatelli
Balotelli 45 Maccarone

substitutes

Toldo 1 Eleftheropoulos
Rivas 24 De Ceglie
Maniche 28 Rossettinni
Pelé 30 Alberto
Cesar 31 Coppola
Crespo 18 Frick
Suazo 29 Riganò