Final score

5 April 2009 19:00

Udinese
Inter
32' (2nd half) Isla o.g.
Referee: Luca Banti / Linesmen: Romagnoli, Nicoletti / Fourth official: Romeo
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
47' Half time. Udinese 0-0 Inter.
47' Balotelli has a curling free kick saved by Belardi.
45' One minute of added time.
45' Felipe makes an acrobatic last-gasp clearance to deny Balotelli a clear chance on goal.
41' Maxwell is booked for a foul on Pepe. A foul which took place before Quagliarella's shot, but Banti played the advantage rule.
41' Quagliarella fires a fierce swerveshot just wide of Julio Cesar's left-hand post.
40' Another chance for Udinese after some good approach play by Asamoah. Pepe just fails to connect with Inler's pass across the face of the goal.
37' Chivu blocks an Inler shot as Udinese counter-attack again.
34' Udinese hit back. Floro Flores plays a long ball into the path of Quagliarella who takes the ball round Julio Cesar but the angle is too tight.
34' Santon does a Maicon down the right before playing to Ibra, who is dispossessed.
33' Ex-Inter player Giovanni Pasquale storms down the middle and looks for Pepe but underhits his pass. Santon intercepts.
27' Inter win their second corner of the game. Asamoah beats Cambiasso to Balotelli's cross at the back post, conceding another corner.
24' Ibrahimovic serves Balotelli in the area but Belardi is out quick to intercept.
23' Sulley Muntari sends a low shot just wide after a few touches of trickery by Ibrahimovic.
22' Quagliarella is booked for sarcasm after his foul from behind on Santon.
20' Cambiasso slices wide after Zapata's half-clearance from Stankovic's pass into the middle of the area.
18' A chance for Inter. Muntari fires wide with the outside of his foot after Stankovic mis-kicks.
15' Ibra wins us a corner after a powerful move down the left.
13' The Bianconeri striker is back on his feet and play resumes.
11' Quagriarella remains on the ground after an aerial duel with Chivu.
11' Free kick to Udinese out on the right wing. D'Agostino's curling free kick is on target at the near post. Julio Cesar saves.
10' Another chance for the home side. Asamoash serves Pepe who has a shot blocked by Maxwell.
8' The first clear chance goes Udinese's way. Inler unleashes a fierce strike from 20 yards, forcing Julio Cesar into a punched parry.
6' Julio Cesar moves off his line and makes a smothering save but Quagliarella is flagged for offside after racing on to Floro Flores' pass.
5' Inler gets back to tackle Muntari after a counter-attack started by Cambiasso.
4' Julio Cesar makes a punched clearance from the corner, taken by D'Agostino.
3' Asamoah swings in a cross from the left, forcing Maxwell to head behind for a corner at the back post.
1' The run-in to the Serie A title starts here at the Stadio Friuli in Udine. With Juventus held 3-3 by Chievo earlier today, we can open up a nine-point lead at the top of the table if we beat Udinese tonight.
1' Udinese kick off. FORZA INTER!
1' Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 39 Santon, 2 Cordoba, 26 Chivu, 6 Maxwell; 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 20 Muntari; 5 Stankovic; 8 Ibrahimovic, 45 Balotelli.<br> Subs: 1 Toldo, 7 Figo, 9 Cruz, 14 Vieira, 18 Crespo, 23 Materazzi, 25, Samuel.
1' Udinese: 80 Belardi; 15 Isla, 2 Zapata, 19 Felipe, 26 Pasquale; 88 Inler, 21 D'Agostino, 20 Asamoah; 7 Pepe, 27 Quagliarella, 83 Floro Flores.<br> Subs: 12 Koprivec, 5 Obodo, 18 Zimling, 65 Sissoko, 66 Bradaschia, 99 Sala.
1' Marino has opted for 4-3-2, with midfielders Inler, D'Agostino and Asamoah behind front men Pepe, Quagliarella and Floro Flores.
1' Udinese will have to make do without Domizzi and Sanchez, who are both out suspended, and six other players who are nursing injuries, including talismanic striker Di Natale.
1' Inter will start with a diamond midfield of Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari and Stankovic, with the Serbian slotting into the playmaker position behind strikers Balotelli and Ibrahimovic.
1' Chivu gets the nod ahead of Samuel at the centre of defence, with Santon coming in for the injured Maicon at right-back - his first start in that position after 13 appearances on the left. Maxwell returns in his customary left-back slot.
Minute Text commentary
52' Full time. Serie A leaders Inter beat Udinese 1-0 and move nine points clear of Juventus. See you next Saturday for our Easter fixture against Palermo.
50' Inter survive a late scare as Obodo heads wide Iglaho's right-wing cross.
48' Ibrahimovic goes close to what would have been a mgnificent goal, taking on three in a crossfield run before firing narrowly wide of the right post.
47' Toldo saves a looping header from Pepe.
45' Six minutes of added time.
45' Ibrahimovic's header from Figo's corner takes a deflection. Stankovic's header from the second corner is wide of the far post.
43' Toldo makes a save from Pepe as Udinese go close from a corner.
42' Stankovic's long-range effort is high and wide.
39' Marino makes his second switch. On comes Ighalo for Floro Flores.
38' Udinese replace Inler with Obodo.
37' Muntari is inches offside as he runs to meet Vieira's through pass.
33' Pepe is booked.
32' GOAL!!!!! Isla turns into his own net after dispossessing Vieira who beat the offside trap to collect Ibrahimovic's pass. UDINESE 0-1 INTER.
29' Zanetti, who has slotted in at right-back after the substitution of Santon, elegantly dispossesses Floro Flores and sets up a counter-attack. The move ends as Felipe gets back to tackle Ibrahimovic in the area.
28' Toldo replaces Julio Cesar.
27' Julio Cesar appears to have sustained a muscular injury. Francesco Toldo has started warming up.
25' Vieira is booked for a sliding challenge on Asamoah.
24' Mourinho brings on veterans Luis Figo and Patrick Vieira for youngsters Mario Balotelli and Davide Santon.
20' A chance for Inter at the other end. Balotelli plays in Ibrahimovic on the right and the Swede crosses low for Stankovic who slides wide.
19' Felipe sends wide a flicked header from Pasquale's cross as Udinese step up the pressure.
18' Udinese close through Fabio Quagliarella. The Neapolitan striker collects a pass from Pasquale, swivels on the edge of the box and crashes a right-foot shot on target that forces Julio Cesar into a tipped save.
14' Ibra tests Belardi with a well struck low shot from 20 yards.
13' Balotelli is flagged for offside as he runs on to Muntari's left-wing cross.
12' Pepe breaks after blocking a Balotelli cross but the Italian international falls over after running into Zanetti.
10' Udinese counter-attack. Floro Flores runs down the middle and plays short to Inler whose long-range effort isn't far wide.
9' Ibra fails to make aerial contact with Balotelli's dangerous outswinging free kick.
8' Free kick to us on the right wing after a Pasquale foul on Ibrahimovic.
7' Udinese break and Quagliarella gets into the box but top marks to Cordoba for a terrific block.
6' Santon's low cross from the right is blocked and cleared by Felipe.
5' D'Agostino's left-wing free kick is headed clear by Muntari. Udinese stay in attack and Floro Flores has a header from Inler's cross saved by Julio Cesar.
2' Zapata makes a clearance from Cambiasso's inswinging right-wing free kick.
1' Inter get the second half under way.
Zanetti
7.57
7.57
Cordoba
7.14
7.14
Toldo
6.72
6.72
Stankovic
6.5
6.5
Cambiasso
7.34
7.34
Julio Cesar
8.04
8.04
Figo
7.19
7.19
Maxwell
7.12
7.12
Vieira
6.36
6.36
Ibrahimovic
6.78
6.78
Chivu
7.18
7.18
Balotelli
5.21
5.21
Muntari
6.12
6.12
Santon
5.92
5.92
Average rating 6.8
4 shots on target 1
7 shots off target 8
12 fouls committed 17
5 corners 5
3 offsides 4
26:47 ball possession 30:21
Disciplinary information


Udinese
Cautioned: D'Agostino, Di Natale, Felipe.
Disqualified: Domizzi, Sanchez.

Inter
Cautioned: Ibrahimovic, Julio Cesar, Zanetti.
Disqualified: -

Marino v Mourinho

Inter's home win over Udinese earlier in the season is the only previous encounter between the two coaches.

Details:
2008/09 Serie A Udinese-Inter ---- 0-1

Marino v Inter

With 2 draws and 3 wins from 5 games, Pasquale Marino has never won a match against Inter.

Details:
2006/07 Serie A Catania-Inter 2-5 1-2
2007/08 Serie A Udinese-Inter 0-0 1-1
2008/09 Serie A Udinese-Inter ---- 0-1

Mourinho v Udinese

Inter boss José Mourinho has been in charge of one previous match against Udinese.

Details:
2008/09 Serie A Inter-Udinese 1-0 ----

No Udinese win from 11 meetings with Inter

Udinese have failed to beat Inter in their last 11 matches against the Nerazzurri, losing 5 and drawing 6. Their last victory was a 2-1 Serie A win in Milan on 15 February 2004.

Ton up for Tissone

If selected to play against Inter in Serie A Week 30, Fernando Damian Tissone will complete a century of appearances in Italy's top flight. Tissone, who has played Serie A football for Udinese and Atalanta, made the first of his 99 appearances in Siena 2-3 Udinese on 23 April 2005.

Udinese unbeaten, on target in last 10 home matches

Udinese haven't lost a home match in Serie A since their 1-0 defeat to Chievo on 30 November 2008. The Bianconeri have since played 10 games at home, winning 6 and drawing 4. They have scored in all 10 matches, netting a total of 17 goals.

Inter on target in 20 consecutive games

The Nerazzurri have scored in each of their last 20 Serie A matches, scoring a total of 41 goals - over two per game. Their last league game without scoring was the 0-0 draw at Fiorentina on 29 October. Mourinho's team haven't conceded in 303 competitive minutes, since Brighi's goal in the 57th minute of Inter 3-3 Roma.

Super Ibra

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the most decisive player in the 2008/09 Serie A after 29 rounds of matches. The Swedish striker's goals have earned his team 23 of their 69 points. With 19 league goals from 29 games, Ibrahimovic has matched his record tally for one campaign, set in 2004/05 when he scored 3 for Ajax before adding 16 for Juventus. He has, therefore, already bettered by two goals his record of 17 goals in one Italian season (with Inter in 2007/08). With 11 goals in 2009, Ibrahimovic is one of three top scorers in all Italian competitions this year. The others are Sampdoria's Pazzini and Serie B side Montichiari's Fausto Ferrari. Zlatan has scored Serie A 9 goals since the turn of the new year - that's more than any other player.

Inter: sixteen different scorers

Sixteen different Inter players have scored Serie A goals this season - more than any other team except for Juventus and Roma. In alphabetical order, they are: Adriano, Balotelli, Burdisso, Cambiasso, Cordoba, Crespo, Cruz, Figo, Ibrahimovic, Maicon, Maxwell, Muntari, Obinna, Samuel, Stankovic and Vieira.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(23) draws(17) defeats(11)

UDINE - Inter took a step closer to a fourth consecutive Serie A title after Sunday's 1-0 victory over Udinese.

The home side dominated for much of the ninety but the Nerazzurri got the all-important goal with 13 minutes remaining when Isla turned into his own net.

Sunday's fifth straight away win sees Inter take full advantage of Juventus' 3-3 home draw against Chievo and open up a nine-point gap with eight games left to play.

Gökhan Inler fired an early warning when his crisp 20-yard strike forced Julio Cesar into a punched save.

Inter soaked up the early pressure and Muntari had two chances on his old stomping ground, firing just wide on both occasions.

Quagliarella had a penalty claim turned down before sending a swerveshot wide as Udinese imposed their game in the ten-minute period before the break.

Udinese brought their momentum into the second half and Floro Flores had a weak header saved before he set up Inler who sent a terrific shot just wide of the target.

Ibrahimovic forced a save from Belardi with a low 20-yard shot as Inter struggled to find openings, and the Nerazzurri had Julio Cesar to thank for a brilliant tipped save from Quagliarelli, moments before Felipe sent wide a flicked header from Pasquale's cross.

Inter produced a further chance when Stankovic slid wide from close range after Ibrahimovic's right-wing cross.

With time running out Mourinho made a double substitution. Opting for experience over youth, he introduced Figo for Balotelli and Vieira for Santon.

The Portuguese was forced into a third switch soon after, bringing on Toldo for Julio Cesar who pulled up with a thigh injury.

The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when Vieira beat the offside trap to collect Ibrahimovic's pass and Udinese defender Isla turned the ball into his own net.

Ibrahimovic went close to what would have been a magnificent second goal in added time, drifting past three players before shooting narrowly wide of the far post.

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

Scorers: Isla (o.g.) 77.

Udinese: 80 Belardi; 15 Isla, 2 Zapata, 19 Felipe, 26 Pasquale; 88 Inler (5 Obodo 83), 21 D'Agostino, 20 Asamoah; 7 Pepe, 27 Quagliarella, 83 Floro Flores (9 Ighalo 84).
Subs not used: 12 Koprivec, 18 Zimling, 65 Sissoko, 66 Bradaschia, 99 Sala.
Coach: Pasquale Marino.

Inter: 12 Julio Cesar (1 Toldo 73); 39 Santon (14 Vieira 69), 2 Cordoba, 26 Chivu, 6 Maxwell; 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 20 Muntari; 5 Stankovic; 8 Ibrahimovic, 45 Balotelli (7 Figo 69).
Subs not used: 9 Cruz, 18 Crespo, 23 Materazzi, 25 Samuel.
Coach: José Mourinho.

Referee: Luca Banti (Livorno).

Booked: Quagliarella 22, Maxwell 41, Vieira 70, Pepe 78.

starting lineups

Belardi 12 Julio Cesar
Isla 39 Santon
Zapata 2 Cordoba
Felipe 26 Chivu
Pasquale 6 Maxwell
Inler 4 Zanetti
D'Agostino 19 Cambiasso
Asamoah 20 Muntari
Pepe 5 Stankovic
Quagliarella 8 Ibrahimovic
Floro Flores 45 Balotelli

substitutes

Koprivec 1 Toldo
Obodo 7 Figo
Zimling 9 Cruz
Sissoko 14 Vieira
Bradaschia 18 Crespo
Sala 23 Materazzi
25 Samuel