Final score

20 March 2011 15:00

Inter
7' (2nd half) Pazzini
1 - 0
Lecce
Referee: Daniele Orsato / Linesmen: Copelli, Musolino / Fourth official: Gava
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
47' After two minutes of added time, the teams go in for the interval with the score level at 0-0
47' Lucio gets the ball off Tomovic with the outside of his boot
45' Referee Orsato adds two minutes of stoppage time
41' Giacomazzi's name goes into the book
36' Maicon stops Bertolacci's left-footed effort following Mesbah's corner
33' Chivu doesn't let Bertolacci through
26' It's Maicon again who clears Bertolacci's attempt
24' Mesbah crosses into the centre, but Maicon clears for a corner
22' Eto'o weaves his way through the defence, but can't find space to shoot
20' A free-kick to Inter which Sneijder steps up to take; his right-footed shot is just wide
16' Corvia is put through by Brivio but his shot is narrowly wide
14' Chivu takes on Olivera who has picked up a ball from Corvia
6' Pandev feeds Pazzini on the right, but Fabiano is there to clear
6' Julio Cesar takes care of Mesbah's shot at the second bite
5' Sneijder has a go with his right foot, but Rosati saves
4' Sneijder to Pazzini on the right, who doesn't control the ball well but manages to get it to the Dutchman in the centre, who can't deflect the ball goalward
1' Welcome to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza where everything is ready for the kick-off between Inter and Lecce Week 30 Serie A 2010/11
1' Lecce take the kick-off
1' For the match against Lecce, Leonardo has Zanetti back playing at left back, with Maicon on the right and the Lucio-Chivu duo in the centre of defence. Cambiasso and Motta are in midfield with Sneijder to feed Pandev, Pazzini and Eto'o up front
Minute Text commentary
49' The match comes to an end with the score at 1-0 for Inter. The Nerazzurri are now on 60 points, only two behind leaders AC Milan
49' SUBSTITUTION Lecce: Tomovic comes off and Donati takes his place
48' SUBSTITUTION Inter: Eto'o leaves the pitch as Stankovic comes on
45' The referee grants three minutes of added time
45' SUBSTITUTION Lecce: Piatti is on for Brivio
40' Julio Cesar pulls off a great save as Olivera passes to Bertolacci who shoots from close range
39' SUBSTITUTION Inter: Kharja comes on in place of Sneijder
38' SUBSTITUTION Lecce: Giaocomazzi comes off and Jeda comes on
37' Bertolacci's free-kick finds Olivera, but the Nerazzurri wall is stable
35' Chivu gets a yellow card
35' Maicon shoots right-footed and Rosati is there to pick it up
34' Lucio blocks Corvia's attack
31' Tomovic is booked
30' Chivu heads the ball away for a corner
28' SUBSTITUTION Inter: Pandev comes off and Coutinho takes his place
25' Thiago Motta's name goes into the book, too
21' Rosati rises to meet Sneijder's corner
20' Thiago Motta tries a shot from well outside the area and it goes wide
18' Eto'o on the left wing, Zanetti overlaps, corner to inter
14' Olivera shoots from the right but the ball spins wide
7' This time there's a yellow card for Rosati
7' GOAL Inter: Pazzini is the scorer. Pandev crosses for him, Pazzini pulls the ball down and scores right-footed
6' Rosati saves from Pazzini, who was put through by Sneijder
5' Maicon blasts right-footed towards goal, but his shot is just wide
2' Lucio picks up a yellow card and that means he'll miss the derby
1' During half-time the Inter Under-19 side parade the Coppa Carnevale which they won in the Viareggio tournament
1' The second half gets underway, with no changes being made during the interval
Zanetti
7.48
7.48
Cambiasso
6.72
6.72
Julio Cesar
8.12
8.12
Maicon
5.83
5.83
Chivu
7.68
7.68
Motta
5.79
5.79
Lucio
6.37
6.37
Eto'o
7.59
7.59
Sneijder
7.03
7.03
Pandev
6.29
6.29
Coutinho
6.31
6.31
Pazzini
7.9
7.9
Kharja
6.4
6.4
Average rating 6.89
4 shots on target 1
4 shots off target 1
6 fouls committed 22
3 corners 6
3 offsides 5
32:42 ball possession 16:58
First match-up between Leonardo and De Canio as coaches

This is the first time Leonardo and De Canio have faced each other as coaches. As a player the Brazilian always recorded wins over sides coached by De Canio: 4-0 at the San Siro in Serie A 1999/00 (the Brazilian scored the fourth goal) and 0-1 at the Stadio Friuli in the 2000/01 league season.

Leonardo's first time against Lecce

Leonardo will face Lecce as a coach for the first time in a competitive fixture today. His record against them as a player is even: 1 win each and 2 draws. In the game that he won (AC Milan 4-1 Lecce at the San Siro in Serie A 2000/01), the Brazilian scored one of the Rossoneri's four goals.

No wins and no clean sheets for De Canio in Milan

De Canio has faced Inter on 9 previous occasions in competitive fixtures. His record to date is 2 wins, 3 draws and 4 defeats. Teams coached by De Canio have never won in Milan: 4 games lost and 1 drawn, with Inter scoring in every match (11 goals in total).

One defeat for Inter in 55 home games in Serie A

Inter have lost just one of their last 55 Serie A matches played at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza: against AC Milan on 14 November 2010 (0-1). The Nerazzurri's record in the other 54 games in that period is 41 wins (including all 8 of the last 8) and 13 draws.

One defeat for Inter in 55 home games in Serie A

Inter have lost just one of their last 55 Serie A matches played at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza: against AC Milan on 14 November 2010 (0-1). The Nerazzurri's record in the other 54 games in that period is 41 wins (including all 8 of the last 8) and 13 draws.

8 home wins on the bounce in Serie A; last time 9 in a row in 2007/08

Inter have won their last 8 Serie A fixtures played at home. Should the Nerazzurri make it 9 this afternoon, it would be their longest winning run since September 2007-February 2008, when they managed 11 in a row.

Inter come good after the break: 17 points gained

In the Serie A 2010/11 season, Inter are the team that has earned most points in the second half. Compared to their first-half scorelines, they are 17 points better off after 90 minutes.

Lecce Pazzini's favourite target

Giampaolo Pazzini has scored more goals in competitive fixtures against Lecce than any other team: 7 of his 101 total goals. Lecce No.1 Rosati is also the keeper that Pazzini has put most goals past: 5 so far.

Inter and Lecce: two of six goal 'cooperatives' in Serie A 2010/11

Inter and Lecce are among six teams (along with AC Milan, Fiorentina, Genoa and Roma) in Serie A 2010/11 with the highest number of different scorers (13). The Nerazzurri players to have hit the net are Cambiasso, Chivu, Eto’o, Kharja, Lucio, Milito, Muntari, Nagatomo, Pandev, Pazzini, Sneijder, Stankovic and Thiago Motta. Lecce's scorers have been Bertolacci, Chevanton, Corvia, Diamoutene, Di Michele, Giacomazzi, Grossmuller, Jeda, Mesbah, Munari, Ofere, Olivera and Piatti.

No bore draws for Lecce in 2010/11

Lecce are the only team yet to be involved in a 0-0 draw in Serie A 2010/11. The last time Lecce played out a nil-all draw was on 30 May 2010, at home against Sassuolo in Serie B. Since then, in 29 league games, there has always been at least one goal.

Lecce's unfair play

Lecce are one of two teams (along with Roma) to have received the highest number of red cards in Serie A 2010/11: 7 so far, 3 of which for Giacomazzi, and 1 each for Chevanton, Munari, Olivera and Vives. Guillermo Giacomazzi shares the unenviable record with Nicolas Burdisso of being the player most frequently sent off in the current campaign: they have collected 3 red cards apiece.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(17) draws(0) defeats(1)

MILAN – AC Milan eased off, but Inter didn't and Pazzini was the one to start the climb back, his 52nd minute goal taking Inter to within 2 points of the leaders, and bringing victory to the Nerazzurri in the match against Lecce in Week 30 of Serie A.

Lecce didn't come here to lose however, and towards the end of the match grew in stature. At the end, Julio Cesar had all his past errors forgiven when he managed to keep out a close-range blast from Bertolacci with a marvellous save. 

FIRST HALF – For the match against Lecce, Leonardo couldn't play Cordoba, who was banned, but Zanetti had recovered and took his place on the left of the defence, with Maicon on the right and the Lucio-Chivu duo in the centre. Cambiasso and Motta were in midfield with Sneijder feeding the attacking trio Pandev-Pazzini-Eto'o.

After 4 minutes Inter had two attempts on goal, the first from Pazzini who didn't really get hold of the ball and then Sneijder, but his chance was wasted. The Dutchman tried again a minute later, after Pandev's deep cross, but his shot on the turn didn't cause problems for Rosati. In the 17th minute, Lecce showed they could be dangerous, penetrating the area with Brivio and Corvia whose left-footed shot on the turn went just wide. Sneijder is always dangerous when it comes to free-kicks and this was no exception. In the 20th minute his curling right-footed shot was just wide. Then Chivu made a superb challenge on Bertolacci at the edge of the penalty area in the 33rd minute and Maicon blocked the Lecce midfielder's left-footed effort in the 36th.

After two minutes of stoppage time, the teams went in for the interval with the score at 0-0. There was a lot of action but few shots on target. The first half of Inter v Lecce was well-balanced, but the team from Puglia showed that they were not afraid to attack.

During the break, the Nerazzurri Under-19 team who won the 2011 Viareggio tournament did a lap of the pitch with the trophy and the champions of the future received a long, heartfelt ovation from the stands.

SECOND HALF – The second half got underway and after just 2 minutes Lucio received a booking for handball which means he will be disqualified for the derby against AC Milan. In the 51st minute Rosati's marvellous save denied Inter the lead after Sneijder crossed and found Pazzini's head. Pazzo came close but the goal arrived a minute later: an assist from Pandev, Pazzini trapped the ball on his chest and, although he was being challenged by Vives, beat Rosati, placing the ball right-footed into the corner of the net. Rosati was then booked for protesting about a hypothetical handball on the part of the Nerazzurri striker, in the lead-up to the goal. In the 73rd minute, Pandev came off for Coutinho. And as captain Zanetti raced down the wing like a 20-year-old, in spite of the constant pressure from Tomovic, who was later booked by referee Orsato, Inter tried to break down the Lecce wall with constant attacks, including attempts from Cambiasso first and then Coutinho (on 80 minutes). Chivu's nasty foul on Bertolacci earned Lecce a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, which Olivera duly wasted, blasting against the wall on 81 minutes. In the 84th, Julio Cesar's great save from Bertolacci's close-range shot following Olivera's cross almost counted as another goal for Inter.

After 3 minutes of added time, Orsato blew his whistle to end the match: Inter didn't waste the opportunity after AC Milan had lost to Palermo in yesterday's evening kick-off and move up to 60 points, just two behind the Rossoneri. Eyes now will be turning towards Saturday 2 April, when Rossoneri and Nerazzurri face each other at the Stadio Meazza.


Inter 1-0 Lecce (HT: 0-0)
Scorer
: Pazzini 52.

Inter: 1 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 26 Chivu, 4 Zanetti; 19 Cambiasso, 8 Thiago Motta; 10 Sneijder (14 Kharja, 84); 27 Pandev (29 Coutinho, 73), 7 Pazzini, 9 Eto'o (5 Stankovic, 90+4).
Unused subs: 12 Castellazzi, 17 Mariga, 23 Materazzi, 55 Nagatomo.
Coach: Leonardo.

Lecce: 22 Rosati; 40 Tomovic (2 Donati, 50), 13 Ferrario, 14 Fabiano, 28 Brivio (19 Piatti, 90+1); 10 Olivera, 20 Vives, 18 Giacomazzi (27 Jeda, 83), 91 Bertolacci, 11 Mesbah; 9 Corvia.
Unused subs: 81 Benassi, 4 Gustavo, 21 Grossmuller, 32 Coppola.
Coach: Luigi De Canio.

Referee: Daniele Orsato (Schio).
Bookings: Giacomazzi 41, Lucio 47, Rosati 53, Thiago Motta 70, Tomovic 85, Chivu 80.
Added time: 2 + 3 mins.
Attendance: 62,477.




starting lineups

Julio Cesar 1 Rosati
Maicon 13 Tomovic
Lucio 6 Ferrario
Chivu 26 Fabiano
Zanetti 4 Brivio
Cambiasso 19 Olivera
Motta 8 Vives
Sneijder 10 Giacomazzi
Pandev 27 Bertolacci
Pazzini 7 Mesbah
Eto'o 9 Corvia

substitutes

Castellazzi 12 Benassi
Materazzi 23 Donati
Nagatomo 55 Gustavo
Stankovic 5 Piatti
Kharja 14 Grossmuller
Mariga 17 Jeda
Coutinho 29 Coppola