Final score

20 September 2012 21:05

Inter
47' (2nd half) Nagatomo
39' Livaja
2 - 2
Rubin Kazan
39' (2nd half) Rondon
17' Ryazantsev
Referee: Deniz Aytekin / Linesmen: S. Lupp, W. Walz / Fourth official: H. Henschel / Assistants: M. Fritz, R. Hartmann
Minute Text commentary
46' After one minute of injury time the first half ends: Inter 1-1 Rubin Kazan
45' The referee adds one minute of injury time
45' Handanovic comes off his line to stop Rondon
44' Ryazantsev hits the post
42' Free kick for Rubin: Eremenko's effort results in a goal kick for Inter
39' GOAL INTER - A brilliant Cassano finds Cambiasso. El Cuchu sends in a soft cross for Livaja to head in off the post
37' Cambiasso to Jonathan whose effort is blocked. Then Cassano finds Livaja who heads over the bar
35' Yellow card shown to Bocchetti for a foul on Cambiasso
35' Eremenko with a diagonal shot on a counterattack. Handanovic handles it
32' Coutinho has a go from the edge of the box but his shot is blocked
29' One of Cassano's moves sees him feeding Cambiasso, but the Argentine fails to control the ball on the run
27' After Ranocchia's challenge on Rondon, Rubin are awarded a free kick, which comes to nothing
22' Karadeniz whistled for offside
21' The ref fails to card Bocchetti for an ugly foul on Cassano
17' GOAL RUBIN: Handanovic makes a fantastic save from Natkho's attempt but Ryazantsev puts in the rebound. The Russians are now ahead
16' A penalty is awarded against Inter for Jonathan's naive foul on Karadeniz
15' Karadeniz finds Kuzmin in front of the goal but Samuel intervenes
9' Coutinho sends a ball to the far post but there's no one there
6' Jonathan crosses from the right but it's off target
5' A header from Rondon ends up in Handanovic's hands
2' Livaja wins a free kick: Cassano's effort clears the wall but Ryzhikov makes a great reaction save
1' Welcome to the San Siro: all is ready for Inter v Rubin Kazan, the Matchday 1 game of the UEFA Europa League
1' Inter v Rubin Kazan gets underway as the Nerazzurri take the opening kick-off
1' Gargano, Zanetti and Cambiasso in midfield, with Livaja and Cassano in attack, supported by Coutinho in an attacking midfield role
1' Handanovic is in goal behind the central defensive pair of Ranocchia and Samuel, with Jonathan and Nagatomo in the full-back roles
Minute Text commentary
48' After three minutes of injury time the match ends: Inter 2-2 Rubin Kazan
47' GOAL INTER - Milito crosses, Cambiasso dummies and Nagatomo blasts it into the net off his laces. The San Siro erupts in cheer
45' Three minutes of injury time added
45' Cesar Navas closes down on Coutinho
44' Yellow card shown to Guarin
43' Ryzhikov comes off his line to stop Milito
39' GOAL RUBIN: a great ball from Eremenko finds Rondon, who beats Handanovic with a left-footer
36' Substitution for Rubin: Bocchetti comes off for Kaleshin
34' Guarin attempts a cross but it's over-hit
33' Rondon anticipates Samuel but can't quite get his shot on target
31' A neat exchange between Coutinho and Milito leads to the Brazilian trying to surprise the keeper, but the ball goes wide
31' Yellow card shown to Orbaiz
29' Yellow card shown to Marcano for a foul on Zanetti
27' Guarin's low, driven free kick goes just wide of the post
25' Bocchetti blocks Guarin's attempt from 30 metres
25' Substitution for Rubin: Ryazantsev comes off for Orbaiz
22' Substitution for Inter: Cassano comes off for Pereira
21' Natkho sends the ball into the box but Zanetti clears the danger
18' Natkho's long-distance effort is off target
18' Rubin take a corner, cleared by Guarin at the near post
16' Substitution for Inter: Livaja comes off for Milito
12' Coutinho collects the ball on the edge of the box but his half-volley is off target
10' A dangerous run from Zanetti, but the ball takes an awkward bounce just as he takes a shot on goal
8' An opportunity for Inter as Cassano wins the ball and serves Livaja, whose shot goes high
6' Handanovic comes off his line to stop Karadeniz
3' Eremenko's long-distance shot is no problem for Handanovic
1' The second half of Inter v Rubin Kazan is now underway
1' Substitution for Inter: Jonathan comes off for Guarin
Zanetti
6.5
6.5
Cambiasso
5.4
5.4
Samuel
3.95
3.95
Milito
5.56
5.56
Coutinho
5.01
5.01
Ranocchia
5.58
5.58
Nagatomo
6.94
6.94
Jonathan
2.79
2.79
Guarin
4.86
4.86
Livaja
6.54
6.54
Handanovic
7.3
7.3
Cassano
6.57
6.57
Gargano
4.68
4.68
Pereira
4.79
4.79
Average rating 5.46
3 shots on target 4
8 shots off target 10
12 fouls committed 15
0 corners 2
5 offsides 2
45% ball possession 55%
Rubin, 222 minutes without a goal in Europe

Rubin Kazan have not scored in Europe for 222 minutes, since the 48th minute of their 1-1 draw away at PAOK on 15 December 2011. The run comprises the remaining 42 minutes of the same game, along with the two 1-0 defeats at the hands of Olympiakos in the last 32.

Inter: history in their favour and always goals at home

Inter have met Russian sides on 16 occasions in competitive matches, winning 11, drawing 3 (all 1-1) and suffering just 2 defeats. The Nerazzurri host Russian opposition for the 9th time in Europe and have always scored at home, registering 6 wins, one draw and one defeat, and scoring 15 goals in the process.

Rubin, no wins and no clean sheets: always lost and never scored in Italy

Rubin Kazan take on Italian opposition for the 5th time and the Russian club has yet to win, drawing 1 and losing 3. Rubin have conceded in each of their previous 4 against Italian sides and have managed just 1 goal at the other end. This is their third trip to the 'Bel Paese', following a 1-0 defeat to Parma in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup and a 2-0 loss to the Nerazzurri in the 2009/10 Champions League. Rubin have lost both their games on the peninsula and have yet to score on Italian soil.

Milito, top scorer in 2012

Diego Milito has scored 23 goals in competitive games this calendar year, making him the top goalscorer in the Italian top-flight alongside Napoli's Edinson Cavani.

German Aytekin takes charge

German referee Deniz Aytekin, 34, has been registered for international competitions since 2011. Aytekin will take charge of his fourth fixture of the season, following St. Patrick's Athletic v NK Široki Brijeg (2-1 aet), Helsingborg 3-1 Śląsk Wrocław (2nd leg of the Champions League 3rd qualifying round) and Club Brugge 4-1 Debrecen (2nd leg of the Europa League play-off). Aytekin will officiate an Italian club for the first time in a competitive game. This is the second match he will referee featuring a Russian side. Last season he was in charge as Lokomotiv Moscow beat Sturm Graz 3-1.

Coaches meet for the first time

This is the first time Stramaccioni and Berdyev have come up against each other.

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

MILAN – Believing until the very end allowed Inter to come back twice from deficits against Rubin Kazan and end the Matchday 1 game of the UEFA Europa League with a 2-2 draw.

It was the umpteenth penalty saved by Handanovic, after a foul by Jonathan in the box, but it wasn’t enough as Ryazantsev put away the rebound in the 17th minute. Livaja responded with a goal in minute 39 and came close to adding a second after halftime. The Russian team was the first to add their second; Rondon found the net in the 84th minute, but Nagatomo answered eight minutes later.

FIRST HALF - For the first match of Group H, Stramaccioni rested Milito and went with the attacking pair of Cassano and Livaja up top. Coutinho started just behind the forwards, while Berdyev chose Eremenko behind Rondon.

It was Livaja’s first match as a starter and he didn’t even need two minutes to earn a free kick from a dangerous position; Cassano’s attempt cleared the wall but Ryzhikov’s response was excellent in blocking it. Then Rubin responded with Karadeniz’s cross picking out Rondon, whose header found Handanovic up to the task. On 16 minutes a penalty was awarded to the Russian after a naïve foul from Jonathan. When Natkho stepped up to the spot Handanovic responded by blocking his kick, but he couldn’t hold on to it and Ryazantsev sent the rebound into the top corner with his left. However, the position of the Rubin players at the moment of the kick deserves another look.

Inter regained their momentum and on 36 minutes came very close to equalising when Cambiasso’s cross for Jonathan was temporarily cleared before Cassano put in another one for Livaja, who met the ball with a header that went over the bar. But the goal arrived three minutes later after Cassano’s brilliant pass released Cambiasso who, with a cross from a difficult angle, found the Croatian striker to head inside the far post. However, Rubin showed that there was still life in their team when Ryazantsev hit the post just before halftime. After 1 minute of injury time both teams went to the dressing rooms with the score at 1-1.

SECOND HALF – It was a blistering start to the second half, with Guarin coming on for Jonathan, but Handanovic was ready to step up to the challenge; just five minutes into the half the Nerazzurri keeper perfectly read the play to get the better of Karadeniz’s shot. Minutes later Cassano won the ball and fed it to Livaja, only to see his shot on the turn finish wide. Rondon again looked to put his team ahead, beating Samuel for a header only to see the ball go agonisingly wide. But three minutes later the Venezuelan found the target when he latched on to Eremenko’s long pass and held off Ranocchia before slotting the ball past Handanovic to make it 1-2.

It all seemed over, but Nagatomo had other ideas; three minutes into injury time Cambiasso dummied Milito’s cross, allowing the Japanese full-back to sweetly strike the ball past the Rubin keeper and end the match at 2-2. It was another comeback for Inter, who believed until the very end in this Europe League challenge. After 3 minutes of added time Aytekin ended the match. The other Group H match ended as a goalless draw between Partizan and Neftci, the Nerazzurri’s next opponent on 4 October.

Inter 2-2 Rubin Kazan (HT: 1-1)

Scorers: Ryazantsev 17, Livaja 39, Rondon 84, Nagatomo 90+3.

Inter: 1 Handanovic; 42 Jonathan (Guarin 46), 23 Ranocchia, 25 Samuel, 55 Nagatomo; 19 Cambiasso, 4 Zanetti, 21 Gargano; 7 Coutinho; 99 Cassano (Pereira 67), 88 Livaja (Milito 61).
Unused subs: 27 Belec, 6 Silvestre, 10 Sneijder, 40 Juan Jesus.
Coach: Andrea Stramaccioni.

Rubin Kazan: 1 Ryzhikov; 76 Sharonov, 4 Cesar Navas, 2 Kuzmin, 25 Marcano; 27 Bocchetti (Kaleshin 81), 66 Natkho, 8 Ryazantsev (Orbaiz 70), 61 Karadeniz; 23 R. Eremenko; 99 Rondon.
Unused subs: 88 Haghihi, 55 Tore, 22 Dyadyun, 10 Kasaev, 19 Kaleshin.
Coach: Kurban Berdyev.

Referee: Deniz Aytekin (GER).
Assistants: Lupp, Walk (GER).
Additional assistants: Fritz, Hartmann (GER).
Fourth official: Henschel (GER).
Booked: Bocchetti 80, Marcano 74, Orbaiz 76, Guarin 44.
Added time: 1+3 minutes.
Attendance: 28,472.

starting lineups

Handanovic 1 Ryzhikov
Jonathan 42 Kuzmin
Ranocchia 23 Sharonov
Samuel 25 Cesar Navas
Nagatomo 55 Marcano
Zanetti 4 Ryazantsev
Gargano 21 Natcho
Cambiasso 19 Bocchetti
Coutinho 7 Gokdeniz Karadeniz
Livaja 88 Eremenko
Cassano 99 Rondon

substitutes

Belec 27 Haghighi
Silvestre 6 Orbaiz
Sneijder 10 Davydov
Guarin 14 Kasaev
Milito 22 Kaleshin
Pereira 31 Dyadyun
Jesus 40 Tore
23 23