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Inter edge Palermo in eight goal thriller

Inter Milan ruined Walter Zenga’s homecoming by beating Palermo 5-3 in an eight-goal thriller at the San Siro on Thursday.

Zenga had threatened to upset his former employers as his battling team fought back from a 4-0 half-time deficit to within a goal with a quarter of the game remaining before Diego Milito settled things late on.

Former Italy goalkeeper Zenga, who spent 12 years as an Inter player, was given a standing ovation when he arrived but his team was then ripped apart in a painful first 45 minutes, seemingly making a mockery of his pre-match claims that his side would challenge for the title.

And while the first goal was due to some horrible home-team refereeing, thereafter Palermo simply could not handle Inter’s bristling attacking play as Samuel Eto’o and Mario Balotelli each bagged a brace.

Inter boss Jose Mourinho admitted he was annoyed at his team’s second half performance.

“Obviously I was a bit angry and a bit worried because the game should have been over,” he said.

“That can happen if a team loses concentration, it was a great comeback by Palermo.

“Away to a big team at 4-0 you’d have thought they’d be trying to keep the score down but instead they went going for it.”

Zenga was left rueing an uncharacteristic defensive performance.

“At the end of the first half we conceded three goals that shouldn’t have, that were unusual for us,” he said.

“But we did great to come back into the game, we showed great personality and desire.”

Inter are now four points clear at the top of Serie A ahead of Juventus who thumped third-placed Sampdoria 5-1 on Wednesday.

The lead came on 7min when the referee laughably awarded the hosts a penalty after Balotelli tried to run through an inexistent gap between two defenders and fell over.

The teenager then tried to take the penalty off Eto’o only to be dragged away by captain Javier Zanetti and he threw a mini tantrum as Eto’o lashed home the spot-kick.

If that goal had been unfair on Palermo, the Sicilians could have no complaints about what happened in the rest of the half.

After Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, who played very well, had tipped a deviation off defender Dorin Goian from Eto’o’s cross onto the post, Esteban Cambiasso’s driven centre came too quick for Balotelli who headed wide with his eyes closed.

Sirigu made saves from Maicon (twice) and Eto’o before Julio Cesar pushed away a fierce Fabrizio Miccoli free-kick up the other end.

Just past the hour mark Cambiasso lashed a close range shot over the bar but on 34min it was two as Balotelli rose above Australian Mark Bresciano to head home Maicon’s corner.

Palermo collapsed just before the break as Sirigu and Simon Kjaer got in each other’s way leaving Cambiasso free to head goalwards before Balotelli got the last touch on the line.

And two minutes before the break the 19-year-old teed up Eto’o to beat Sirigu at his near post.

At 4-0 at the break the game seemed over but Palermo came out after the restart in determined mood and showed just why Zenga has so much faith in them.

Miccoli started the comeback on 49min as he latched onto a long Simplicio through ball, held off Ivan Cordoba and chipped Julio Cesar.

That seemed to be little more than a consolation but just past the hour mark teenage Uruguayan substitute Abel Hernandez tapped home a Mattia Cassani cross at the back post.

And midway through the half a stunning reverse ball from Cassani with the outside of his boot and without looking — much like Ronaldinho almost copyrighted during his Barcelona days — released Miccoli between Cordoba and Davide Santon to again dink the ball over Julio Cesar.

But seven minutes from time a tired-looking Palermo defence wilted and Maicon teed up substitute Milito to tap home the eighth goal of the night from close range.

ROME (AFP)

Tags: defensive performance, diego milito, four points, goal thriller, great personality, half time, homecoming, inter milan, italy goalkeeper, Javier Zanetti, jose mourinho, juventus, mockery, Palermo, samuel eto o, san siro, sicilians, standing ovation, tantrum, Walter Zenga

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Quake victims won´t be forgotten, say coaches

ROME (AFP) – Serie A coaches insist the Abruzzo earthquake victims will not be forgotten when Italian top flight football controversially resumes on Saturday.

A full Serie A programme will take place with teams observing a minute’s silence and players wearing black armbands.

There had been speculation that matches would be called off, as happened with Friday’s scheduled Serie B programme, which was a day of mourning after the disaster which has so far claimed the lives of 289 people.

“I don’t know if it would have been better not to play the day after a day of mourning,” said Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho.

“I don’t like to drag out suffering but I’m convinced that even by playing no-one will forget. Life goes on for the families of the victims and also for us.

“We’re all together with the families of the victims and with their pain. The memory of this event will live on with all of us.

“It’s important that this solidarity doesn’t last two days or two weeks but continues on from then.

“We have also done something personal for Abruzzo but we did it from the heart, without publicity.”

Mourinho was referring to the fact that clubs such as Napoli, Fiorentina, Catania and Siena had pledged to donate the proceeds from their next home matches to the victims.

Lazio will hold a collection during the Rome derby and auction off shirts of some top players.

Similar gestures have not been made by the country’s title-chasing clubs.

Fiorentina’s Cesare Prandelli said he was proud of his club for the open pledge they made, although he felt the games should be called off.

“When I first heard about the drama in Abruzzo I thought it would be right to suspend everything and go over there to help the people,” said Prandelli, whose club is one of the closest in Serie A to the affected region and even has a supporters’ club in the capital, and worst affected city, L’Aquila.

“I’m very proud of our owner (Andrea Della Valle) who decided to donate the takings from (Sunday’s) match against Cagliari to the population.

“The people of Abruzzo have been hit by a tragedy but they are dealing with it with great dignity and that shows honour, the same value shown by the many people who dashed over there to help out.

“I just hope this match is played in the right spirit and that the mimnute’s silence is correctly observed in complete silence.”

Coaches were generally split on whether or not to play on Saturday, with AC Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti against a suspension.

“The football world will also help these people who are in need of support, on an individual and institutional level,” he said.

“It’s relatively important that Serie A does not stop, what counts is not forgetting those who are suffering.”

However, Lecce’s Luigi De Canio did not agree.

“I’m disappointed to have to play while others are suffering,” he said. “I would have suspended the championship.

“I think the coaches’ association and other associations should have asked for it to be called off.”

Other clubs found other ways to pay their respects.

Catania coach Walter Zenga called off the traditional pre-match press conference while Siena suspended their internet site for the day.

Tags: andrea della valle, black armbands, cagliari, carlo ancelotti, catania, cesare prandelli, earthquake victims, fiorentina, flight football, gestures, inter milan, jose mourinho, lazio, Luigi De Canio, Milan, napoli, pledge, resumes, ROME, Serie A, Siena, solidarity, speculation, supporters club, takings, top flight, Walter Zenga

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