Serie A: AC Milan-Lecce

[RossoneriBAKU]

I expect continuation of orgy, which began with violets :rolleyes:

[yourmood]

3-0 Milan

[Shevchenko 7]

Milan 3-1 Lecce
Shevchenko will Score :)

[Santi]

I think this could be quite the game for Milan. Hopefully the team will start the new year playing the way they finished the last one.

If Lecce comes out and is offensive minded, it could be quite a scoreline. Not taking the southerners for granted.

I'm very much looking forward to Sheva showing off the Golden Ball to the crowd at the San Siro...that should be very special...hopefully he can score a hat-trick to celebrate the occasion. :)

FORZA MILAN!!!!!

[Elchillum]

for me this is like the beginning of the season ... who will be strong ... who will win ... who will draw :D ;)

---> new year ... new emotions ... the start is here :)

so i hope we forget juve's game becuz we must stay concentrated against this strong lecce of bojinov!

cheers :beer:

[swissmilan]

Official line-up:

Milan: Dida, Cafu, Nesta, Maldini, Pancaro, Gattuso, Pirlo, Dhorasoo, Kaka, Shevchenko, Crespo

Subs: Abbiati, Costacurta, Rui Costa, Tomasson, Seedorf, Ambrosini, Brocchi

Lecce: Sicignano; Cassetti, Paci, Stovini, Rullo; Giacomazzi, Ledesma, Dalla Bona; Babù, Bjelanovic, Konan

Game started.....

[swissmilan]

Milan-Lecce 12' Pirlo down the right for Shevchenko... centres for KAKA!!!!! TIPPED OVER BY SICIGNANO!!! Tremendous, curling effort from the Brazilian!

Milan-Lecce 13' Dhorasoo shapes to shoot, but finds Crespo instead... poor first touch from the Argentine!! That should have been a goal!

Milan-Lecce 17' Cafu does well to dig out a swinging cross for SHEVCHENKO!!! Arrows a glancing header wide - a difficult chance

Milan-Lecce 21' Maldini crocks Babu, and the Milan skipper is lucky to avoid a booking!

[Bayman]

Crespo gol!!!

[Call Me 7 Cups]

GO HERNAN

[Walker]

Gooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Walker]

Adrian missed a penalty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!To greedy for goals!!!!!!!!!!!That will teach You!!!!!!!!Sucker!!!!!!!

[Call Me 7 Cups]

Crepo+Crespo 2-0

^^

Go Valdanito Go

[Walker]

Uhhhh Yeah baby!!!!A hatrick????!!!!

[Haroon]

Hernan THE GOAL MACHINE Crespo is back! :cool: Enjoy the show fellow Milanisti. :)

[Elchillum]

lol if it wasnt for sicignano ... it would be 4-0 already! ... pirlo hit the post in a great free kick!

lecce is a mess :p ...

cheers :beer:

[KONDR]

Forza Crespo!
I always believed in this guy!!!

[swissmilan]

Good first half......

all results:

Atalanta 0 - 0 Fiorentina
Brescia 0 - 1 Bologna
Cagliari 0 - 1 Messina
Chievo 0 - 1 Siena
Livorno 0 - 1 Inter
Milan 2 - 0 Lecce
Parma 0 - 0 Juventus
Reggina 1 - 0 Palermo
Sampdoria 0 - 0 Udinese

[Walker]

Second half!!!Show must go on!!!!!!!!!
Forza Milan!!!!

[swissmilan]

Milan-Lecce 47' TREMENDOUS TACKLE PAOLO MALDINI!!! Stops Bojinov in his tracks - sensational!

[Walker]

Sheva!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Yasser]

4-0

CRESPO :D

Sheva assist

[Yasser]

Crespo 1-0 Kaka assist
Crespo 2-0 Kaka assist
Sheva 3-0 Pirlo assist
Crespo 4-0 Sheva assist

WOW Wonderful display again.. Our last 2 games at home have been way too much for our opponents, 6-0 over Viola and 4-0 now!! :D

[Walker]

YESSSSSS!!!!!!!A Hatrick from Crespo!!!!!!!!!!!!

[swissmilan]

from Eurosport:

Milan-Lecce 51' IT'S A ROUT!!! ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO WITH A CLOSE-RANGE BACK-POST HEADER!!! Superb, deep delivery from Pirlo and Sheva nodded in off the post! Milan are running riot!

Milan-Lecce 57' CRESPO HAT-TRICK!!! Shevchenko beats the offside trap, sprints through and lays it on a plate for Crespo, who could hardly miss!

Grande Milan!!!!!!!

[Yasser]

Crespo out for JDT

Zlatan 1-0, ADP goes out and same minute Juve scores!

[Walker]

Crespo out for JDT

Zlatan 1-0, ADP goes out and same minute Juve scores!

Bloody helll!!!!!!!!!!!

[swissmilan]

Off topic:

I love eurosport comments:

Cagliari-Messina: Penalty for Cagliari after Zoro brought down Langella in the box...Zola to take it...takes a short run-up...AND STORARI DIVES TO HIS LEFT TO PUSH AWAY! He was some way off his line, but a good save...much better than his haircut anyway.

:D ;)

[swissmilan]

Milan-Lecce 64' MILAN: Rui Costa gets a run-out, Kakà making way.

[swissmilan]

Milan-Lecce 66' Rui Costa, understandably out to impress, overelaborates and loses out in a promising performance.

[swissmilan]

Milan-Lecce 69' MILAN: Brocchi on for Gattuso

[GattusoKing]

*contemplates a nice Crespo avatar* :D

Forza Hernan!!!!! :diavolett :kingnew:

[swissmilan]

Milan-Lecce 71' RED CARD NESTA!!! Incredible!! Adjudged to have brought Bojinov down when he was through on goal, but surely Maldini would have got across to him?

[swissmilan]

Milan-Lecce 72' WHAT A STRIKE VALERI BOJINOV!! Smashes the free kick home from the edge of the box!

[Haroon]

Well Done CRESPO!!! (proud) Well done! My faith in the Goal Machine has paid dividends. There are many more to come. Credit to Carletto for bringing him here and us paying 30% of his wages. Masterstroke of a move! :D Chelsea paid for the two goals while we paid for one! :D

[GattusoKing]

Bugger! Well, at least we have alternatives while he serves his suspension.

[Filipez]

juve 1-1 ,!!!!!! HELLLLL YEAH

[Filipez]

Parma-Juventus 86' MARCHIONNI!!! Parma level, and an inspired substitution!!! His first shot was repelled by Buffon, but the winger slammed the rebound gleefully into an empty net!!

[Filipez]

4-2 :s ****

[Filipez]

goal by M. Cassetti , dammit i wanted a big win

[Haroon]

...... and justice for all! :cool: That takes away the red card sorrow. Back to partying. :cool:

P.S. We've got the Lecce game even if they have scored their second. Onward and forward.

[swissmilan]

Bl00dy hell...... :(

[Walker]

F!#$%ing ref!!!!!!!!

[GattusoKing]

We couldnt really have scripted a better opening day to the New Year :thumb:

I wonder just how many people are watching Eurosport's coverage of the WC ski jumping at the moment :rolleyes:

[Filipez]

Parma-Juventus 91' FIVE MINUTES of time added on, and the Parma fans are not happy!
****

[Filipez]

89' [5 - 2] J.D. Tomasson :clap:

A BIG WIN :D nice!!!

[Walker]

Thomasson!!!!!!!!

[Haroon]

5 goals! :cool: JDT.

[Filipez]

Milan-Lecce 89' Now it's game over!! Shevchenko once again the provider, handing Tomasson a simple tap-in!

sheva rules

[GattusoKing]

Forza JDT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap: :clap: A great start to 2005 for him after a very lean last few months ;)

[Haroon]

Forza Parma!

Just a matter of time. :cool: The clock is ticking ... tick tock tick tock.

[Filipez]

FULL TIME!!! Also in parma juve full time!


5-2, a nice big win!!! And juve losing 2 points, perfect start of the new year!!
Forza Milan!! Well done Hernan!:)

[swissmilan]

Nice win, perfect start, nice draw for Juve! ;) :D

+ 2 let's get them!!!!!!

Forza Milan!!!!!

[Walker]

Forza Grande Milan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GattusoKing]

The impetus is all in Milan's favour, whilst the wheels slowly begin to fall off the Juve mobile. 2points is a neglibile amount to chase and with our fixture at the San Siro still to be contested, it all bodes VERY well for a great 2005 :beer:


Forza Crespo :diavolett :kingnew:
Forza Sheva :diavolett :kingnew:
Forza JDT :diavolett :kingnew:
Forza Milan!!!!!!! :kingnew:

[Yasser]

Guys what a cool start :D

Brilliant Milan, superb.. This is the best form we show for a long time, 11 goals in the last 2 home games is just too much :D even in our winning CL season we didnt do that kind of football..

Kaka Cafu Dhorasoo deserved to score but nevermind, they did excellent but Sheva and Crespo scores..

[Elchillum]

hahaaaaaaaaaaa :) nothing can wreck ma day :D :)

a great milan combined with a crap juve as always but this time class won over catenaccio .... juve!!!! you are going down!

cheers :beer:

[ac_champs]

this is the best start to 2005!!! and it looks like JDT and Crespo are back on track after a shaky start to the season... the only bad thing is that nesta got sent off but he'll be back and i hope that carlo will let collo start in the next game..

[Elchillum]

stam should play the 12th in coppa italia ... maybe he could make his debute earlier ... probably it will be billy imo ... though with colo in the team we already have beaten palermo away (in coppa)

cheers :beer:

[RossoneriBAKU]

In spite of the fact that I was sick, I have all the same gone on this game to club :cool: Milan showed great performance and very good combined play, even Kaka makes 2 great assists :applauso: And many thanks to Parma, especially to Marchionni ;)

P.S. VuVu, I asked about your request, but nobody wrote down this game. You can watch this game in record tomorrow))

[GattusoKing]

How did Dhorasoo perform, for those guys lucky enough to see the game?

[ac_champs]

Milan 5 - 2 Lecce
Crespo 23, 36, 57 (M), Shevchenko 51 (M), Bojinov 77 (L), Cassetti 85 (L), Tomasson 89 (M)
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A five-star Milan performance put paid to Lecce's hopes of causing an upset, as Hernan Crespo bags a hat-trick.

Milan ended 2004 on a high with a 6-0 drubbing of Fiorentina and fine performance against leaders Juventus, though they remained four points adrift of the top spot. Their clash with Lecce, perhaps the most entertaining side in Serie A this season and playing without suspended defender Suleymane Diamoutene, was sure to be an action-packed encounter. Zdenek Zeman, who has never won in this stadium, surprisingly opted to leave Valeri Bojinov on the bench.

There was a special occasion for the San Siro supporters before kick-off, as Andriy Shevchenko was presented with the European Player of the Year award and did a lap of honour with the Ballon d'Or held aloft.

Hernan Crespo just failed to get on the end of Shevchenko's low cross after five minutes, but Vincenzo Sicignano was called into a great save on Kaka's strike from the edge of the box following more impressive build-up from the Ukrainian.

The Lecce goalkeeper was at full stretch to block Crespo at the end of a good team move. The Rossoneri were piling on the pressure and took the lead after 23 minutes. Rullo's error allowed Kaka to run free, rolling a perfect cross for Crespo to tap in at the back post.

Kaka was again the provider soon after, but this time Shevchenko's rapid turn and volley was inches wide, then the former Dynamo Kiev star forced Sicignano to bravely rush off his line.

Kaka was inspired this afternoon and set up Crespo for his second of the game. This time the Brazilian marauded down the left and rolled across for Crespo, who dribbled round the 'keeper and deposited the ball into an empty net.

It was nothing short of a siege on Sicignano with shots raining in from Andrea Pirlo, Shevchenko, Kaka and Marcos Cafu.

Pirlo was set to make it 3-0 in the final minute of the first half, but the woodwork kept out his curling free kick from the edge of the box.

Shevchenko grabbed the third of the day, a fine way to celebrate the Ballon d'Or. A long Pirlo free kick found Sheva's header at the back post, though once again Lecce's defending was disappointing.

Shevchenko also showed his generosity on the hour mark, springing the Lecce offside trap and choosing to roll across for Crespo to complete his hat-trick rather than going for glory himself.

Alessandro Nesta saw red for a last man foul on substitute Bojinov, even though Paolo Maldini was very close by. It proved an important moment, as Bojinov fired in from that free kick on the edge of the box.

Lecce staged an unlikely comeback in the closing minutes, as Marco Cassetti's angled drive from a Bojinov assist was the second goal they put past Dida.

However, Shevchenko made sure the result was safe by springing the offside trap and rolling across for the umarked Jon Dahl Tomasson to tap in Milan's fifth. The Rossoneri have now scored 11 goals in their last two home games.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Milan: Dida; Cafu, Nesta,Maldini, Pancaro; Gattuso (Brocchi 73), Pirlo, Dhorasoo; Kakà (Rui Costa 64); Shevchenko, Crespo (Tomasson 60)

Lecce: Sicignano; Cassetti, Paci, Stovini, Rullo; Giacomazzi, Ledesma, Dalla Bona (Eremenko 81); Babù, Bjelanovic (Pinardi 46), Konan

Ref: Trefoloni

Sent off: Nesta 71 (M)


channel4.com

[ac_champs]

Serie A Wrap: Milan Cut Lead From Juve
1/6/2005 5:30:00 PM
The Rossoneri are now just two points behind the Bianconeri as Milan thrashed Zeman’s Lecce 5-2 while Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw at Parma.
A goal by Marchionni 5 minutes from the end awarded Parma with an important point as they equalized Ibrahimovic’s earlier strike. Juventus had in fact taken the lead in the 64th minute thanks to the Swedish player but had to leave the Tardini stadium just with one point following a mistake by Paolo Montero which helped Marchionni equalize for the Giallobu.

Juventus now see their advantage over Milan decreased to two points as the Rossoneri whipped Lecce 5-2 at San Siro. Hernan Crespo scored a brace midway through the first half before new Golden Ball winner, Andriy Shevchenko, scored the third goal on the match in the 50th minute. However this was Crespo’s day as the Argentinean striker scored his personal third goal of the match in the 57th minute for Milan’s 4-0. Fifteen minutes from the end Nesta was sent off for Ancelotti’s side and Lecce managed to score two goals with Bojinov and Cassetti before Tomasson sealed the scored 5-2 in the dying minutes.

Inter’s climb back continues as the Nerazzurri defeated Livorno away from home. The match started on a bad note as Adriano failed to convert a penalty in the 25th minute, giving the Inter fans a sense of deja-vu. However all worries were forgotten when Materazzi opened the scored in the 42nd minute while Vieri added a second from the penalty spot in the second half.

Third-placed Udinese were brought back to earth as Sampdoria defeated the Bianconeri 2-0 at the Marassi stadium of Genoa. Two second half goals by Flachi and Castellini kept the Blucerchiati in fourth place along with Inter, with the distance from Spalletti’s side cut to four points.

Chievo were surprisingly defeated 3-1 at home by struggling Siena. The Bianconeri scored the first goal just before half time thanks to Taddei, while Flo added another 9 minutes into the second half. Siena had Vergassola sent off in the 65th minute but it was the visiting team who managed to find the net again when Flo scored his second personal goal and the third for Siena. Semioli managed to pull one back for the Flying Donkeys 15 minutes from the end for a final score of 1-3.

Brescia and Bologna shared the spoils in a relegation battle encounter which ended 1-1. The visitors took the lead in the 18th minute with Tare, however a 67th minute penalty strike by Di Biagio helped the Rondinelle to equalize the score.

Cagliari kept their excellent home run intact as they defeated Messina 2-1. The Sicilian side took the lead in the 21st minute thanks to Zampagna, however first Esposito then Gobbi inverted the result in the second half. Zola could have added a third for Cagliari, but failed to convert a penalty in the 62nd minute.

A Budan strike 10 minutes from the end awarded Atalanta with their first win of the season over a helpless Fiorentina side who have struggled away from home in recent matches.

Palermo’s inconsistent season continued as the Rosanero were defeated 1-0 at Reggina thanks to a 6th minute strike by Nakamura.

goal.com


Zeman Upset With Lecce’s Defensive Department
1/6/2005 5:56:00 PM
The Giallorossi’s coach was very angry with his defenders at the end of the match against Milan which Lecce lost 5-2.
Zdenek Zeman was clearly disappointed with his side following the humiliating 5-2 defeat against the current Italian champions.

“Against them (Milan) you need a prepared squad; we gave too much away in defence where we went too lightly on the ball.

“I played Bjelanovic because I thought he might help the midfield, but it wasn’t just his fault that we lost.”

Lecce are currently occupying a mid-table position, 5 points over the relegation zone.

goal.com

[ac_champs]

Milan striker Hernan Crespo was Thursday's top performer as he netted a hat-trick in his side's 5-2 destruction of Lecce.

Milan were in imperious form on home soil and took a four goal lead before the hour mark through Crespo's clinical contribution and a goal from his strike partner Andrei Shevchenko.

Valeri Bojinov and Marco Cassetti reduced the deficit in the second period but Jon Dahl Tomasson added gloss to a polished performance for Milan in the final minute.

Leaders Juventus dropped two points on their travels, when could only muster a 1-1 stalemate with Parma.

Talented Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovich opened the scoring in the 63rd minute but Parma hit back with a leveller with just six minutes left on the clock courtesy of Marco Marchionni's strike.

Third placed Udinese look to be struggling to keep group with the top two as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat to in-form Sampdoria.

The Genoa-based outfit claimed maximum spoils thanks to second half goals from Francesco Flachi and Marcello Castellini.

A goal from former Everton stopper Marco Materazzi and a second half penalty from Christian Vieri was enough for Internazionale to claim a 2-0 success on their travels to mid-table Livorno.

Igor Budan will be the toast of Atalanta after his goal ten minutes from time secured their first success of the season, with a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina.

There was nothing to choose between lowly Brescia and Bologna as they shared the points in a 1-1 stalemate at Stadio Azzurri D'Italia.

Bologna looked on course to register a rare away success when they took the lead through Igli Tare but a second half penalty from midfield veteran Luigi Di Biagio stole a point for Brescia.

Cagliari won the battle of the south when they came from behind to beat a free-falling Messina 2-1 at Stadio San Elia.

Messina grabbed a breakthrough courtesy of Riccardo Zampagna but goals from Mauro Esposito and Massimo Gobbi won the spoils for Cagliari.

Tore Andre Flo was a man in form for Siena as his brace helped them to a vital 3-1 win over Chievo.

Rodrigo Taddei gave Siena the lead before Flo's double salvo put them in cruise control for an excellent win on their travels. Franco Semioli netted a late consolation for an out-of-sorts Chievo.

Shunsuke Nakamura's goal in the seventh minute was enough for Reggina to claim an excellent 1-0 win over fifth placed Palermo.

planetfootball.com

[RossoneriBAKU]

Dhorasoo was great!! Once he passed through 3 Lecce players and was stopped only with foul :D

My quinsy has just vanished before a match and now I am healthy completely :)

[ac_champs]

AC Milan 5-2 Lecce: FT Report

PA

MILAN, January 6 (Serie A) - AC Milan kicked off 2005 in fine style by slamming five goals past sorry Lecce and cutting Juventus' lead at the top of Serie A to just two points.

Hernan Crespo's hat-trick made him the hero of the day, while European footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko chipped in with his customary goal five minutes after the break.

Alessandro Nesta's 74th minute dismissal gave the visitors hope and they reduced the deficit to two goals with late strikes from Valeri Bojinov and Marco Cassetti.

But substitute Jon Dahl Tomasson sealed victory for the hosts in the 89th minute, as they took full advantage of Juve's surprise 1-1 draw at Parma.

The Rossoneri used the occasion to allow Shevchenko to parade his recently won Golden Ball in front of the San Siro faithful, and the Ukrainian striker's team-mates responded on the pitch by recording their second biggest victory of the season.

Prior to the match, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti had admitted he did not think January would prove the decisive month in the title race but challenged his players to start the new year in a similar vein to which they finished the last.

The defending champions closed out 2004 with a clinical 6-0 home demolition of Fiorentina, before completely dominating Juve in a one-sided goalless draw at the Stadio Delle Alpi the following week.

Trailing their Turin adversaries by four points before the start of play, Milan started the match as though they had a point to prove.

Lecce, who began the day 14 points behind Milan in the league, were powerless to stop their irresistible opponents and the result merely compounded their blatant defensive failings.

Zdenek Zeman's side came into the fixture with the worst defensive record in the Italian top flight and their porous backline has now conceded 35 goals in just 17 matches.

Crespo, who has finally begun to show something like his best form, was a constant threat in the opening 45 minutes and it was his brace which separated the sides at the interval.

Kaka, Shevchenko and Crespo himself had all missed chances to the open the scoring before the former Chelsea striker found the net in the 23rd minute. Kaka was the provider with a good right-wing cross which he easily converted from close range.

Shevchenko then had three more sights of goal, but again it was his strike partner who was on target with a neat shot from the right-side of the penalty box nine minutes before the break.

Shortly after the re-start, the Ukraine international finally got his goal - heading home a Andrea Pirlo free-kick - before Crespo completed his treble thanks to a sublime assist from French midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo.

Nesta then received a straight red card for a professional foul, and Lecce looked to have found a way back into the match when Bojnov curled home a magnificent free-kick, and then Cassetti pounced from close range to make it 4-2.

But Milan, who are now unbeaten in 14 league games, regained their composure and sealed the points in the final minute.

Tomasson - a second half substitute for hat-trick hero Crespo - collected a pass from the irrepressible Shevchenko and netted his third goal of the season.

soccernet.com

[ac_champs]

FIVE-STAR MILAN
1/6/2005 4:56:00 PM
Milan 5-2 Lecce
Milan turned in another excellent performance at the San Siro as they ran out 5-2 winners against Lecce. The Rossoneri, who had ended 2004 in their home stadium with a 6-0 romp over Fiorentina, dominated proceedings for well over an hour until Alessandro Nesta was sent-off which allowed the visitors to grab two consolation goals.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti started Vikash Dhorasoo in place of Clarence Seedorf, with Giuseppe Pancaro coming in at left-back. It was a special occasion for Andriy Shevchenko who picked up his Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) award in front of the home fans before kick-off. Milan made their intentions clear from the first whistle as they poured forward in search of the opening goal. Hernan Crespo just failed to reach a low Shevchenko cross and then Kaka saw a powerful drive parried away by goalkeeper Vincenzo Sicignano.
The opener finally arrived on 23 minutes when Kaka latched on to a loose clearance on the right flank before sprinting to the edge of the area and playing a low cross for Crespo to side-foot home at the back post. The young Brazilian was in inspired form and set up Crespo for his second, this time breaking down the left flank and rolling the ball across the area for the Argentinian to waltz round the defence and score into the empty net. Milan almost made it three before the break when Andrea Pirlo hit a curling free-kick against the inside of the post.
Shevchenko finally celebrated his Ballon d’Or early in the second half as he leapt at the back post to head in a Pirlo free-kick from the right which cannoned in off the post. The Ukrainian then turned provider when he evaded the offside trap and instead of shooting, played in Crespo for his hat-trick. Nesta was then given a red card for what was deemed a last-man challenge on Valerie Bojinov although Paolo Maldini was certainly in close attention. Bojinov scored from the resultant free-kick and the visitors were given a further lift when Marco Cassetti drove home from close range following a Bojinov cross. However, any late hopes of a comeback were extinguished by Jon Dahl Tomasson as once again Shevchenko beat the offside and rolled the ball across the area for the Dane to tap in.

GOALSCORERS: Crespo 23’ 35’ 57; Shevchenko 51’, Bojinov 77, Cassetti 83, Tomasson 89;

Milan: Dida; Cafu, Nesta,Maldini, Pancaro; Gattuso (Brocchi 73), Pirlo, Dhorasoo; Kaka (Rui
Costa 64); Shevchenko, Crespo (Tomasson 60)

Lecce: Sicignano; Cassetti, Paci, Stovini, Rullo; Giacomazzi, Ledesma, Dalla Bona (Eremenko
81); Babù, Bjelanovic (Pinardi 46), KonanV

REFEREE: Trefoloni from Siena. Assistants Consolo and Niccolai.
YELLOW CARDS: Giacomazzi, Paci

acmilan.com

[ac_champs]

VOILA' VALDANITO!
1/6/2005 4:55:00 PM
Hernan Crespo has returned to be the champion the Italian football had known. His goal average is up to the one he registered in his golden days at Parma and Lazio. Valdanito, as the Argentinian is nicknamed by the fans, has scored nine goals in almost a month, since November 20 when he broke his deadlock at Palermo in the Italian Cup. Apart from that occasion, Hernancito netted twice in the Champions League and six times in the championship, confirming his nature of unstoppable goal-machine. The man really wanted by Milan and Carlo Ancelotti also confirmed statistics that see him reaching his best form between November and January. And who knows him well is aware that the following months will be a guarantee of his sense of goal.
Hernan Crespo is the added weapon of this Milan side who has inaugurated year 2005 in the best way, the right man to fill in the absences of Pippo Inzaghi and Jon Dahl Tomasson, with the Dane still lacking his best form.
The Argentinian has returned to be one of the most prolific strikers in the world, a precise and killing scorer, also able to produce an attractive football to stick to the typical South American class that he has inborn.
The Rossoneri play also seems to have taken advantages from Hernan’s improvements, as not only does he score, but also plays fine balls to show his tactical abilities, creating space for strike-partner Andriy Shevchenko and helping the team-mates in the build-up.
These are the reasons why Carlo Ancelotti instisted for having Crespo in his team, the coach has always trusted his player who has managed to recover physically and mentally from a disappointing experience in England.
Milan enjoy Hernan Crespo and with an excellent Sheva at his side in attack, everything is possible for this team who have returned to be attractive and effective.

acmilan.com

[ac_champs]

Crespo halves Juventus lead

Hernan Crespo helped himself to a hat-trick in Milan's 5-2 win over Lecce on Wednesday, while Serie A pacesetters Juventus were held to a 0-0 draw by Parma. Juve's lead has been cut to just two points. At the bottom, Atalanta grabbed their first win of the season, 1-0 over Fiorentina.

Champions Milan had the game at the San Siro wrapped up at 4-0 after just 57 minutes thanks to Crespo's triple and a goal from European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko.

Lecce pulled two goals back after Milan defender Alessandro Nesta was sent off in the 74th minute. Danish substitute Jon Dahl Tomasson made it 5-2 for Milan near the end.

Juventus led at Parma through a 64th minute header from Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic before Marco Marchionni's 85th minute goal ensured that Fabio Capello's side's lead at the top shrunk to just two points.

Third-placed Udinese's 10-match unbeaten run came to an end with a 2-0 defeat at Sampdoria while Inter Milan won 2-0 at Livorno.

Lazio and Roma meet in their Rome derby later on Thursday.

eurosport.com

[Elchillum]

BTW after the game they asked crespo ... you want to stay permanently here? ... he said ... yes i would like to but it's not up to me ;) ...

---> uh ... dhorasoo was great, amazing ... fast ... needs to work on his ballance though and he could be one of the best in serie A ... not kidding ... let's hope he can play all games like that! he's good on the left, right and midfield ... i think this is a good player with lots of tactical opportunities!

---> also rino played well ... always running like bulldog :) ... he created many actions for us with his interventions!

---> sheva's golden ball :p ... he immediately went to the curva :) and thanked em :)

---> i think juve has had their best ... they are a strong team ... but if some players dont have their full fitness, they suffer as well! ... now i would like to see milan first soon and all critics that said we sucked as hell (like some journalists) and that juve were a fenomenon, ... were wrong ...

in two weeks we have pipo back as well :) ... IMO good becuz he will be hungry for goals ... I cant wait!

cheers :beer:

[Shevchenko 7]

Shevchenko was so so GOOD :D
Crespo, Welcome Back !! :D

Thnx Parma :), Montero was gooooood :p

[ac_champs]

you guys know what funny... in the last two years capello's teams had a strong start to the season and were on top of the table at chrismas... and then in january after having a several point lead over milan they start making mistakes... last year roma and now juve... i just hope it continues....

[Elchillum]

you guys know what funny... in the last two years capello's teams had a strong start to the season and were on top of the table at chrismas... and then in january after having a several point lead over milan they start making mistakes... last year roma and now juve... i just hope it continues....

that's what im calling already for bout 4 weeks :D ;)
+ also capello's roma had the best defence before the new year ;)

cheers :beer:

[ac_champs]

and remember how we had a problem at home in the begininning of the season? in our last three games we have scored 15 goals (6 vs viola, 5 vs lecce, 4 vs shaktar)... i think that we can conclude that the problem has been solved:D:D:D:D

[GattusoKing]

Geez, what a poor decision regarding Nesta's sending-off. Hardly the last man and it's debateable whether or not it was even a foul.

Sheva showing all facets of his game, with some great assists and a towering back-post header. Fabulous stuff :thumb:

[ac_champs]

Serie A: Crespo hat-trick narrows gap


MILAN, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Argentine striker Hernan Crespo hit a hat-trick as AC Milan beat Lecce 5-2 on Thursday to move within two points of Serie A leaders Juventus, who were held to a 1-1 draw at struggling Parma.

Hernan Crespo: Rich vein of form (CliveMason/GettyImages)

Champions Milan had the game at the San Siro wrapped up at 4-0 after just 57 minutes thanks to Crespo's triple and a goal from European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko.


Lecce pulled two goals back after Milan defender Alessandro Nesta was sent off in the 74th minute. Danish substitute Jon Dahl Tomasson made it 5-2 for Milan near the end.

Juventus led at Parma through a 64th minute header from Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic before Marco Marchionni's 85th minute goal ensured Fabio Capello's side's lead at the top was cut to just two points.

Third-placed Udinese's 10-match unbeaten run came to an end with a 2-0 defeat at Sampdoria, while Inter Milan won 2-0 at Livorno. Bottom club Atalanta picked up their first win of the season with a 1-0 triumph over Fiorentina.

Lazio and Roma meet in the Rome derby later on Thursday.

Milan, who drew at Juventus before the Christmas break, have now scored 11 goals in their last two home games and they opened up Lecce with ease.

Crespo, who has rediscovered his form after a tricky start to his season loan spell from Chelsea, opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a simple tap in after a low cross from Brazilian Kaka.

The pair combined again for Milan's second goal after 36 minutes, Crespo this time showing some smart footwork to round Lecce goalkeeper Vincenzo Sicignano after Kaka had burst down the left flank.

GOLDEN SHEVCHENKO

Six minutes after the break Shevchenko, who showed his 'golden ball' award to the crowd before the game, made it 3-0 with a far post header from Andrea Pirlo's cross and unselfishly slipped the ball to Crespo for the Argentine's third.

After Nesta was dismissed for a professional foul on Lecce's Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov in the 74th minute, the visitors pulled two goals back.

Bojinov fired home a superb free kick just after the sending off and then Marco Cassetti made it 4-2 after 84 minutes before Shevchenko set up another tap in, this time for Tomasson.

'We showed today that we have regained the form we showed last season,' said Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti. 'We feel strong, solid and confident in what we're doing. We're not thinking about the points, our aim is to maintain this form'.

Juve had several first half chances against Parma and looked to have picked up one of their characteristic single goal wins after Ibrahimovic was left unattended to head home a cross from Mauro Camoranesi.

But with five minutes left, Juve's Uruguayan defender Paolo Montero's dreadful miskick let in Marchionni who burst goalwards and after keeper Gianluigi Buffon parried his first, right-foot, shot he blasted in the second with his left for the equaliser.

'It can happen in football that you draw a game after you have played well and should have won. We paid the price for an unlucky incident,' said Capello.

Inter's Brazilian striker Adriano missed a 25th minute penalty but they went ahead at Livorno three minutes before the break when defender Marco Materazzi headed in at the back post and then Vieri made it 2-0 with a second half spot kick.

Udinese's excellent run of form was halted by Sampdoria who took the lead through a fine strike from the lively Francesco Flachi in the 68th minute.

They made it 2-0 when Marcello Castellini's header against the bar bounced into the net off the back of Udinese keeper Morgan De Sanctis.

soccernet.com

[Leffe]

Superb game enjoyed every minute of it, only the sending off from Sandro was a disgrace :( He even didn't touched him ....

Great Kaká 2 great assists, super Sheva and Crespo, also Vikash superb :thumb:

FOOOOOOOOOORZA :milan:

Juve here we come :D

[castagnola21]

just saw the highlights the gattusoking posted, looked like a great game! bojinov celebration was pretty funny considering it was 4-1 at that point. there are not enough words to explain how good sheva is, he is just amazing! this year is looking very promising with crespo scoring, having JDT back, and pippo back soon (he will be very determined to score since crespo has been doing so well). i just hope that espn2 plays the milan v. manu champions league tie.

[VUGAR]

great win! superb performance!!! that is the way to start a new year!!!:clap: I smell #18 :D

[ac_champs]

amen to that!!!!

[Shevchenko 7]

18 :p .. I wish we get it :D

[Shevchenko 7]

and ya, Dhorasoo : he is so great, each day i think he is really good !
Now he got speed and Dribblin I think he deserve more First Team Chances !!

[Leffe]

18 will come very close, we are gonna get you Juve, I see us leading Serie A in 2 to 3 games :)

[Call Me 7 Cups]

And btw

http://www.tgcom.it/bin/160.%24plit/orig_C_0_articolo_237169_immagine.jpg

[Yasser]

Oh he's cute :D

[RossoneriBAKU]

Who will play in place of Sandro next match? Billy, Stam or Colo?)))

[ac_champs]

Player of the Week: Dhorasoo (Milan) Friday 7 January, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vikash Dhorasoo has certainly picked the best time possible to show Milan what he is capable of. Having arrived at the San Siro in the summer on a free transfer, the former Lyon man was already being tipped with a January exit.

That is no longer the case after a string of impressive performances in the Rossoneri midfield. The Frenchman started to live up to his potential before the Christmas break but underlined his ability in the Week 17 win against Lecce.

Dhorasoo was immense during the 5-2 victory. His box-to-box style allows his more creative colleagues to flourish, while he can be counted on to quickly turn defence into attack. There is no doubt that he could become a key figure as the Italian outfit look to retain Lo Scudetto and win the Champions’ League.

Andriy Shevchenko and Hernan Crespo were also in sparkling form yesterday. The Ukrainian paraded the Golden Ball in front of his fans before scoring and serving up two delicious assists. Crespo latched onto one of them as he netted a hat-trick which suggests Milan were right to show him the faith they have.

Milan cut Juventus’ lead at the top of the table to just two points after the Old Lady were held at Parma. Mauro Camoranesi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic performed well for an unfortunate Bianconeri side. They deserved the three points but were denied by the outstanding Sebastien Frey in goal and then condemned by a costly Paolo Montero error.

Week 17 was also kind to Lazio as they surprisingly took the derby. Paolo Di Canio won numerous plaudits after the match thanks to a determined performance and a splendid goal. But midfield schemer Fabio Liverani also deserves praise for the 3-1 win against Roma.

Sampdoria collected an impressive victory by defeating in-form Udinese 2-0. Francesco Flachi was the star of the show as he netted a super strike to keep Doria in joint fourth place. With Flachi in this sort of shape, Samp can afford to release the unhappy Fabio Bazzani to Lazio.

The Christmas break also seems to have done Tore Andre Flo some good. The Norwegian bagged a brace in the 3-1 win at Chievo which should act as a warning message to Massimo Maccarone. The latter joined from Parma this week but it seems clear that Flo isn’t ready to give up his place in the side without a fight.


channel4.com

[ac_champs]

Crespo eyes Milan future Friday 7 January, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hernan Crespo has again insisted that he would like to stay with Italian champions Milan.

The striker is currently on loan from Chelsea but is eager to remain at the disposal of boss Carlo Ancelotti.

"I want to stay here on a permanent basis," he stated. "That is the most important thing to me right now."

The Argentine moved to the San Siro in the summer after experiencing an unhappy spell in the Premiership.

Although he did struggle at first this season, the former Lazio and Inter ace seems to be now back to his best.

That fact was underlined on Thursday when he netted a hat-trick in the 5-2 destruction of Lecce.

Yesterday’s victory has now seen the Rossoneri cut Juventus’ lead at the top of the table to just two points.


channel4.com

[Elchillum]

IMO stam will play ... i heard it on tv (milanchannel) yesterday ... (probably if he's fit :))

--> btw i cant believe it that bojinov was benched lol ... good decision by zeman ;) becuz in second half when he came in ... the only good player for lecce was bojinov ... that could create problems for us ... btw sicignano imo is a great goaly ... he always pulls out some great saves ... apart from that! ... ---> palermu ;)

cheers :beer:

[bendalazzi]

Creeeessssssspppppppoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo

thats all I'm saying!

And that sending off was just ridiculous, I've seen a grandpa make a more violent lunge before!