Milan lineup:
Abbiati
Nesta
Jankulovski SUBBED @ 72 Emanuelson
Silva
Van Bommel
Gattuso
Flamini
ABate SUBBED @ 81 Oddo
Robinho SUBBED @ 63 Boateng
Ibrahimovic
Pato
Goal scorers: Ibrahimovic, Boateng, Pato
Napoli lineup:
De Sanctis
Dossena
Aronica
P. Cannavaro
Campagnaro
Pazienza
Maggio SUBBED @ 78 Sosa
Gargano SUBBED @ 84 Yebda
Hamsik
Mascara SUBBED @ 64 Zuniga
Cavani
WOW. What a game.
Lets start by saying Napoli didn't bring their A-game to this match; they brought a whole box of nerves though. It was obvious Napoli's players were shaking as they walked into the Meazza stadium - and it wasn't because it was cold! Napoli had been sitting comfortably at 2nd in the standings until Internazionale's win yesterday. Just one point under the Blue Devil's, Napoli was anticipating a win against AC Milan this morning to rise back up. "Napoli, looking nothing like the revelation side they have been so far this term"(footbal-italia.net) played nervously as Mascara felt the pressure of filling in for the suspended Ezequiel Lavezzi. Keepers, Abbiati and De Sanctis felt pretty rested after the first half as nothing exciting or notable took place. Second half rolled around and it was like watching a whole other futbol match! Napoli's defender Aronica was 'accused' with a 'handball' which gave Milan a penalty - Ibrahimovic knew this was his moment to shine as he easily kicked the ball to De Sanctis' right... and GOAL(49 minutes). 1-nil Milan. A short 6 minutes later Pato attempted a curler which was stopped by the great De Sanctis; Robinho made a final attempt to score before getting replaced by Kevin Prince Boateng but was quickly denied by none other than De Sanctis. Boateng who just recovered a recent injury, scored for Milan once again at 77 minutes and celebrated his goal by taking his jersey off - apparently it wasn't as cold as Napoli thought it was. Its as if 2-0 was not enough for Pato, who was a brilliant star in this match as 80 minutes came about and Pato shot over De Sanctis and into the net. 3-0 Milan.
As the game came to an end commentators referred to Alexandre Pato as "the man," "the alpha male of Milan," and "Man of the match."
Napoli's defender Paulo Cannavaro, to me, made a conscious effort defending his home town. It was as if watching his older brother Fabio Cannavaro in his stardom days.
Allegri on the penalty: “It looked like a penalty from the sidelines, but there are a few doubts when you see it on the replays,” he noted.
Other big news for Milan:
Allegri on rumours that KAKA could return to AC Milan in the summer: “The market is closed for now. We just have to concentrate on our objectives which are the League and the Champions League,” he responded.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MATCH, CLICK HERE
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