ITALIAN SERIE A: AC Milan 3 Inter Milan 0:EVEN BEFORE Italian league leaders AC Milan took a major step towards winning this season's Serie A title by beating cross-town rivals Inter Milan at the San Siro on Saturday night, the Milan fans were referring to the game as "Leonardo's Last Supper".
The point, of course, is that just down the road from the San Siro, in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, hangs arguably the most famous of all depictions of Christ’s Last Supper, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Before Saturday’s game, the Milan fans unfurled a banner replica of the masterpiece, below it written “The Inter Judas”, a reference to another Leonardo, not Da Vinci, but rather Brazilian Leonardo Nascimento De Araujo, the Inter Milan coach. Having spent 13 years at AC Milan as player and coach, Leonardo, in the view of the Milan fans, has turned “traitor” and for “30 pieces of silver” opted to coach the loathed cousins. That banner was just the beginning of a dreadful night for Leonardo (the coach, that is).
Those of us who argued Inter might knock Milan off the top of the table had that prognostication thrown in our faces after only 43 seconds. That was all it took for Milan’s Brazilian striker Pato to score the opening goal after Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar had made an excellent stop on Brazilian Robinho only for his blocking save to break to Pato.
Even for the battle-hardened European champions, this was a crushing blow. To their credit, after an initial 20 minutes of understandable confusion, Inter got their act together. However, fate seemed against them when first Milan goalkeeper Cristian Abbiati made a brilliant save from Thiago Motto following a 39th-minute corner and then, most astonishingly, when Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o managed to shoot wide of an open goal from all of three yards, in the 43rd minute.
Rather than going in on a 1-1 at half-time, Inter were still trailing.
That the script was working against them was further underlined in the 54th minute when Inter defender Cristian Chivu was sent off after he brought down the barely containable Pato, just outside the box. At a goal and a player down, it looked all over for Inter. So it was eight minutes later, when Pato knocked in Milan’s second of the night, making the most of a mis-hit shot on goal from Milan right back Ignazio Abate. “Enfant Terrible”, Antonio Cassano, came on as a substitute to fill the Inter cup of woe to overflowing with a 90th-minute penalty before partly besmirching a perfect Milan night by getting himself sent off.
Now five points clear of Inter, with seven games to play, Milan may not be home and dry yet, given Napoli have moved into second place, three points behind, following yesterday’s 4-3 win over Lazio.
AC MILAN (4-3-1-2):Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, T. Silva, Zambrotta; Gattuso (Flamini, 51 mins), Van Bommel, Seedorf; Boateng; Pato (Emanuelson, 84 mins), Robinho (Cassano, 80 mins).
INTER MILAN (4-2-3-1):Julio Cesar; Maicon, Rannochia, Chivu, Zanetti; Cambiasso (Stankovic, 71 mins), T. Motta; Pandev (Cordoba, 55 mins), Sneijder, Eto'o; Pazzini (Milito, 63 mins).
Attendance: 80,019
