LECCE - Inter were in the Stadio Via del Mare in Lecce for the Week 20 Serie A 2011/12 match against the home team. Coach Claudio Ranieri selected Julio Cesar in goal; the defence was made up of Maicon, Lucio, Samuel and Nagatomo; midfield of Zanetti, Cambiasso and Obi; and finally Sneijder playing behind the striking partnership of Milito and Pazzini. Cosmi responded with Benassi in goal; Oddo, Miglionico, Tomovic in defence; Cuadrado, Giacomazzi, Blasi, Olivera and Brivio in midfield, and in attack Muriel and Di Michele. Inter played in their blue and black shirts, with white shorts and socks, while Lecce wore their usual strip with their yellow and red shirts, blue shorts and red socks with a yellow top. Before the kick off a minute of silence was observed in memory of former President of Italy, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro.
FIRST HALF - The Nerazzurri kicked off under heavy rain. The game was played at quite a fast rhythm from the very start but we had to wait until the 9th minute for a shot on goal, with Nagatomo closing down on Cuadrado as he made himself dangerous as he moved in on goal.
Two minutes later
Milito stole a ball from Benassi and scratched the paintwork from an
impossible angle and then Sneijder followed up with a shot which called
for a save from the Lecce keeper. In the 19th minute the
Nerazzurri wasted a great chance from just outside the box, followed
by a flash Lecce counter-attack which saw Muriel alone, one on one
with Julio Cesar who was forced to block with his body. In the 23rd
minute Lecce showed how dangerous they could be. Cuadrado finished
off the counter-attack with a right-footed blast which whistled past
Julio Cesar's left upright. Inter replied on 25 minutes with Sneijder
who was quick to slip through the lines stealing the ball from the
Lecce defence and then curled a ball which was just slightly too high
towards the top corner and over the far post.
On
30 minutes came the most dangerous action of the game, from a corner
taken by Sneijder on the left, Samuel timed his jump perfectly aiming
the ball at Benassi's bottom left-hand corner. The keeper dived at
full stretch and with superb reactions managed to push the ball away.
A minute later Cambiasso missed with a header that was just wide.
On 32 minutes Cambiasso found Pazzini who was just
onside and the former Sampdoria striker drove a shot across the box,
calling for a diving save from Benassi who miraculously managed to
parry. In the 40th minute Lecce took the lead: a cross by
Oddo from forty yards out, and the ball bounced kindly for an
astonished Giacomazzi who chested the ball down and slipped it past Julio Cesar. Two minutes later Julio Cesar was called upon to
work overtime saving an almost certain goal from Muriel. In the 43rd
minute Cuadrado was booked by referee Banti for a foul on Obi. The
first half came to an end after two minutes of added time.
SECOND
HALF - The
second half got underway with Alvarez on for Sneijder. The Nerazzurri
looked dangerous in the 51st
minute. Alvarez took a corner from the left, Samuel rose to head it,
but it came back into play off the post. Cambiasso headed it goalward
and found the back of the net but Banti disallowed it for offside against the
Argentine. On 63 minutes Alvarez blasted a shot from outside the area
which was narrowly wide. Inter pressed forward but hastily and
without much accuracy allowing the Lecce defence to regroup and keep
control at the back without much effort.
In the 67th
minute Benassi punched away a curling shot from Alvarez. In the 68th
Banti booked Muriel for simulation. On 71 minutes the Nerazzurri had
another goal disallowed. A corner taken by Alvarez from the left,
Pazzini rose to meet it and push it through to Cambiasso who turned it towards
the far post where Milito scored but from an offside position. In the
71st
minute Cosmi put Seferovic on for Muriel, while Ranieri sent Zarate
on in place of Obi. In the 73rd
minute he took off Giacomazzi for Obodo. Banti booked Olivera for a
foul on Cambiasso too. Maicon hit a powerful drive from ouside the
box in the 86th
minute which caused problems for Benassi who saved at the second
attempt. There were fireworks for Benassi in the closing minutes when
he was called upon to save from an inch-perfect header from Pazzini
which looked like it was on its way in. Down at the other end Di
Michele forced Julio Cesar to turn the ball around the post for a
corner. After 4 minutes of added time referee Banti whistled to send
the teams into the dressing rooms. Lecce had beaten Inter by a goal
to nil.
Lecce
1-0 Inter (HT: 1-0)
Scorer:
Giacomazzi 40.
Lecce:
81 Benassi; 30 Oddo, 13 Miglionico, 40 Tomovic; 7 Cuadrado, 18
Giacomazzi (8 Obodo 78), 26 Blasi, 10 Olivera, 28 Brivio; 24 Muriel
(11 Seferovic 73), 17 Di Michele.
Unused subs: 25 Petrachi, 16
Diamoutene, 21 Grossmuller, 22 Piatti, 91 Bertolacci.
Coach:
Serse Cosmi.
Inter:
1 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 25 Samuel, 55 Nagatomo; 4 Zanetti,
19 Cambiasso, 20 Obi (28 Zarate 72); 10 Sneijder (11 Alvarez 45); 7
Pazzini, 22 Milito.
Unused
subs:
12 Castellazzi, 2 Cordoba, 23 Ranocchia, 26 Chivu, 18 Poli.
Coach:
Claudio Ranieri.
Referee:
Luca Banti (Livorno).
Added
time:
2 + 4 minutes.
Bookings: Cuadrado
43, Muriel 68, Olivera 78.
