This post was supposed to be a relatively long one, but there have only been two goals scored in the first half across Italy. It’s pretty hard to give updates on 0-0 matches that you’re not watching extremely closely, so we’ll go with what we know.
Italian Serie A, Round 11: Halftime Update
A.C. Milan are up 1-0 on Palermo thanks to Pato. Milan had a string of corner kicks around the 19th minute, and on the third one, Pato was able to find the back of the net. Clarence Seedorf delivered the ball on a silver platter to the Brazilian striker and he made no mistake about directing his clear header into the back of the net after slicing through two defenders. Two minutes earlier, Palermo had a penalty claim denied.
Milan’s tenacious midfield has done a good job at making life difficult for Palermo, as Javier Pastore has been swarmed every time he has gotten the ball. Their defense has been great with Abate and Antonini, the fullbacks, doing a good job of getting back and getting into position when they are forward and Milan loses the ball. Palermo will be considering bringing either Miccoli or Maccarone off the bench for sure.
The other goal was scored by Roma, and it was well deserved. Their opponents, Fiorentina, had looked poor for the entirety of the first half. The Viola only managed one shot in 45 minutes, and that shot came at the very end of the half. After a very long move in the box at the very end of the half, Fabio Simplicio eventually finished for Roma to give them a 1-0 lead. The assist was provided by Marco Borriello, who played an impressive back heel in Simplicio’s direction.
All other games are knotted up at 0-0. Interesting facts from those: Inter Milan is utilizing Coutinho in the “Sneijder role,” Napoli look very poor by all accounts, and Brescia are giving Juventus all they can handle, refusing to sit back and just defend against the Old Lady.
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