Final score

28 February 2007 20:30

Inter
21' (2nd half) Crespo
Udinese
2' (2nd half) Obodo
Referee: Mauro Bergonzi / Linesmen: Rossomando, Angrisani / Fourth official: Iannone
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
46' Half time. Inter 0-0 Udinese.
45' 1 minute of added time.
43' Inter close as Crespo just fails to make headed contact with Figo's floated cross from Maicon's short pass.
43' Motta heads over Obodo's inswinging cross from the corner flag.
42' Asamoah has a cross blocked by Materazzi, and Udinese win a right-wing corner.
41' It's end-to-end at the Meazza as Maicon crashes over a 20-yard effort.
40' The Bianconeri from Friuli hit back with Asamoah firing narrowly wide of the right post from the edge of the box.
39' Grosso slaloms past two during a diagonal run from the left but is tackled by Coda.
36' Adriano looks to have sustained a muscular injury. The Brazilian is replaced by Hernan Crespo.
36' At the near post, Crespo is beaten to Figo's inswinging corner kick.
35' Ibra's spectacular backheeled pass from the by-line for Adriano is intercepted by the Udinese defence.
32' Zapata intercepts an Adriano pass for Ibrahimovic.
31' De Sanctis gets out at his near post to smother Grosso's dangerous ball in from the left.
30' Figo combines with Maicon before blasting high and wide from 20 yards.
30' Maicon's outswinger from the right is headed clear by Coda.
29' Cordoba's header from Figo's corner is caught by De Sanctis. Another good chance for the Nerazzurri.
28' Figo's outswinger from the right takes a deflection. Corner for Inter.
27' Good chance for Inter. Adriano collects an Ibra pass and fires over from 20 yards.
27' Grosso blocks Motta's low right-wing cross from the by-line.
26' Asamoah is flagged offside as he runs on to a Dossena ball down the left.
25' Asamoah's weak shot on the turn from the edge of the Inter area is easily saved by Francesco Toldo.
20' Inter hit back at Udinese as Zanetti races down the right and delivers a cross which is half-cleared by Zapata. Solari's follow-up is blocked.
20' Di Natale floats one into the Inter area for Asamoah. Materazzi beats the Ghanaian forward to the ball and heads clear.
16' Muntari blasts high and wide from 30 yards after receiving square from Motta.
15' Figo's long-range free kick dips dangerously, forcing De Sanctis to tip over. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
15' At the other end Inter win a free kick just over 30 yards from the Udinese goal.
14' Pinzi's low effort from 20 yards is 'intercepted' in the area by Di Natale, who loses possession.
13' Nico Burdisso rises in the box to head wide Figo's outswinging cross from the right-wing corner flag.
13' Figo plays short to Ibra whose cross for Adriano is palmed behind for a corner by Morgan De Sanctis.
12' Free kick to Inter on the left edge of the Udinese box, awarded for a foul by Motta on Fabio Grosso.
10' Figo's ball into the box for Ibra is intercepted by Zapata.
9' Inter counter-attack with Adriano but nothing comes of the move as Udinese regain possession.
9' Di Natale receives from Asamoah in the Nerazzurri box before crossing into no man's land.
7' Di Natale collects a long pass from Muntari and feeds Dossena whose fast cross from the left is collected by Grosso on the opposite wing.
6' Asamoah's header from Pinzi's right-wing cross is well wide of Toldo's right-hand post.
5' Burdisso, playing in a holding role in front of the defence tonight, plays forward to Adriano who is intercepted by Natali.
3' Maicon is flagged offside after a promising build-up with Ibra down the right.
1' Good evening and welcome to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan's San Siro district for Inter v Udinese.
1' Marco Bergonzi blows his whistle, and we're under way at the Meazza as Inter kick off. FORZA NERAZZURRI!!!!
1' With Roma held to a 2-2 draw at Chievo this afternoon, an eighteenth consecutive league win tonight will see the Nerazzurri open up a 16-point lead at the top of the Serie A table.
1' Udinese: 1 De Sanctis; 2 Zapata, 14 Natali, 6 Coda, 26 Motta; 8 Pinzi, 5 Obodo, 11 Muntari, 20 Dossena; 18 Asamoah, 10 Di Natale.
1' 1 Toldo, 13 Maicon, 2 Cordoba, 23 Materazzi, 11 Grosso; 4 Zanetti, 16 Burdisso; 21 Solari; 7 Figo; 8 Ibrahimovic, 10 Adriano.
Minute Text commentary
50' Full time. Udinese end Inter's run of 17 consecutive Serie A wins, but we're still 32 games without defeat. See you on Saturday for Livorno v Inter.
50' Ibra has a close-range header saved by De Sanctis.
48' Free kick to Inter on the left wing for a foul by Zapata on Ibrahimovic. Figo's cross from the free kick is cleared.
46' Burdisso booked for protesting.
45' 5 minutes of added time.
44' Burdisso's header from Maxwell's ball into the area is blocked by De Sanctis.
40' Mariano Gonzalez replaces Fabio Grosso.
39' De Sanctis collects after Ibra fails to make headed contact with a ball in from the right.
38' Inter have another penalty claim turned down after Natali shoves Materazzi in the area and then appears to handle the ball.
36' D'Agostino plays wide for Dossena but Maicon outpaces the Udinese winger to the ball and sets up an Inter counter-attack.
34' Udinese replace Asamoah with D'Agostino.
33' Zanetti unleashes a left-footer from 25 yards. Il Capitano's effort is easily saved by De Sanctis.
31' Cordoba tackles Asamoah on the edge of the Inter area to end an Udinese counter-attack.
30' Udinese bring on Czech defender Tomas Zapotocny for Motta.
29' Figo collects a Maxwell cut-back and sends a low shot on target from the edge of the area. De Sanctis saves.
25' Inter academy product Guillerme Siqueira replaces Di Natale as Udinese make their first substitution.
24' Asamoah turns and fires high and wide from 20 yards.
23' Figo's right-wing cross takes a deflection. Materazzi heads wide the resulting corner, taken by the Portuguese midfielder.
21' GOOAAALLLL!!!!! Hernan Crespo brings us level with his 12th goal of the season. The Argentine rises to power home a header from Maxwell's left-wing cross.
19' Grosso's free kick is blocked by Udinese's 'mobile' wall.
18' Inter awarded a free kick right on the edge of the Bianconeri box after a foul on Maicon.
17' Toldo is quick out to grasp Asamoah's ball in from the right.
16' Maxwell replaces Santiago Solari.
14' De Sanctis booked for protesting after Ibra heads wide Figo's corner.
13' Grosso's effort from the corner is blocked. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
13' Natali booked by Bergonzi.
13' Figo's inswinging cross from the resulting free kick is deflected behind for a corner.
12' Zapata blocks a Crespo cross from the right. Corner for Inter.
11' Inter have a penalty claim turned down after Crespo appears to be shoved off the ball by Coda in the area.
10' Solari is dispossessed by Motta as he tries to weave his way into the box from the left.
9' Figo's cross into the six-yard box from the right is collected by De Sanctis.
7' Figo's ball in from a free kick is punched clear by De Sanctis.
4' Crespo booked for diving in the Udinese box. The Argentine striker will automatically miss Saturday's trip to Livorno through suspension.
4' Cordoba rises in his own area to beat Asamoah to a left-wing cross as Udinese come looking for a quick second.
2' Udinese win a right-wing corner. Di Natale delivers the cross, Natali heads forward, and Obodo beats Toldo from close range with an overhead kick. 1-0 to the visitors.
1' Udinese kick off the second half.
Zanetti
6.6
6.6
Cordoba
6.18
6.18
Materazzi
6.6
6.6
Toldo
5.85
5.85
Adriano
5.59
5.59
Crespo
7.86
7.86
Burdisso
6.26
6.26
Solari
5.75
5.75
Figo
6.87
6.87
Grosso
5.97
5.97
Maicon
7
7
Maxwell
7.29
7.29
Ibrahimovic
7.03
7.03
Gonzalez
5.31
5.31
Average rating 6.44
6 shots on target 1
6 shots off target 5
12 fouls committed 12
9 corners 2
4 offsides 4
29:51 ball possession 28:39
Mancini v Malesani

The two coaches have met on four previous occasions. Mancini has won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1.

Details:

2001/02 Serie A Fiorentina-Verona 0-2 ----
2003/04 Coppa Italia Lazio-Modena 1-0 2-0
2003/04 Serie A Lazio-Modena ---- 1-1

Mancini v Udinese

Roberto Mancini has won 8, drawn 4 and lost 1 of his 13 competitive encounters with Udinese. In home matches Mancini has won 5 and drawn 1 (Lazio 2-2 Udinese, 2003/04 Serie A).

Details:

2000/01 Serie A Fiorentina-Udinese 2-1 ----
2001/02 Serie A Fiorentina-Udinese ---- 2-1
2002/03 Serie A Lazio-Udinese 2-1 1-2
2003/04 Serie A Lazio-Udinese 2-2 2-1
2004/05 Serie A Inter-Udinese 3-1 1-1
2005/06 Serie A Inter-Udinese 3-1 1-0
2005/06 Coppa Italia Inter-Udinese 1-0 2-2
2006/07 Serie A Inter-Udinese ---- 0-0

Malesani v Inter

Alberto Malesani faces Inter for the 16th time in his coaching career, having collected 5 wins, 4 draws and 6 defeats from the previous 15 games.

Details:

1997/98 Serie A Fiorentina-Inter 1-1 2-3
1998/99 Serie A Parma-Inter 1-0 3-1
1998/99 Coppa Italia Parma-Inter 2-1 2-0
1999/00 Serie A Parma-Inter 1-1 1-5
1999/00 Serie a A playoff Parma-Inter 1-3 (pld in Verona)
2000/01 Coppa Italia Parma-Inter 6-1 0-0
2001/02 Serie A Verona-Inter 0-3 0-3
2003/04 Serie A Modena-Inter 1-1 0-2

Crespo, Cruz likely scorers against Udinese

Argentine pair Hernan Crespo and Julio Cruz have each scored more against Udinese than any other Italian club. Crespo, scorer of 172 goals in competitive games for Italian teams, has put 14 past the Bianconeri, while 6 of El Jardinero's 78 goals have come in matches against the side from Italy's Friuli region. Furthermore, Cruz counts Morgan De Sanctis as his favourite target, with 5 goals in games against the Udinese keeper. He has put the same number of goals past Gianluigi Buffon.

Adriano a hat-trick away from 100 Italian goals

Of his 97 goals in Italy, the Brazilian forward has scored 5 in games against Udinese goalkeeper De Sanctis. Adriano has also scored five against Buffon.

Inter unbeaten in 31 games

Inter are unbeaten in their last 31 competitive matches, with 26 victories (including 11 wins in a row - 7 wins in Serie A, 2 in Coppa Italia & 2 in Champions League from 25 October 2006 to 2 December 2006 - a club record under the administration of Moratti) and 5 draws since their last defeat, a 2-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on 27 September 2006.

No Serie A defeat since last April

Inter's last top-flight defeat was the 1-0 loss at Empoli on 30 April 2006. Since that date, the Nerazzurri have collected 21 wins and 5 draws from 26 Serie A games.

Inter on target in 17 consecutive games

Inter have scored in each of their last 17 games, netting a total of 42 goals. The Nerazzurri last went without scoring in the goalless away draw at Udinese, a Serie A match played on 22 October 2007.

Udinese and substitutions

Udinese have used fewer substitutions than all of their 2006/07 Serie A rivals after 24 matches, making just 56 out of a possible 72 changes.

Udinese: 1 clean sheet in 12 matches

Udinese's 1-0 home win over Messina on 21 January 2007 is the Bianconeri's only clean sheet in their last 12 games. The team from the northeastern Friuli region have conceded 20 goals in the other 11 matches.

Udinese's away form

The Bianconeri have kept just one clean sheet in their last 15 away matches (Parma 0-3 Udinese on 15 October 2006). Udinese have conceded in each of the other 14 league and cup trips, letting in a total of 25 goals.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(31) draws(11) defeats(10)
MILAN - Inter remain fourteen points clear of Roma at the top of the table despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Udinese in Wednesday's late game.

The Serie A Week 26 clash came alive after a low-key first half in which Inter went closest to scoring when Figo's free kick dipped dangerously to force a tipped save from De Sanctis.

The Nerazzurri fell behind two minutes after the interval when Christian Obodo controlled Natali's header from Di Natale's cross before beating Toldo with an overhead kick from close range.

Inter substitutes Crespo and Maxwell combined for the equalising goal on 66 minutes. The Brazilian shrugged off a challenge on the left before crossing in for the Argentine to head in his 12th goal of the season.

Figo and Zanetti then had shots blocked by De Sanctis, who pulled off a point-blank save from an Ibra header in added time as the Nerazzurri pushed hard in their search for an eighteenth consecutive league victory.

INTER 1-1 UDINESE (HT: 0-0)

Scorers: Obodo 47, Crespo 66

Inter: 1 Toldo, 13 Maicon, 2 Cordoba, 23 Materazzi, 16 Burdisso; 4 Zanetti, 21 Solari (6 Maxwell 61), 7 Figo, 11 Grosso (91 Mariano Gonzalez 85); 8 Ibrahimovic, 10 Adriano (18 Crespo 36).
Subs not used: 12 Julio Cesar, 25 Samuel, 15 Dacourt, 9 Cruz.
Coach: Roberto Mancini.

Udinese: 1 De Sanctis; 2 Zapata, 14 Natali, 6 Coda, 26 Motta (21 Zapotocny 75); 8 Pinzi, 5 Obodo, 11 Muntari, 20 Dossena; 18 Asamoah (4 D'Agostino 79), 10 Di Natale (86 Siqueira 69).
Subs not used: 70 Casazza, 82 Lukovic, 29 De Martino, 15 Tiboni
Coach: Alberto Malesani.

Referee: Marco Bergonzi (Genoa).

Booked: Crespo 49, Natali 58, De Sanctis 59, Burdisso 90+1.

starting lineups

Toldo 1 De Sanctis
Maicon 13 Natali
Cordoba 2 Zapata
Materazzi 23 Coda
Burdisso 16 Motta
Zanetti 4 Pinzi
Solari 21 Obodo
Figo 7 Muntari
Grosso 11 Dossena
Ibrahimovic 8 Asamoah
Adriano 10 Di Natale

substitutes

Julio Cesar 12 Casazza
Maxwell 6 Lukovic
Samuel 25 Zapotocny
Dacourt 15 De Martino
Gonzalez 91 Siqueira
Crespo 18 D'Agostino
Cruz 9 Tiboni