Final score

9 March 2012 20:45

ChievoVerona
0 - 2
Inter
45' (2nd half) Milito
42' (2nd half) Samuel
Referee: Paolo Mazzoleni / Linesmen: Bianchi, Barbirati / Fourth official: Russo
Watch highlights
Minute Text commentary
46' The first half of Chievo v Inter ends 0-0. Some good football on display but a missed penalty and the bar mean the sides are still level
45' Sneijder shoots from the edge of the area and Sammarco touches with his arm as he attempts to block. All ok for the referee
45' Mazzoleni awards a minute of added time
42' Pellissier protests with the referee, feeling he was fouled by Lucio
42' Chievo go close through Pellissier, who wins a tussle with Lucio and plays into the middle; no one is there to latch onto it
39' Maicon tries to pick out Stankovic, the Chievo rearguard concede the corner. Sneijder takes but doesn't put enough pace on it
34' Dramè crosses, Thereau knocks on and from a tight angle Luciano tries to toe-poke towards goal; the ball lands on the roof of the net
28' Sneijder collects a cross on the edge of the box and passes to Stankovic; the Serbian controls with his thigh and releases a dipping drive that flies over the bar
27' Maicon slides a pass in behind the defence for Zanetti but Andreolli manages to disturb him and the captain loses the ball
19' Forlan feeds Sneijder in a wide position on the edge of the box; the Dutchman tries to curl into the top corner but it comes off the bar
14' Milito steps up and fires his spot-kick straight down the middle. Sorrentino denies the Prince
13' Milito wins a corner. Sneijder takes it, Lucio gets a touch, Acerbi goes in arms flailing and touches with his hand. Penalty to Inter
3' Stankovic lets fly from range, his effort takes a deflection off Andreolli and Inter have a corner
2' Chievo have started aggressively: a cross into the box is knocked down by Luciano, Samuel nips in to put behind for a corner
1' Welcome to the Stadio Mercantonio in Verona for Chievo v Inter, the Nerazzurri's Week 27 game
1' Chievo take the kick-off and we're under way. FORZA INTER!!!
1' Zanetti starts in midfield with Stankovic and Poli. Sneijder is in the hole behind Forlan and Milito. Cambiasso on the bench
1' Ranieri has Maicon available again and the Brazilian slots back into the defence alongside Lucio, Samuel and Nagatomo
1' President Massimo Moratti has just arrived at the stadium
Minute Text commentary
47' There's the final whistle. Inter beat Chievo 0-2 thanks to late headed goals by Samuel and Milito. The Nerazzurri move up to 40 points
45' We'll have 2 minutes of injury time
45' 2-0 TO INTER!!! Zanetti knocks in a cross, Milito flies through the air and connects with a firm header, leaving Sorrentino with no chance
43' That's Samuel's 4th goal against Chievo - the team he has scored against most often in Italy
42' GOAL FOR INTER!!! Sneijder whips in a corner, Samuel towers above the crowd and nods back across goal, the ball nestling inside the far post
41' Sneijder's curling free kick is saved low by Sorrentino; the rebound falls to Cambiasso, who can't keep it down
40' Chievo coach Domenico Di Carlo is sent off for protesting
39' Ranieri makes another change as Poli is replaced by Cambiasso
39' Andreolli stops the ball with his hands while on the ground. Free kick for Inter in Sneijder territory
34' Thereau shows a burst of pace and pulls away from Poli before going down following a possible contact with the Inter midfielder. Chievo have a free kick in a dangerous position
34' Bradley strikes it well: his effort clears the wall but doesn't dip enough, going over Julio Cesar's crossbar
32' Di Carlo uses up his final substitute, bringing on Moscardelli in place of Pellissier
26' Chievo substitution: Luciano makes way for Hetemaj
26' First substitution for Inter: Pazzini comes on for Forlan
25' Nagatomo's foul on Pellissier gives Chievo free kick. Bradley takes but Mazzoleni blows for an infringement
16' Di Carlo makes his first change: Sammarco comes off and is replaced by Dainelli
12' Maicon nips in behind Bradley but Acerbi is there to make a crucial intervention, winning the ball with a sliding tackle as the Brazilian was bearing down on goal
10' Free kick for Inter: Sneijder tries to catch Sorrentino by surprise as he takes a short run-up and blasts goalwards. Just off target
7' Sneijder drifts inside from the left and dinks a ball across the face of goal, Poli sticks out a leg at the far post but can't quite connect
4' Chievo threaten as Pellissier and Sammarco link up: Julio Cesar makes the catch at the far post
1' The second half gets under way. No changes have been made at half-time
Zanetti
6.83
6.83
Stankovic
6.42
6.42
Cambiasso
6.07
6.07
Julio Cesar
6.74
6.74
Samuel
7.73
7.73
Maicon
5.61
5.61
Milito
6.93
6.93
Lucio
6.26
6.26
Sneijder
7.33
7.33
Pazzini
5.44
5.44
Nagatomo
5.74
5.74
Poli
7.51
7.51
Forlan
5.56
5.56
Average rating 6.48
1 shots on target 3
3 shots off target 7
15 fouls committed 11
2 corners 8
1 offsides 2
24:18 ball possession 30:42
Ranieri leads Di Carlo 5-1 in head to heads

This is the ninth time Claudio Ranieri and Mimmo Di Carlo have faced each other as coaches. The record currently stands at 5 wins for the Inter coach, 2 draws and 1 for the Chievo coach. Ranieri's teams scored in all 8 of his previous meetings with Di Carlo: 15 goals in total.

No wins or clean sheets for Di Carlo against Inter

Di Carlo has taken on the Nerazzurri on seven previous occasions but has never won, losing 6 and drawing 2. Inter scored in all eight games, notching up 18 goals in total.

Ranieri v Chievo: current Inter coach ahead

Ranieri is facing ChievoVerona for the eighth time, having won 4, drawn 2 and lost 1 of the previous games.

Chievo one step away from their best unbeaten run this season

ChievoVerona are currently on a 3-match unbeaten run (2 wins and 1 draw), having last lost on 13 February - 1-0 away to Napoli. If the Veneto side avoid defeat today they will equal their best run of the season - 4 games without losing - which they managed between Week 4 and Week 7 (2 wins and 2 draws).

100th match with the Gialloblu for Di Carlo. From Ranieri... to Ranieri

This evening Mimmo Di Carlo will take his place in the Chievo dugout for the 100th time. His record stands at 33 wins, 26 draws and 40 defeats. Di Carlo's first period at Chievo was between November 2008 and June 2010. He began his second spell at the club last July. His first match in charge was on 9 November 2008: ChievoVerona 0-2 Juventus, with a certain Claudio Ranieri at the helm of the Bianconeri.

Goals from the bench

ChievoVerona are one of four teams in the 2011/12 Serie A season - along with Bologna, AC Milan and Novara - with the most goals scored from substitutes: 6. Chievo's 6 have been scored by Moscardelli (3), Paloschi (2) and Sardo (1). Inter and Lazio both have 5 goals from players coming off the bench.

Happy birthday, Inter!

Inter celebrate their 104th birthday today: the club was founded on 9 March 1908.

Samuel's goals against Chievo

Walter Adrian Samuel has scored more goals in competitive fixtures against Chievo than against any other team since he arrived Italy: 3 of his 23 total goals.

Inter goalless on the road for 486 minutes

The last time Inter scored away from home in a competitive fixture was on 15 January, when they beat AC Milan 0-1 in Serie A; Milito netted the only goal in the 54th minute. Since then, in the remaining 36 minutes of that match, the 2-0 Coppa Italia defeat at Napoli, the league games lost away to Lecce and Roma (1-0 and 4-0 respectively), the 1-0 defeat in Marseille in the Champions League and the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Napoli, Inter have clocked up 486 minutes without scoring on the road.

No wins for Inter in 9 games; no points on the road since the derby; no clean sheets in 11

Inter haven't won a match since 22 January, when they beat Lazio 2-1 at the San Siro in the league. Since then there have been 7 defeats (2-0 away to Napoli in Coppa Italia, 1-0 and 4-0 away to Lecce and Roma in the league, 0-1 and 0-3 at home to Novara and Bologna, also in the league, 1-0 away to Marseille in the Champions League, 1-0 at Napoli in Serie A) and 2 draws (4-4 and 2-2, both at home, against Palermo and Catania in Serie A). Inter have lost all 5 of their last away games, against Napoli (1-0 in the Coppa Italia), Lecce (1-0 in the league), Roma (4-0 in the league), Olympique Marseille (1-0 in the Champions League) and Napoli again (1-0 in serie A). The last time the Nerazzurri avoided defeat away from home was on 15 January, when they beat AC Milan 0-1 (Serie A). The Nerazzurri have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 11 competitive fixtures - 21 in total. Their last clean sheet was in the 0-1 win against AC Milan on 15 January.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(9) draws(4) defeats(4)

VERONA - Inter faced Chievo Verona at the Stadio Bentegodi this evening in Week 27 of the 2011/12 Serie A season. The Nerazzurri had several chances to take the lead in the first half (Milito saw his penalty saved and Sneijder's curled effort skimmed the bar) but couldn't make the breakthrough. They kept at it after the restart but their efforts were thwarted until the 87th minute, when Samuel rose to connect with Sneijder's corner and head home. Two minutes later Zanetti's cross was met by Milito in the air to put the match to bed. Inter are back on the winning trail.

FIRST HALF – Chievo took the kick-off and started the match with the bit between their teeth, earning the first corner after 2 minutes. Inter cleared it and from the subsequent attack Stankovic had a dig from a decent position, his shot deflecting off Andreolli. Minutes later the Serbian tried his luck again: another deflection, this time with the ball ending up in the keeper's arms. A penalty was awarded to Inter for Acerbi's handball in the 14th minute following a Sneijder corner. Milito stepped up and struck it powerfully but down the middle and Sorrentino kept it out. Inter went close again in the 19th minute as Sneijder collected a ball from Forlan and curled a delightful effort onto the top of the bar with Sorrentino well beaten. The Nerazzurri continued to press and they carved out another chance on 27 minutes when Maicon played a slide-rule pass for Zanetti to run onto; however, the captain was stopped in his tracks by a well-timed challenge from Andreolli. A minute later another chance fell to Stankovic, the midfielder controlling with his thigh before fizzing a shot just over the bar. The Serbian had two more chances in quick succession in the 40th minute: first a header and then with a scissor kick, both efforts repelled by the Gialloblù's defence. A minute later Chievo showed they were still in the game as Pellissier worked his way into the box and got his shot away, only to be denied by a combination of Lucio and Julio Cesar. Pellissier then claimed he was pushed by the Brazilian defender. On the stroke of half-time Inter might have had another penalty as Sneijder's shot was charged down at close range by Sammarco with the use of his arm, but the referee chose to let play continue. After a minute of added time, the first half ended goalless.

SECOND HALF – There were no changes during the interval. The first opening after the restart was created by Sneijder, who cut inside from the left and dinked a cross to the far post where Poli was a whisker away from connecting at full stretch. In the 55th minute the Dutchman produced a thunderous free kick from some distance that blazed not more than half a yard away from the top corner of Sorrentino's goal. Two minutes later Maicon burst past a couple of opponents and powered his way into the box but, as he prepared to pull the trigger, Acerbi slid in to make a crucial tackle. On the hour mark Di Carlo made his first change of the game, hauling off Sammarco and replacing him with Dainelli. Two more substitutions followed in the 71st minute – Pazzini for Forlan and Hetemaj for Luciano – then Di Carlo played his final card 5 minutes later, bringing on Moscardelli in place of Pellissier. Bradley curled a dangerous free kick just over in the 79th minute before Cambiasso came on with 6 minutes left on the clock, Poli making way. The Argentine almost made an immediate impact. Inter were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box and – after Chievo coach Di Carlo was sent off for protesting – Sneijder curled a fantastic shot over the wall only to see Sorrentino to keep it out with a low dive; Cambiasso was the first to the rebound but couldn't keep his effort down. With time running out Inter finally got the goal their performance deserved in the 87th minute: Sneijder whipped in a corner and Walter Samuel climbed high above everyone else to head back across goal beyond the keeper's reach and into the bottom corner. The Nerazzurri doubled their lead just two minutes later as captain Zanetti drove down the right flank and sent over a great cross for Diego Milito to nod past Sorrentino. Two minutes of added time were played before the referee called an end to proceedings: Inter beat Chievo by two goals to nil, a result that takes them up to 40 points in the table.

Chievo 0-2 Inter (HT: 0-0)
Scorers: Samuel 87, Milito 90.

Chievo Verona: 54 Sorrentino; 21 Frey, 3 Andreolli, 15 Acerbi, 93 Dramé; 10 Luciano (56 Hetemaj 71), 16 Rigoni, 6 Bradley; 7 Sammarco (29 Dainelli 60), 77 Théréau; 31 Pellissier (9 Moscardelli 77).
Unused subs: 1 Puggioni, 12 Cesar, 8 Cruzado, 23 Paloschi.
Coach: Domenico Di Carlo.

Inter: 1 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 6 Lucio, 25 Samuel, 55 Nagatomo; 4 Zanetti, 5 Stankovic, 18 Poli (19 Cambiasso 84); 10 Sneijder, 9 Forlan (7 Pazzini 71), 22 Milito.
Unused subs: 12 Castellazzi, 20 Obi, 26 Chivu, 28 Zarate, 37 Faraoni.
Coach: Claudio Ranieri.

Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni (Bergamo).


starting lineups

Sorrentino 1 Julio Cesar
Frey 13 Maicon
Andreolli 6 Lucio
Acerbi 25 Samuel
Dramè 55 Nagatomo
Luciano 4 Zanetti
Rigoni 5 Stankovic
Bradley 18 Poli
Sammarco 10 Sneijder
Thereau 9 Forlan
Pellissier 22 Milito

substitutes

Puggioni 12 Castellazzi
Cesar 7 Pazzini
Cruzado 19 Cambiasso
Hetemaj 20 Obi
Moscardelli 26 Chivu
Paloschi 28 Zarate
Dainelli 37 Faraoni