AC Milan held amid controversy against Napoli

New Delhi: The Rossoneri managed to record a scoreless draw against Napoli at the San Paolo stadium, despite going a goal down in the first half that was incorrectly ruled out for offside.

Pre-Match And Team News

With AC Milan all but out of the running for the Scudetto this season, this particular contest against Napoli may have been seen as one of little significance, as the eventual result would not alter their position in the standings. Having said this though, with Genoa and Fiorentina both claiming victories earlier in the day, three points were essential for the Rossoneri to ensure that they maintained a healthy buffer over their nearest rivals for third place.

The visitors had to do it without a number of long term casualties, as well as Massimo Ambrosini who missed the match through suspension. Thankfully for their sake though, Kaka managed to recover in time, however he and his Brazilian compatriot Ronaldinho both started on the bench.

Meanwhile, the Partenopei had little to play for in this clash, due to their mid table placing, which would suggest that their hopes of qualifying for Europe next season are no longer existent. They too were missing a number of players, including Gennaro Iezzo, Cristian Maggio and Walter Gargano, whilst Salvatore Aronica was out suspended.

First Half

Milan got the play underway in this match, and despite both sides taking an extremely attacking approach, neither could get a shot away in the early stages. Napoli, who were winless in their past ten league outings, looked the stronger in the opening minutes, and consequently managed to have the first attempt on goal, through Mannini, who attempted to chip Dida from outside the area after seven minutes of play.

From this point though, the Rossoneri began to settle down and control the match, as the likes of Pirlo, Beckham and Seedorf began to get on top through the midfield for them. The Partenopei began to look extremely hesitant when moving forward, and as a result they commenced playing with several numbers behind the ball to ensure that their opposing attackers would not make the most of their increasing amount of attacking opportunities.

Down the other end, the home side just could not find their rhythm; however Mannini did manage to produce a moment of brilliance yet again, to give his side an opportunity to break the deadlock. After successfully dispossessing Zambrotta in the middle of the park, the midfielder made his way to the edge of the area where he tested his luck yet again, only to see his shot sail inches wide of the bottom right corner.

Despite their dominance of possession and control of the play, Milan were unable to test Navarro in goal for Napoli, and they were yet to do so after 30 minutes of play. The keeper was called in to action for the first time at this point however; as he made a quick judgment to come from his line to punch clear a Beckham cross. Moments later, the Argentinean keeper did well to stand firm and push a fierce drive from Seedorf away and out for a corner kick.

The home side had recorded a mere 33% possession of the ball with just ten minutes remaining in the first half. In spite of this though, they certainly had created the better opportunities to this point, and they were at it yet again through Lavezzi, who arguably had the best opportunity of the match at this point. The talented South American was involved in some impressive link up play with Pazienza, before he decided to test Dida from the edge of the area with the outside of his boot, only to see the Brazilian push it just over the bar.

Moments following this, Napoli managed to take the lead through Hamsik, who tapped in the ball from close range. The flag was raised for offside however, and therefore the goal did not count. Replays of the disallowed goal indicated that Hamsik was in an on-side position when Zalayeta knocked the ball to him with his head, meaning that the goal should have stood, and that Milan should have been a goal down despite their dominance.

The Azzurri began to get themselves back into the match in the latter stages, however it was too little too late for them, as time had run out in the opening period. The sides ended the half deadlocked at 0-0, a result that certainly was unexpected due to the attacking nature of the contest to that point.

Second Half

The home side kicked the second half off however it was the visitors who picked up where they left off from in the first 45 minutes, as they quickly reclaimed possession of the ball, and began to once again dictate the play. Grava was easily dispossessed of the ball on 48 minutes, which led to Seedorf surging forward with real purpose, only to see his delicate chip easily held by Navarro in goal.

Carlo Ancelotti made the first change of the night after 57 minutes, when Kaka returned from injury to replace Seedorf in attack for the Rossoneri. The second came five minutes later, when another Brazilian superstar in Ronaldinho was introduced in place of Inzaghi, meaning that the dominant Ka-Pa-Ro trident was back in action once again.

Despite the strength of the visiting line-up, it was Napoli that should have scored moments following the Ronaldinho substitution, as Zalayeta squandered a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock. A delightful move and then chip into the area by Hamsik, resulted in Zalayeta finding himself on-side, unmarked and with a massive opportunity to open the scoring in the match. His decision to attempt a volley from close range was the wrong one however, as the ball struck his shin, and incredibly sailed wide of the target.

The Brazilian substitutes began to involve themselves in the play from this point, as Kaka found himself in a great position to do some damage from close range. Pirlo’s inch perfect pass found the substitute; however the angle was too acute for the Milan man, as he won a corner for his side. The home side immediately responded by launching an impressive counterattack, one that almost ended in a goal to Zalayeta, after he had two chances to beat Dida, due to the keeper fumbling his first effort.

Time was running out as the play entered the final ten minutes; however one just got the feeling that a scoreless result would suit both sides well. Lavezzi continued to make some improvements late on, however as had been the case for the large majority of the contest, his passing and shooting was off, and as a result, Napoli failed to construct anything worth noting from his hard work.

The match heated up as the final minute drew closer, as both sides continued to struggle to break down each other’s respective defences. Two minutes of stoppage time were indicated by the fourth official, as Beckham had a last ditch effort for the Rossoneri from a free kick, however Navarro was up to the challenge and consequently that’s how it ended on the night.

The result means that Milan fall further behind the second placed Juventus, however they do have a comfortable four point buffer over Genoa in fourth. Meanwhile, Napoli will consider themselves desperately unlucky not to have scored through Hamsik in the first half, as their winless run extends to an incredible 11 matches, as a result of yet another drawn match.

TEAMS

Napoli (3-5-2): Navarro; Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini; Grava, Pazienza, Blasi, Hamsik, Mannini; Lavezzi, Zalayeta (Bogliacino, 92')

Milan (4-3-1-2): Dida; Zambrotta, Maldini, Favalli (Senderos, 72'), Jankulovski; Beckham, Pirlo, Flamini; Seedorf (Kaka, 57'); Pato, Inzaghi (Ronaldinho, 63')

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