A hat-trick from Ronaldinho guided AC Milan to a 4-0 home win over 10-man Siena on Sunday, moving Leonardo's side to within six points of Serie A league leader Inter Milan.
Ronaldinho converted a 12th minute penalty following a red card for Siena goalkeeper Gianluca Curci and Marco Borriello hit his seventh goal of the season before the Brazilian struck two more goals after the break to seal Milan's win.
"Ronaldinho scored a great goal, one of rare beauty," Leonardo said, referring to his fellow Brazilian's curling shot past Siena's substitute keeper Gianluca Pegolo from the edge of the area.
"But that's what he's like, a player who does fantastic things. It all comes down to him. If he is in the mood and determined, then he does things no one else in the world can."
Inter is top with 46 points following its 2-2 draw with Bari on Saturday. Milan is second on 40, but has a game in hand and meets Inter in the Milan derby next week.
"Now for the derby," Leonardo said. "It is an important game, but not decisive. Of course, the fact that the two teams are six points apart in the league gives it an extra edge."
AS Roma is third with 35 points after a 3-0 win at home to Genoa, Napoli moved up to fourth on 34 after 0-0 draw with Palermo, while Juventus lost 1-0 at mid-table Chievo Verona and slipped to fifth, one point further back.
Italy striker Luca Toni scored his first goals since joining Roma on loan from Bayern Munich after Simone Perrotta had opened the scoring in the 17th minute.
In the late match, Napoli missed the chance to move into third with its draw at home to Palermo. Napoli needed goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis to save a first half penalty from Fabio Miccoli to help secure the point.
At San Siro, Milan started brightly and came close to scoring in the third minute when Alessandro Nesta crossed from the right and Ronaldinho volleyed the ball narrowly over.
However, the Brazilian made no mistake from the penalty spot just nine minutes later.
Siena defender Brandao dithered with the ball in the area, Borriello stole it and rounded Curci who brought him down. After the referee sent off Curci, Ronaldinho beat substitute Pegolo from the spot.
Siena striker Massimo Maccarone missed a great chance to level in the 26th when he forced his way through the Milan defence, but fired over with only goalkeeper Dida to beat.
Borriello made Siena pay for the miss when he volleyed in Andrea Pirlo's cross two minutes later.
Milan continued to dominate after halftime, with Ronaldinho heading home a corner taken by David Beckham in the 72nd minute and then scoring his third a minute from time.
"Today we won and we had a great game because we prepared for every eventuality," Leonardo said. "We were conscious that Siena could cause us problems and we prepared every detail for this match.
Monday, January 18, 2010
3 Goals For Ronnie( AC Milan 4-0 Siena)
Posted by Rokku at 4:16 AM 12 comments
Monday, January 11, 2010
Juve 0-3 AC Milan ( As We Should Do To Man Utd)
AC Milan kept up the pressure on table-toppers and city rivals Inter Milan with a 3-0 win away to Juventus - a result which turns the heat firmly on home coach Ciro Ferrara.
Alessandro Nesta put Milan ahead in the 29th minute with Ronaldinho adding a second in the 72nd minute as Juve struggled to produce a performance that would ease the calls for Ferrara's head.
Another goal from Ronaldinho two minutes from time came amid protests from the home fans, who shrouded the field with smoke by burning any item possible, and sealed the win for Milan, who move within eight points of Inter with a game in hand.
Juve started well with Diego looking lively and taking the game to Milan.
He had the first opportunity in the 13th minute when he cut in from the left and curled a shot just wide of the far post.
Milan, who played with the same players and formation that had defeated Genoa 5-2 in midweek, were struggling to find the same rhythm with loanee David Beckham struggling to make an impact.
But the Rossoneri still went ahead with their first chance of the game in the 29th minute, Nesta taking advantage of a defensive mix-up to pounce onto an Alessandro Pirlo corner.
Christian Poulsen and Felipe Melo both failed to clear the corner at the near post and the ball filtered through to the former Italy defender, who had the simplest of tap-ins to open the scoring.
A lucky break at the other end gave Giorgio Chiellini the chance to level for the Bianconeri, but his shot at full stretch was collected at the second attempt by Milan goalkeeper Dida, who was in for a quiet night at the Stadio Olimpico.
Alexander Manninger was the busier of the two goalkeepers at the other end and he was forced into a full-stretch save to turn Thiago Silva's rasping 35-yard effort wide.
From the resulting corner from Beckham, Ronaldinho's header deflected off his compatriot Amauri to go over the crossbar.
Juve's greatest threat came from their central defender Chiellini, who again came close at full stretch just a minute into the second half.
There seemed to be a bit more urgency about Juve at the start of the second half, but just like in the first 45 minutes, they conceded when they were looking at their strongest.
Another Pirlo set-piece was the source of the danger and the slightest of flicks from Ronaldinho, which took a greater, unintended deflection of Zdenek Grygera, diverted the ball past Manninger and into the back of the Juve goal.
The goal prompted protests from the already irate Juve fans, whose patience with their team - and in particular their coach - reached boiling point.
Playing in a fog created by the home fans' burning of fireworks, as well as a few burning seats behind Manninger's goal, Ronaldinho's second and Milan's third goal almost went unnoticed.
It was Beckham who provided the cross to the Brazilian, who was given all the time in the world at the far post to stroke the ball home and complete another resounding win for the Rossoneri.
Posted by Rokku at 1:05 AM 5 comments
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Milan 3-0 Sampdoria (The Race To End Serie A Title Drought )
The Blucerchiati were staring defeat in the face from the get-go as Marco Borrielo put the ahead in the first minute of the match before Clarence Seedorf adding a second in the 21st minute.
Ronaldinho was in inspired form, creating the first two goals, and fellow Brazilian Alexandre Pato completed Milan's fifth straight win in the 23rd minute to pile the misery on the Luigi Del Neri's side.
The visitors have now lost three games in the last week following a 3-0 reverse in the Genoa derby last Saturday and their elimination from the Coppa Italia at the hands of Livorno in midweekMilan got off to a flying start when former Genoa striker Borriello nodded in the opener
Antonio Cassano's weak pass was cut out by Luca Antonini, who raced forwards before spreading the ball wide to Ronaldinho.
His cross was lifted right between Sampdoria's two central defenders where Borriello was on hand to head in from seven yards out.
Ronaldinho was at the heart of every Milan attack, and looked a threat every time he touched the ball.
It was the former Barcelona man's pass in the 21st minute which led to the second goal.
He threaded the ball between two Samp defenders and into the path of Seedorf, who provided an emphatic finish to leave Luca Castellazzi with no chance as the ball flashed past him.
It was the Dutchman's 50th goal in Serie A - and surely one of his best.
Two minutes later Pato's determination earned him his seventh goal of the season.
He latched onto a Borriello header and, although his first shot was saved by Castellazzi, the ball fell kindly for him to place a shot into the net to end Samp's hopes with only a quarter of the match gone.
Milan coach Leonardo allowed himself the luxury of withdrawing Ronaldinho 10 minutes before half-time as the Brazilian felt a slight muscle twinge.
Ignazio Abate was introduced as Leonardo preferred not to risk perhaps his most important player ahead of Tuesday's decisive Champions League game away to FC Zurich.But there appeared to be no respite for Samp.
Abate sent in a cross which provided Pato with the chance to make it four, but his shot hit the back of Daniele Gastaldello from eight yards.
Another Abate cross almost gave Borriello his second goal, but Gastaldello again intervened to take the ball off the Milan striker's head.
Samp tried to respond and Antonio Cassano's long cross found Reto Ziegler at the far post, but the Swiss midfielder's shot was blocked.
It was the only shot of note Samp had all match as Milan defended their lead with ease and without having to expend too much energy ahead of Tuesday's match.
Posted by Rokku at 1:46 AM 0 comments