Hunterlaar Hits 2

In a tense and largely tame encounter at the Stadio Massimino, only Ronaldinho really managed to perform at the kind of level Milan fans have become used to from their side in recent weeks.
Catania failed to muster even one shot on goal, but they still deserved a point which was cruelly taken from them in stoppage time by Huntelaar, who broke the home fans' hearts with two goals to take Milan to within seven points of league leaders Inter Milan.
With Juve losing at Cagliari earlier today, Milan knew that a win in Sicily would take them up to second in the table and make them the nearest challenger to Inter.
But tiredness in the legs after being made to run for the full 90 minutes of their Champions League tie with Marseille on Wednesday meant they were not quite as sharp as usual.
Apart from Ronaldinho.

The Brazilian has recently found his best form since joining the Rossoneri from Barcelona almost 18 months ago and he single-handedly led Milan's search for three points.
His new-found confidence was illustrated by a number of skilful tricks, but the problem was finding team mates who could keep up with him when it came to providing the killer ball.
Clarence Seedorf offered himself as often as possible, but he was always a step behind the Brazilian playmaker and was restricted to shooting from distance by a Catania defence who constructed a wall around their penalty area.
The Dutchman found the side-netting with his first shot while his second was a few feet over the crossbar.

The closest he and either side came was in the 77th minute with his 25-yard effort just inches over the crossbar.
Catania were unable to test Milan goalkeeper Dida, but he still had to be alert in the 15th minute when Jorge Martinez was just inches away from making contact with a low cross.
Nicolas Spolli wasted a good chance to trouble Dida when he chose to just help a long ball forward rather than taking it down when he had time to do so after beating the Milan offside trap in the 71st minute.

Ronaldinho was one of the few players on the field not to show any tired legs late on and he came within millimetres of giving Milan the lead with a corner which landed directly on the top of the crossbar.
And just as it seemed like both sides had settled for a point, Milan substitute Huntelaar volleyed in his first goal for the club from edge of the area, although Catania goalkeeper Mariano Andujar will have to explain how he let the ball squirm under his body.
The goal lifted a huge burden from the Dutchman's shoulders and he added his and Milan's second moments later, lobbing Andujar from just inside the area with a goal that Ronaldinho would have been proud of.

AC Milan 1--1 Marseille( Now The Real Milan Will Be Tested)

AC Milan dropped to second in Group C of the Champions League on Wednesday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Marseille at the San Siro.

Marco Borriello scored 10 minutes into the match for Milan, but his opener was canceled out six minutes later by Lucho Gonzalez.

Marseille then had two chances to win the match in the second half when Brandao struck the crossbar from close range, while Souleymane Diawara nodded the ball off the post with four minutes to play.

The result, combined with Real Madrid's 1-0 win over FC Zurich on Wednesday, leaves Milan two points back of the Spanish side, while Marseille is third, three points behind Real.

Milan nearly scored six minutes into the match when Gianluca Zambrotta was denied at close range by Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, but Mandanda was unable to keep out Borriello's effort four minutes later.

The Milan striker took a pass inside the box on the right, and after beating a defender, he drove the ball underneath the keeper from a tight angle.

It took Marseille six minutes to respond, however, as Mamadou Niang got to the end line and crossed the ball towards the front of goal. Milan goalkeeper Dida got his hand to the cross, but it ended up on the foot of Gonzalez, who smashed the ball into the empty net.

Mandanda needed to make a good save on Borriello midway through the opening half, while Pato chipped the keeper from the top of the box and the ball ended up on the roof of the net.

The home side controlled the early part of the second half, but they were fortunate not to fall behind in the 65th minute when Niang's cross was met in front of goal by Brandao, who somehow shot first-time off the crossbar from six yards.

A Marseille corner kick with four minutes to play nearly won the match for the French side as Diawara's header beat Dida but came back off the far post.

The Great Form Continues..Milan 4-3 Cagliari

Ronaldinho scored the game-winner on a penalty kick and AC Milan edged Cagliari, 4-3 on Sunday for its third straight win and fifth in its last six to climb to third in Italy's Serie A.
AC Milan won just two of its first seven league games this season, and dropped a Champions League match to Zurich in late September at the San Siro, but is unbeaten since in nine straight in all competitions.
Milan's run includes a 3-2 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League, and has the 17-time Italian champions within seven points of first-place Inter Milan.

AC Milan scored at least twice for the eighth time during its nine-game streak and Sunday's outburst was the first time the club has scored four goals this season.
Clarence Seedorf and Marco Borriello combined on the opener in the fifth, with Seedorf finishing from the center of the area to beat Cagliari goalie Federico Marchetti.
Alessandro Matri answered for Cagliari in the ninth, and Andrea Lazzari fired past Dida to hand the visitors the lead in the 30th before Milan scored three straight.

Pato helped set up Milan's third goal when he forced Marchetti to make a save, and Borriello was in the right place to head the rebound into the net in the 39th.
Pato found the net himself two minutes later, accepting a pass from Ronaldinho before shooting into the top corner.
Borriello drew a penalty in the 62nd that Ronaldinho converted to put AC Milan up two goals but Nene's 69th-minute goal for Cagliari left the result in doubt up to the final whistle.

It has been a fun of good result for Milan and great form showed by some of the players.Kaladze is totally ruin the chance given by Leo to him and put the most pathetic defending last night,with Nesta out injured it clearly show us how vulnerable we will be when the best in world isn't there to protect the defend.Thiago is looking nervous without Nesta guidance too and it also show how vital Nesta is to us.

With Ronnie,Pato and Boriello in superb form we manage to take this one in good attacking fashion.Dida is looking slightly shaky in the first with some unconvincing saves,but he redeem himself with a superb 2nd half.Something we should be focusing is Leo's act by introducing Strasser and Abate and refuse to slow down the pace of the match and intent to keep attacking and playing good football.Strasser come on to the surprise of us,Leo prove he is wiser in managing the youth players that we have by giving them a chance to at least show some of their ability.

A good run of great form by us and something we should continue come the Champions League Clash with Marseille in 2 days.Lets cheer forza Milan to them and hope for the great to not stopping till the end of season!!

Lazio 1-2 AC Milan

Thiago Silva put the Milan ahead in the 21st minute before Alexandre Pato extended his team's lead before the break.
Lazio reduced the arrears in the 64th minute when Silva deflected Mauro Zarate's strike into his own goal.
The hosts had chances to level the score but Milan held on to claim all three points.
The outcome means it is four wins in the last five league games for Leonardo's Milan while Lazio are still searching for their first triumph since August 30.
The hosts went into the game on the back of a 4-1 midweek humiliation at Villarreal in the Europa League.

Davide Ballardini's men enjoyed a good start and should have taken an early lead.
Roberto Baronio's pass found an unmarked Tommaso Rocchi inside the area and he fired wide.
Shortly after, Aleksandar Kolarov's left-footed strike forced Dida to make a good save.
At the other end, Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Muslera did well to keep out Massimo Oddo's strike from the edge of the area.
There was little Muslera could do to prevent the Rossoneri taking the lead as Silva latched onto a free-kick by Andrea Pirlo and nodded past Muslera.

The Rossoneri maintained the pressure and almost doubled their advantage soon after.
Pato did well to get behind Pirlo's cross from the right but his weak header proved an easy catch for Muslera.
The home side reacted and almost levelled the score on the half-hour mark when Zarate smashed in a powerful free-kick that Dida managed to palm over the bar.
Ten minutes before half-time and Pato made it 2-0.
Ronaldinho's cross found his fellow Brazilian inside the area and Pato's header went inside the top right-hand corner of the goal.

Dida made sure his team went into the break with a 2-0 lead, diving to his right to parry away Matuzalem's stinging drive from distance.
Ballardini made his first substitution after the re-start, with Julio Cruz replacing Stefano Mauri, but Milan's dominance continued in the second half.
Pirlo's curled free-kick went just over the bar.

Shortly after, Marco Borriello did well to control Pirlo's pass inside the area but was unable to fire on target.
On the hour mark, Massimo Ambrosini made a crucial clearance inside the area with Cruz ready to strike from close range.
Lazio reduced the deficit soon after, with Dida having no chance to save Zarate's deflected shot.

The goal inspired the hosts, who surged forward looking for an equaliser.
They were almost rewarded with 15 minutes remaining.
Meghni's cross from the left found Rocchi inside the area but his header went wide.
The visitors dominated the closing stages of the game.
Muslera made a great save to deny Flamini while the Lazio keeper was forced to fully stretch to clear Pato's bullet strike from the edge of the area in what was the last chance of the game.

Milan 1-1 Madrid

Karim Benzema gave Real the lead in the 29th minute, but Ronaldinho replied with a penalty ten minutes before the break.

Alexandre Pato had a goal controversially disallowed moments later before Dida denied Raul a late winner in a dramatic game at the San Siro.

Both coaches chose form over tradition with their team selections. Filippo Inzaghi, just one goal short of Gerd Muller's all-time record of 69 goals in European competition, was left on the Milan bench with Leonardo preferring Marco Borriello, who scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Parma at the weekend.

And Raul, who is just one goal behind Inzaghi on 67, was also benched as Real coach Manuel Pellegrini keeping his faith in Gonzalo Higuain, whose brace earned three points against Getafe.

Kaka was given a warm reception on his return to the San Siro but, after he inspired Real to a bright start, that applause soon turned to jeers.

Sergio Ramos and Benzema both sent shots inches wide of the post, with keeper Dida clearly beaten on both occasions. Milan threatened against the run of play when Clarence Seedorf sent Pato clear on Iker Casillas, but the Real goalkeeper kept his composure to save with his right hand.


Real then took a deserved lead in the 29th minute when Kaka skipped past Seedorf, who practically invited him to shoot. His effort took a slight deflection off Thiago Silva, which probably did enough to prevent Dida from holding onto the ball. It spilled into the path of Benzema, who shot into the far corner from a tight angle.

Milan responded and were gifted the chance to equalise when Gianluca Zambrotta's cross hit the arm of Pepe, just a yard away from him, inside the penalty area. Referee Felix Brych pointed to the penalty spot and Ronaldinho blasted the ball into the roof of the net.

The game was transformed and Milan looked to capitalise with Pato scoring what looked like a perfectly valid goal, but Brych saw something he did not like in the build-up and ruled it out.

There had been such a pace to the first half that the second 45 minutes simply could not carry on in the same manner, and so it was that the game lost its way slightly.

The best chance for Milan was squandered by Inzaghi - who, like Raul, was sent on as a final throw of the dice.

He was on the end of an inviting cross from Massimo Oddo in the 84th minute, but Pepe did just enough to unsettle the Milan striker, who lifted the ball over the crossbar from point-blank range. And Dida saved Milan in the 89th minute with a fine reflex save to turn Raul's shot behind for a corner when it looked like the Spaniards were going to steal victory.

Boriello Time To Shine!!

Marco Borriello netted both goals as AC Milan moved up to fourth in Serie A with victory over Parma at the San Siro.
Borriello was the Rossoneri's hero in a lacklustre clash between two sides who showed more tiredness than lucidity in their third game in six days.
Borriello opened the scoring in the 12th minute and added the winner in stoppage time to give Milan the best possible result in preparation for the visit of Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Milan perhaps had an eye on that clash but that did not tempt coach Leonardo into making any unnecessary changes to his team.
The in-form Ronaldinho kept his place in attack, where Borriello replaced Filippo Inzaghi with Luca Antonini in for the suspended Ignazio Abate.
Parma lined up with Paloschi, who is half-owned by Milan, leading their attack alongside Valeri Bojinov.


And Paloschi had the first chance of the game in the 10th minute with a fine dipping shot from 25 yards that needed a fingertip save from Dida to divert onto the crossbar.

Milan went ahead from their first attack of the game two minutes later, with Ronaldinho given the freedom to cover 50 yards before threading the ball, via a deflection, into the path of Borriello, who placed his shot between the legs of Antonio Mirante.

Parma still looked dangerous, with Bojinov forcing a fine save out of Dida to keep the Rossoneri ahead in the 23rd minute.
Pato should have doubled Milan's lead after half an hour but he lacked the conviction to reach Massimo Oddo's cross from eight yards out and his tame header went wide of the far post.

Daniele Galloppa should have done better at the other end when he was found himself free in the penalty area but his shot was weak and straight at Dida.
It seemed like nobody was really determined to score as Borriello allowed the next chance to go begging when he just stood pondering his options rather than shooting with only Mirante to beat after he was found by Ronaldinho.

Milan should have had a penalty in the 69th minute when Pato slipped the ball between two Parma defenders and was tripped by Francesco Lunardini as he tried to follow the ball through but the referee waved play on.
That decision almost proved costly for Milan, who saw Paloschi break through at the other end and volley just wide.

But Parma simply did not have the ideas or the strength to make a game of it in a tedious second half in which Milan looked to conserve energy for their midweek Champions League game and Parma showed they are not used to having to play three games in a week.

Thiago Silva almost wrapped up the win three minutes from time when he headed against the crossbar from point-blank range.
Borriello did seal the win in stoppage time with a scissor-kick goal from another Ronaldinho assist.