Italian Serie A player ratings: Inter Milan 0 – AC Milan 1 (Part 1)
Inter Milan
Luca Castellazzi – 6
Castellazzi put in an assured display deputizing for injured Julio Cesar. The Veteran goalkeeper had no saves to make and he had no chance on Ibrahimovic’s penalty
Ivan Cordoba – 6.5
Cordoba was started ahead of Davide Santon at the right back position and kept his head high. Even though Cordoba was played out of position, he gave Santon plenty to think about. Moved into central defence following Materazzi’s injury and made a goal saving
block on Flamini towards the end.
Lucio – 7
The Colossal Brazilian had a decent game on the night. The Former Bayern Munich defender had an intriguing battle with Ibrahimovic but failed to truly impose himself on the Swede.
Marco Materazzi – 5
Materazzi’s days at this level are clearly past him. The Inter fan favourite conceded the penalty that sealed the game for AC Milan and was given a torrid time by Zlatan Ibrahimovic throughout the night. Inter looked more secure at the back when Materazzi
was taken off injured in 67th minute.
Cristian Chivu – 5
Chivu put in yet another poor shift in the left back position. The Romanian failed to contribute to the Nerazzuri attack in any sense and was unable to cope with Robinho as the Brazilian frequently went past him.
Javier Zanetti – 6
The legendary Argentine put in a steady, if not spectacular, shift on the night. Zanetti failed to provide the much needed inspiration as he was frequently required in the defence.
Nwankwo Obiora – 5
Obi failed to make an impact and was fairly anonymous for the 38 minutes he was on the pitch. Was replaced with Coutinho and the Brazilian was a huge improvement.
Dejan Stankovic – 6.5
The Serbian playmaker was far from his imposing best as he failed to stamp his authority in the middle of the park. Tried his best to level the scoring with some speculative long range efforts but failed.
Wesley Sneijder – 7
Nerazzuri number 10 is always a threat in the final third and it was no different last night. Sneijder was too much for the Milan midfield as he made the most of his quick feet but was unable to find the killer passes that have become his hallmark.
Diego Milito – 4
Just what has happened to Diego Milito is beyond comprehension. The all-conquering Milito from last season is too rare a sight as the Argentine spent the entire first half in Alessandro Nesta’s back pocket.
Samuel Eto’o – 6
The mercurial Cameroon International huffed and puffed all evening but to no avail. Eto’o frequently drifted towards the left to get the better of an inexperienced Abate but found life hard.
Substitutes:
Philippe Coutinho – 6
The youngster was thrown into the battle in the first half following Obi’s injury and Inter were clearly a better side with him on the pitch. Brought some much needed urgency and pace into a lacklustre Inter front line. However, much like his teammates,
Coutinho couldn’t make a decisive impact
Jonathan Biabiany – 5
Replaced an injured Materazzi in the 67th minute but was fairly anonymous during his stay.
Goran Pandev – 4.5
Apart from indulging in darker arts of football to get Abate his marching orders, the Macedonian International did little on the pitch. Pandev blatantly provoked Abate with a push that deserved a red card but he escaped with only a booking.
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