AC Milan were held 1-1 at Sampdoria on Saturday as the Serie A leaders failed to prove they can prosper even when Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not score.
The Swede, who has netted decisive goals in their last four straight wins in all competitions, set up Robinho for the 43rd-minute opener, but they were otherwise slightly subdued.
Giampaolo Pazzini then equalized early in the second half, meaning second-placed SS Lazio can close the gap on Milan to a point if they win at home to Catania in this weekend’s round of matches.
Juventus missed the chance to move level with Lazio when their good recent form ended in a 1-1 home draw with Fiorentina.
Juve’s Simone Pepe netted seven minutes from time from a free-kick out wide that goalkeeper Artur Boruc misjudged.
Fiorentina had taken an early lead when a Juan Vargas shot deflected in off Marco Motta, but they were hanging on at the end following Felipe’s red card for a bad tackle on Milos Krasic.
A Fiorentina fan was taken to hospital as a precaution after a cherry bomb, ubiquitous in Serie A, landed in the away section.
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said the trip to Genoa could be his side’s toughest away game yet this term and he was right given the application Samp showed, although his decision to introduce the creative Ronaldinho only late on was curious.
The fact Ibrahimovic did not get a sniff at goal was the other major factor for the draw and their over-reliance on the former Inter man is partly why Allegri has called for a new striker in January after injuries to Filippo Inzaghi and Alexandre Pato.
The Swede still played a role, though, working a nice one-two with Robinho for the Brazilian to smash home.
“It was a good pass from Ibra ... and I finished if off well. We’ve played pretty good,” Robinho told Sky after his fourth Serie A goal since an August move from Manchester City.
The inconsistent forward, who kept compatriot Ronaldinho on the bench for the sixth game in a row, also went close with three efforts from distance, while Clarence Seedorf missed a great chance with 15 minutes to go.
Samp had already leveled by then when Pazzini, a hat-trick hero in last weekend’s win at Lecce, hooked in after Daniele Gastadello had headed a corner into his path.
Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati also made an excellent save from Samp substitute Nicola Pozzi’s header as the hosts again made light of Antonio Cassano’s absence, having suffered in front of goal immediately after his suspension last month.
Cassano has been dropped by Samp for verbally abusing the club president and an arbitration hearing on Friday will start deciding whether the Italy forward has breached his contract and is therefore a free agent.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
RSS