Saturday February 9, 2013 Day 24 Stadio Is Arenas

Countdown: -98 Days

  1. Italian Serie A - Balotelli saves Milan in Cagliari

    Italian Serie A - Balotelli saves Milan in Cagliari

    Mario Balotelli saved AC Milan from a first defeat against Cagliari in 15 years as they drew 1-1 at the Stadio Is Arenas. More

  • Live Commentary

    • 90'+5 That's it! All over, and once again it's Balotelli who steals the headlines. The draw does Milan little good in the race for Champions League football, but they were lucky to get a point over the course of the match.
    • 90'+4 Another great chance for Balotelli as he heads a rebound goalwards - but he was in an offside position.
    • 90'+3 Balotelli bicycle kick goal disallowed! Amazing strike from the former Man City man as he latches on to Robinho's pass back and volleys home. But the ball had gone off the pitch first!
    • 90'+1 Half chance for Balotelli as the ball comes into the box, but he's offside.
    • 90' Four extra minutes to play...
    • 89' SO CLOSE FOR BALOTELLI! The striker latches on to Mexes's flick-on header from a corner and nods goalwards from seven yards - but Agazzit manages to grab the ball.
    • 88' Nice Milan move ends in a corner won by Boateng...
    • 87' Milan still pushing - they're desperate for a winner.
    • 85' Credit to the Milan bench - they've made a big difference in these final stages after the original line-up were out of ideas. Boateng in particular has looked superb.
    • 84' Milan pushing forward now, trying to turn their one-man advantage into a winner.
    • 83' Worse for Cagliari is that the high ball that Balotelli was waiting for was the ball dropping down after Agazzi made a fine save from Bojan at close range.
    • 82' IT'S IN! Balotelli scores from the spot to record his third AC Milan goal in two matches. Cagliari will be furious at themselves for blowing this.
    • 81' Astori is sent off for a second yellow for that silly foul - no need at all to do it.
    • 81' PENALTY! FOUL ON BALOTELLI! Astori pulls Balotelli down while he's waiting for a high ball to fall down into the box! Balotelli will take it...
    • 80' Robinho comes on now, Niang goes off.
    • 79' Cagliari hit on a break and Conti has a shot - fired wide low and left.
    • 78' AC Milan just keep on running into a wall of Cagliari defenders - no way through.
    • 76' Sau comes off, Pinilla comes on for Cagliari.
    • 75' Conti curls in the free kick - and Ekdal gets to it! Excellent header to the bottom left corner, but Abbiati makes a fine save.
    • 74' Free kick to Cagliari, 35 yds out...
    • 73' Cagliari now less than 20 minutes from a historic win...
    • 72' Boateng tries to put Muntari through, but it's overhit and off for a goal kick.
    • 71' Boateng furious with the ref that no corner was given.
    • 70' Half-chance for Boateng as he breaks up from midfield on the right and shoots to the bottom left corner - pushed away from goal by Agazzi, but ref awards a goal kick.
    • 69' Ariaudo comes on for Murru for Cagliari.
    • 68' Niang puts in a cross from out on the left where he is now playing - but it's woefully overhit, straight off the pitch. Milan very short of inspiration.
    • 67' A sixth yellow card! It's Astori who is booked for a sliding challenge from behind on Balotelli.
    • 66' Bojan comes on to replace Ambrosini - Massimiliano Allegri still trying to change things.
    • 65' Niang curls the free kick in and finds Zapata, just - but almost the entire Milan team is offside.
    • 64' Balotelli goes down under a shirt tug and wins another free kick - once again 25 yards out and just to the right. Niang will take this time.
    • 64' Ambrosini in the book for taking down Cossu.
    • 63' Sau almost pounces on a missed pass by De Sciglio, but Mexes is there to save his blushes.
    • 62' Odd choice for Milan to remove their top goalscorer of the season, but El Shaarawy has been very quiet today - all the Milan threat has come from Niang and Balotelli.
    • 61' It's Kevin-Prince Boateng who comes on, Stephan El Shaarawy makes way for him.
    • 60' Muntari attempts the most half-hearted bicycle kick of all time as the ball bounces up to him in the box - it bobbles feebly away.
    • 59' Milan preparing to make a few changes too - stage seems set for Boateng or Robinho to try and shake things up a bit.
    • 58' Milan come up the right again and Abate crosses, wildly overhit and off the other side of the pitch for a throw.
    • 57' Beautiful build-up play from Milan, but Niang over-runs the ball after getting past two men and gives away a goal kick.
    • 56' Cagliari to make the first change: Ribeiro comes off, Cossu will replace him.
    • 55' Mexes take the ball off the pitch right in front of the goal-line official, but bafflingly he rules that it's not a corner and allows play on. Honestly, what is the point when the extra men in black make errors like that?
    • 53' Cagliari again having the best chances in this half - Conti went in the book, incidentally, for the foul on Balotelli which gave up that last free kick.
    • 52' Milan come straight back up and win another free kick, 25yds out, just on the right... Balotelli lines it up and.... puts it straight in the wall.
    • 51' Terrific chance for Cagliari on the counter - Sau just overruns Ibarbo's pass with the Milan defence nowhere, but he gets it back to Conti to shoot unopposed. It's an astonishing strike that would have been unstoppable had it not been just inches over the bar.
    • 50' El Shaarawy forces a throw out on the right by pressuring Agazzi, but as the ball gets whipped in the keeper collects safely.
    • 49' Cagliari counter and Sau gets into the box, trying a backheel out to Ribeiro that finds only Zapata.
    • 48' Fine strike from Balotelli, curled round the one-man wall very low - it dips and bounces, but Agazzi just about manages to hang on to it.
    • 48' Lengthy delay as Niang is treated, but the free kick is to be taken now by Balotelli, 28yds out and slightly to the right....
    • 47' Early free kick for Milan as Murru takes out Niang with a high boot to the stomach - awful foul and a yellow card.
    • 46' We're back in action at Stadio Is Arenas - can Cagliari pull of a first win against Milan since 1998?
    • 45'+1 The goal is almost the last touch of the half - it's been a quiet 45 minutes, with AC Milan dominating possesion but Cagliari having the better chances.
    • 45' GOAL FOR CAGLIARI! The hosts win a free kick 28 yards out, but rather than shoot Conti flips the ball over the wall to where Ibarbo is waiting - and he back-headers it straight past Abbiati into the far left corner!
    • 44' Mexes puts in a late challenge and goes in the book.
    • 42' Zapata's clearance gives up another corner - it's cleared out to Ekdal, who has a crack that goes well over from 30 yards.
    • 41' Cagliari win a corner - cleared by Zapata.
    • 40' Ibarbo has a shot that's blocked on the edge of the box.
    • 37' Niang goes in the book for a bad foul.
    • 34' Ekdal rises to head the corner at the far post, but can't get it on target - it's off for a goal kick.
    • 33' Cagliari win a corner as Abate clears under pressure from Ribeiro.
    • 32' Balotelli half-scuffs it - it's through the wall and on target at least, but an easy stop for Agazzi.
    • 31' Chance for Milan, free kick 30yds out - Balotelli to take...
    • 30' Lovely run by Niang up the right, controlling a long ball and striking a low cross into the box - but there's nobody there except Agazzi.
    • 29' El Shaarawy latches onto a diagonal ball into the box and tries to turn and shoot, but Pisano is there to stop him.
    • 27' Ibarbo claims a foul just outside the box by Abate, but gets only a corner out of it.
    • 26' Ribeiro almost through for a one-on-one against Abbiati, but Mexes covers across to make a terrific saving tackle.
    • 25' Balotelli tries and fails to get onto a short pass from Ambrosini in the box.
    • 24' Niang tries to beat Astori in the right corner, wins only a throw.
    • 23' Balotelli puts in a massive shoulder barge on Dessena, flooring the Cagliari man. Lucky not to get booked.
    • 21' GREAT CHANCE! Cagliari almost open the scoring as Sau puts Ibarbo in clear into the box - he's one-on-one with Abbiati, but can't keep it down. Big miss from the striker, who has yet to score this season in Serie A.
    • 20' Abate finds Niang in the box, who tries to spin and shoot - his party trick flops as Conti steps in to boot it clear.
    • 19' Milan only marginally shading it so far, despite 62 per cent of possession.
    • 18' Milan win a corner, but defender Rossettini is first to the ball and he heads clear.
    • 17' Balotelli has a claim for a free kick on the right edge of the box as he goes down while tangling with Astori. No foul given - Balotelli started the pushing.
    • 16' Balotelli comes up in support of Niang and crosses for Muntari, but Astori gets in first to clear.
    • 15' Lovely work by Niang, beating two men - one with a backheel - to find some space.
    • 14' Balotelli has barely touched the ball so far.
    • 13' First clear chance of the match falls for Cagliari, with Ibarbo picking up the ball just outside the box and ghosting past Zapata and Mexes with a brilliant shimmy - but Abbiati is off his line and clears before Ibarbo can shoot.
    • 12' Milan's patient build-up is thwarted by one missed pass by Flamini - and Cagliari jump upfield, with Sau having a crack from over 30 yards. Hit hard, but not on target.
    • 11' Agazzi gets to the corner and punches clear - Milan back on the ball.
    • 10' Finally space opens for Ambrosini, who shoots from 30 yards - struck well, but rising and Agazzi in the Cagliari goal palms it over for a corner.
    • 9' Nice build-up play from Milan as they keep it well, probing fior a gap.
    • 8' Nice Cagliari move as Sau puts Ribeiro into space just outside the box - he's bundled over from behind by Ambrosini, but the ref just gestures Ribeiro to get to his feet.
    • 7' Ambrosini hastily apologises to Conti to talk himself out of a booking after a trip from behind.
    • 6' Cagliari's Sau makes a run up the right to get on the end of a long ball - he controls well at first but then lets it run out of play before he can cross.
    • 5' The corner is overhit, sailing over Balotelli's head and off for a goal kick.
    • 4' Victor Ibarbo makes a run into the Milan box, but Zapata steps in to dispossess him with ease.
    • 3' Very low-key start to the match, both sides happy to knock it around and try and hang on to the ball in midfield so far.
    • 2' Cagliari are unbeaten in their last four matches, but they've not beaten AC Milan for nearly 15 years: October 1998 was their last win.
    • 1' The match kicks off, with Milan in their all-white second strip and Cagliari playing in red and black.
    • 13:55 After Napoli and Lazio drew 1-1 last night in a thrilling match that could have gone either way, Milan know that victory today would bring them up to within a point of third place: they are currently fourth on 40, Lazio are on 44 and second-placed Napoli are on 50. Cagliari, meanwhile, really need a win for breathing space.
    • 13:50 As you can see from the line-ups, Balotelli starts up front once again for Milan - and after his match-winning two-goal haul in his opening game for the club last week, there will be huge expectations on him.
    • 13:46 TEAMS: Cagliari - M. Agazzi, F. Pisano, D. Astori, L. Rossettini, N. Murru, D. Conti, D. Dessena, A. Ekdal, T. Ribeiro, M. Sau, V. Ibarbo. //// AC Milan - C. Abbiati, I. Abate, C. Zapata, P. Mexès, M. De Sciglio, M. Ambrosini, M. Flamini, S. Muntari, M. Niang, S. El Shaarawy, M. Balotelli.
    • 13:45 Good afternoon, and welcome to our LIVE coverage of this Serie A clash, which sees Mario Balotelli play for Milan for only the second time.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Cagliari

    Manager: Ivo Pulga

  • AC Milan

    Manager: Massimiliano Allegri

Cagliari’s last 5 results

View all Cagliari results »

AC Milan’s last 5 results

View all AC Milan results »

Related links

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  1. this is like a long running comedy with milan always­ getting bailed out with the late penalty when behind.­ welcome home balotelli we'll keep pointing to the­ spot for you.

    From Morty, on Sun 10 Feb 15:43

  2. Forza Milan!! Forza Rossoneri!!

    From Mboy, on Sun 3 Feb 22:38
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