Champions League Roundup: Bayern Drubs Arsenal. Barca Fall

Didier Drogba returned to Champions League Play with Galatasaray (Getty Images)

The second week of knockout action in the UEFA Champions League action certainly provided some interesting results, though not a lot of it along with the pundits' scripts.  Out of the eight teams that played, probably only one really punched their ticket to the next round, but there definitely could be some surprises in store in the second legs.

The action kicked off on Tuesday with Arsenal hosting last year's finalists Bayern Munich at the Emirates in London.  The Gunners were reeling after the weekend saw them drop out of the FA Cup with a home loss to Blackburn.  Sadly for Arsenal supporters, things didn't improve on Tuesday as Bayern were up two goals within 25 minutes courtesy of Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller.

Arsenal did manage to survive until halftime without conceding again, and a stroke of luck awarded them a comeback goal in the second half.  The referee wrongly awarded a corner kick to the Gunners after Santi Cazorla's shot defected off of his own man.  Bayern 'keeper Manuel Neuer totally flubbed on the corner, missing the ball completely.  Arsenal man Lucas Podolski was in the right place at the right time to nod the ball into goal to give Arsenal hope on on 55 minutes, but Matrio Mandzukic struck in minute 77 to ice the match 1-3 to Bayern.  It's tough to see the Gunners going to Germany and making up the deficit, but as Chelsea fans will tell you, stranger things have happened.  However,  I do believe at this point that Bayern are as good as through.

Tuesday's other match took place in Portugal as FC Porto hosted La Liga's Malaga.  Much of the punditry, especially on Fox, gave Malaga the advantage in this one, despite Porto's excellent record at home in Europe.  Malaga have been decent in La Liga this year, but far from world beaters, and to me, they're a bit over-rated. 

Porto controlled the possession 63%-37%, but the match offered few clear chances for either side.  Finally Porto broke through in the second half though.  Portugal international Joao Moutinho took a pass from Alex Sandro, who positioned him well between the final Malaga defender and goalkeeper. From there it was only for Moutinho to side foot the ball into the net to give Porto the 1-0 win.  The hosts would probably have preferred to see a bigger advantage for all their possession, but Malaga will be disappointed not to come away with the away goal.

The shocker of the week came Wednesday at San Siro in Milan as AC Milan hosted Barcelona, who have looked to be a juggernaut in most of their competitions this year.  Barca seemed to sputter a little more than usual against Milan, albeit on an obviously choppy pitch.  Kevin-Prince Boateng put the home side up early in the second half, but in controversial fashion.  Riccardo Montolivo took a shot the quite clearly deflected off the arm of Milan's Christian Zapata, but there was no whistle.  The ball fell to Boateng, who managed to slot past Victor Valdes to give Milan the 1-0 lead on 56 minutes.  Gerard "Mr. Shakira" Pique was booked for dissent after the goal.

There wasn't controversy in the 81st minute though as Sulley Muntari beat Valdes with an excellent finish to make it 2-0 on full time.  The organized Italian side contained Messi for most of the match and their lead is well deserved, despite the obvious talking point.   Certainly Barca are more than capable of making up the ground at Camp Nou, but it might be a bit tougher without the away goal.  Don't bury them yet though.

The final game of the week took place in Turkey as a revitalized Galatasary squad hosted Schalke 04.  With former UCL champions Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba now in the fold, the Turkish side looked to be in good shape for a deep run in the knockout stages.  They even took the lead only 12 minutes in when Burak Yilmaz.  Yilmaz wowed the crowd by flicking the ball over a Schalke defender then banging into the net to get to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

Schalke had some other things in mind though.  Right before halftime Jefferson Farfan set up  US International Jermaine Jones after Gala gave the ball away in midfield.  Jones took the pass and calmly beat Gala 'keeper Fernando Muslera to tie the score at 1-1.  It would be the last scoring of the day.  Schalke will be well pleased with the way goal.

There is some controversy surrounding this result as well as Schalke have officially challenged the match with UEFA.  The concern is over Drogba's inclusion in the Galatasaray squad.  Drogba was given a temporary license with UEFA after the Ivorian striker contended that his contract with the Chinese club he joined was void after they failed to pay his wages for three months.  He then joined Galatasaray.  However, there is some dispute over this, and UEFA is investigating the legal status of the contract.  Schalke is contending that Drogba was ineligible to play pending the outcome of this investigation.  I doubt UEFA will do anything given the temporary license, but we'll see.  At any rate, the result is a positive one for the German club.

Mario Balotelli Heading to AC Milan

City's Mario Balotelli is headed to Milan to seal a transfer move (Bleacherreport.com)

So it looks like one of the more controversial, and shall we say "interesting" Premier League tenures is about to come to an end.  The rumor that Man City striker Mario Balotelli would head back home to Italy and sign for AC Milan has been circulating throughout the transfer window, and now it seems to be all but a done deal.

According to AC Milan's Umberto Gandini, Milan have agreed to terms and signed a transfer agreement with City.  All that is left to do is for Balotelli to pass a medical and sign on to personal terms, rumored to be a 4 and a half year deal with the Rossoneri.  Hopefully the move back to his home country will be a good thing for the firebrand striker, possibly reigniting the form he flashed at Euro 2012.

Balotelli's time with City was always highly watchable, if a bit unpredictable.  He made many off the field headlines in England including car accidents, strip club sightings, and outrageous hairdos to name a few.  On the pitch he was involved in several training dustups, including a recent confrontation with City manager Roberto Mancini that was caught on camera.  Memorably, he lifted his jersey after scoring a derby goal against United last year to reveal a shirt underneath that asked "Why Always Me?"  However his form has left much to be desired this year.  After crapping out against United in December, he found himself completely relegated to the bench, only making two substitute appearances in the last two months.

It is worth noting that Balotelli did land a couple of trophies with City, the 2011 FA Cup and the 2012 Premier League title among them.  Personally, I would have loved to have had him back at Inter, but best of luck to him in his return to the San Siro with Milan.  I hope he can straighten out some but still find a way to entertain like few can.

AC Milan Stumble Once More at Parma

Milan manager Massimo Allegri after his side gave up the equalizer (Getty Images)

If you like your football played in driving rain and puddles on your pitches, this was the match for you.  Parma hosted AC Milan in nearly monsoon like conditions yesterday in Serie A action.  The struggling giants were the first get on the board in the second half, but a defensive lapse gave the home side the chance they needed to salvage a needed point.

The conditions really were deplorable as the two sides kicked off and struggled to find their legs in the early minutes.  Neither side seemed like they were going to create a lot of clear cut chances, but the first of the match fell to Milan on 14 minutes as Kevin Prince Boateng sent in a low shot along the soaking surface.  It was a little tricky, but Parma 'keeper Antonio Mirante handled it well without giving up a rebound.

While Milan had the ball for the better part of the first half, Parma were able to create a couple of half chances or their own.  Their best looking chance of the half came on 26 minutes when an AC Milan defender was able to get in and block Carvalho Amauri's header.

Despite the conditions, Milan nearly took the lead right before halftime.  In the 42nd minute Bojan set up just outside of the box and drove a shot at Parma's goal.  Unfortunately for Milan, the shot just barely skimmed over the crossbar and the sides went to the break still level at 0-0.

The second half belonged to Milan though.  They came out absolutely on fire, led for the most part by Stephan El Shaarawy.   In the 50th minute the young midfielder took a pass from Bojan on the left side of the box and drove a shot past a diving Mirante to finally give Milan the 1-0 lead.

Milan continued to press their advantage as the rain started to lighten up in Parma.  Just two minutes after the goal Bojan sent a cross into the center of the box, where it met the head of Kevin Prince Boateng.  Despite the fact that he was totally unmarked, Boateng sent his header wide of the mark.  He would try his luck on 58 minutes but Mirante came up big and saved his effort on target.

Finally in the 66th minute Parma made Milan pay for failing to convert those chances.  The Rossoneri conceded a free kick right outside of their box and Daniele Galloppa stepped up to take for Parma.  He hit it low, and Milan's wall broke.  The ball slid into to the unguarded Milan post to tie the match at 1-1, which would be the score at full time.

The draw keeps both teams currently mired in midtable with Milan 11th on 7 points and Parma 14th on 6.  Milan will feel like they should have left Parma with all three points though, as the goal that they ended up conceding was from a dumb foul and totally avoidable.

UCL Quarters: Barcelona vs. AC Milan

Lionel Messi converts his first PK of the match. (Getty Images)

Coming into today's UCL quarterfinal match between Barcelona and AC Milan, the Italians seemed to be a trendy to pick to upset the defending European Champs.  It is true that Milan could have gone through had they duplicated their 2-2 effort at Barca in the group stage, but I for one wasn't buying it.

Part of Milan's success last week at the San Siro was because they could pretty much defend most of the space on that pitch.  That wasn't going to happen on the wide expanses of Camp Nou, and it was obvious from the early moments.  In the 3rd minute Andres Iniesta had Barca's first chance, but put it wide.  In the 7th minute Lionel Messi looked to have a golden chance right in front of net but inexplicably put his shot wide as well. 

Maybe the Italians could live a charmed life in this one, but probably not.

Milan's day turned to shambles early on in the 10th minute when Philippe Mexes mishandled the ball just inside his own half.  Messi grabbed it and dashed in on goal.  He centered back to a trailing Xavi, but he wasn't quite ready for it, and bobbled it around the six.  It looked like Milan were going to escape, but the ball fell back to Messi and Luca Antonini made a dumb slide tackle on the little genius to concede a PK.    On the actual spot kick, Milan 'keeper Christian Abbiati guessed right, but couldn't get down on Messi's shot quick enough and Barca took the 1-0 lead.

After the goal, you could just feel the stadium relax.  Barca kept the possession for the most part, and it really didn't seem like Milan had much for them.  However, all that changed in the 33rd minute.  The Spaniards' defense went to sleep and Ibrahimovic found Antonio Nocerino running into the area.  He slid him the ball and Nocerino let loose a shot that Victor Valdes took an unconvincing swipe at before it went into the back of the net to make it 1-1.  That result would see Milan through on away goals.

Of course that would entail making sure Barca didn't score again, and that fable didn't last long.  Barca earned another PK in the 40th minute.  This one was a bit more controversial.  While setting up for a Barcelona corner, Alessandro Nesta got a couple of fistfuls of Sergio Busquets jersey.  Puyol set a pick on him and as they fought around it, Busquets went to the floor rather theatrically, drawing the penalty.  Now, it probably was a foul, but you could probably call this type of foul on 85% of corner kick in routines in pro soccer.  I'm sure Italian defenders defend corners like this every week.  Busquets flailed his arms before going down like the proverbial ton of bricks, making sure the referee saw it, and called it.  I'm sorry, it probably was a foul, but it was almost surely a premeditated dive by Busquets, and it's exactly that kind of play that makes people turn off soccer matches.  At any rate, Messi scored his second PK of the day and sent Barca to the half leading 2-1.

Milan never really got it going in the second half, and Barca put it away rather early.  In the 53rd minute, Messi let loose a shot that was blocked but the ball fell to Iniesta, who slapped it just inside the far post to make it 3-1 to Barca and kill the game off.  It also made neutrals like myself feel a little bit better about the impending result after the stench of the soft PK.

Milan never really threatened the Barca net for the rest of the match, and the Spaniards held on for the 3-1 win.  Now, I don't mean to imply that the second penalty was the reason Barca won.  I'm sure they would have won anyway.  I also don't want to imply that Barcelona didn't deserve to go through.  Of course they did, they were obviously the better team over two legs.  It's just unfortunate that a team as good as they are has to have something like a Busquets dive mar a pretty good performance.  You don't see Lionel Messi pulling that stuff.

As for Barcelona, they await the winner of Chelsea vs. Benfica in the Champions League semifinals.

UCL: AC Milan vs. Arsenal

Different Reactions, Arsenal and Milan....(AP Images)

Well if you thought Leverkusen played poorly in Tuesday's marquee Champions League match, Arsenal was downright pathetic on Wednesday. Honestly, can we drop them and bring back City, United, or somebody who at least cares? Arsenal fans have said it all year, "We're finally turning it around, Arsene Wenger is going to get it done." I have an even harder time believing that after this match. Dispatching a bottom table EPL opponent is one thing, playing the defending Serie A champs in the Champions League is something else entirely.

The Gunners took some possession in the opening minutes and probed hesitantly for a gap in the Milan defense. However all they got was a horribly wide shot from Tomas Rosicky and the ball pretty much went to Milan for the rest of half.

AC Milan did suffer a blow early on though, as captain Clarence Seedorf went down with an injury in the 10th minute. He tried to continue, but was replaced by Urby Emanuelson in the 12th minute. Emanuelson took Milan's first great crack at goal a minute later but shot wide. He really should have done better.

It was not to be the last chance for Milan though. In the 15th minute Milan got the ball into Kevin Prince Boateng after a horrible clearance. Boateng unleashed an absolutely SICK volley into the net to make it 1-0 to the Milanese. The attack didn't end there either. Antonio Nocerino poked quite a few holes in the Arsenal back line, and even hit the top of the crossbar in the 21st. Robinho rounded out the first half scoring by taking a cross from Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 38th minute and heading in a goal to make to it 2-0 to Milan at the half.

Surely Arsenal would get better in the second half, right? They put in Thierry Henry, in his last match before rejoining his MLS club. He was pretty much useless. Not that he played poorly, but they couldn't get the ball to him or Robin Van Persie for that matter.

Milan made things even tougher for the Gunners in the 49th minute. With Milan prowling around the edge of his own 18, Thomas Vermaelen slipped and fell, opening up a chance for Robinho, who took advantage and blasted home his second goal to make it 3-0. Then in the 78th minute Johan Djourou stupidly wrestled Ibra down in the 18 to concede a PK. The big Swede calmly nailed the spot kick to make the final humiliating score 4-0 to Milan.

Can anybody out there see Arsenal getting 4 on the Milan defense back in London? I think not. I'll take the Italian champs to be moving on.

Ibrahimovic Gets 3 Game Ban

Bad news came down the pipe yesterday for AC Milan as they head into a difficult stretch in their schedule. Forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been banned for three Serie A matches following an incident in the Milan match against Napoli last weekend.

In the 69th minute of the match, Ibra slapped Napoli defender Salvatore Aronica's face. He was sent off. Milan manager Massimilliano Allegri was also ejected in the 89th minute. He was not banned, but given a warning and a fine.

The suspension could cost Milan dearly. He will miss matches at Udinese (3rd place), at Cesena, and vs Juventus, the Serie A leaders. Milan is set to appeal the ban.

Ibra was banned twice by the Italian league last year, including once for punching a defender in the stomach.

Italian Match Thoughts: Genoa vs. AC Milan

This particular match up has a history of some bad behavior by fans and players alike. Unfortunately, that reared it's head again in this one, causing a delay in proceedings. Luckily we were treated to a couple of goals and another impressive performance from the defending champions.

Nocerino proved to be a thorn in the side of Genoa from the early going, breaking into their 18 a few times in the opening minutes. In the 12h minute, he had a shot that was just saved, and Genoa looked like they had no answers for the AC Milan midfielder.

About the 16th minute, a cloud descended over the match. Literally. At first it appeared that a smoke bomb had been set off in the stands. However, fans started to vacate the area and cover their faces. The cloud descended onto the pitch and several players had to cover their faces from what appeared to be tear gas. The ref stopped the game for about 10 minutes, until the air could be cleared and the players could be attended to.

Even after the restart, Genoa had a tough time getting things going. Their best chance of the first half came in the 34th minute. Miguel Veloso sent a free kick in at the AC Milan goal, only to have Marco Amelia tip it over the bar. The two teams went to the half time break still tied at 0-0.

Milan took control of the match in the second half. Kakha Kaladze picked up two yellows for Genoa within 7 minutes in the second half to get sent off. The second was a conceded PK in the 54th. Zlatan Ibrahimovic nailed home the PK to make it 0-1.

Genoa really couldn't muster much over the remainder of the match, especially being down to ten men. Nocerino reared his pesky head again in the 80th minute, knocking in a cross from Kevin Prince-Boateng to make 0-2, which was the full time result.

If I'm honest with you, it wasn't Milan's best performance. However, Genoa just appeared to be toothless in attack all night. In the end, the defending Serie A champs did enough to pick up a vital 3 points on the road, keeping up the pressure on Juventus.

Italian Match Thoughts: Juventus vs. AC Milan

While the traditional Derby d'italia is Juve vs Inter. The Juve vs. Milan matchup is always one of the biggest matches of the Serie A season as well. This one had special meaning as the grand Old Lady of Italian football was hosting the champs for the first time in their new stadium in Torino. Juventus wanted a win.

Unfortunately though, there wasn't a lot to talk about, especially in the first half. It was like AC Milan didn't even really show up. To be fair, they played a Champions League match mid week, and Juve only has Serie A to worry about, but still, Juve dominated. However, they couldn't hit the broadside of barn and Milan somehow stumbled into half time still tied at 0-0.

In the second half, it was clear AC Milan were playing for a point. Juve almost got on the board in the 47th minute though as Bonucci chested one at goal from close range that Abbiati just managed to save. At the other end of the pitch, Milan got their only real chance of the night in the 51st minute. Cassano took a ball in and got a close range shot on goal, but Buffon got out of his easy chair and saved it to preserve the 0-0 score.

It all came apart for Milan in the closing minutes. In the 87th minute, Marchisio managed to just dribble a shot past Abbiati to make it 1-0. Then two minutes later, Prince Boateng got sent off for picking up a second yellow. Juventus took advantage deep into stoppage time as Marchisio nutmegged a flabergasted Abbiati to make the final score 2-0.

I think it's safe to say that after this weekend, both Milan teams need to wake up, or it's going to be a long season.

Italian Match Thoughts: Napoli vs. AC Milan

Well not much has gone according to script at the start of this new Serie A season. This is particularly true if you're a supporter of one of the Milan clubs. I don't know that many people would have predicted that both Inter and AC Milan would be stuck on just one point after two weeks of play. That, however, is where we find ourselves. It must be said though that AC Milan have had the tougher of the two schedules so far.

To end this week's action in Serie A, AC Milan took it's show on the road to San Paolo to take on Napoli. Napoli has been on the rise the last couple of seasons in Serie A, and find themselves sharing the Champions League spotlight with Milan and Inter. This promised to be a very interesting match.

Unfortuately, the first 10 minutes of the match were anything but interesting. Both teams seemed to come out hesitant, and it was like they didn't know what to make of each other. For Milan, they were also without the services of Ztlan Ibrahimovic, which didn't help matters. Milan did get off the ground first though. In the 12th minute, Cassano sent a ball into the box that was brilliantly headed in by Alberto Aquilani. The bullet header put Milan up 0-1.

Napoli didn't wait long at all to respond though. Milan's lead only lasted about two minutes. In the 14th Edinson Cavani volleyed home a free kick from Maggio to equalize the match at 1-1. Cavani was not finished either. In the 36th minute Walter Gargano slipped all by his lonesome into midfield space and sent it in to Cavani, who promptly drilled it into the net to give Napoli the 2-1 lead. That was the score at the intermission.

Napoli put the match out of reach in the second half, again through the foot of Cavani. The Uruguayan completed his hat trick in the 52nd minute. He jumped on a failed Milan clearance and blasted it into the net to make it 3-1.

After that, Napoli just killed the match. They deliberately did everything they could to unsettle the Champions and slow down the game. It worked. Cavani got one more chance with about 5 minutes to go, but Abbiati turned it away. The 3-1 score was the final and leaves Napoli top of the table on goal difference.

UCL: Barcelona vs. AC Milan.

Well, talk about opening the new season of the UEFA Champions League with a marquee match up. Defending Serie A Champions AC Milan paid a visit to the Nou Camp to take on defending La Liga AND European Champions Barcelona. This is the one that everyone wanted to see.

It did not take long for the sparks to fly on the pitch either. Just 25 seconds into the match, Alexandre Pato took a nice through ball and cleanly beat Valdes to spot the ball in the back of the net and give Milan a shock 0-1 lead.

Barca was clearly stunned, and it took them a few minutes to recover and establish their usual passing and possession game. They did though. It just took a bit longer. Of course, Lionel Messi was at the heart of the Barca show, and he was creating and shooting. Generally the little genius was doing everything he could to equalize. It worked in the 36th minute. Messi slipped through the AC Milan defense, which had been playing well, and slipped it across the goal to Pedro who knocked it in to tie the match at 1-1.

Coming out into the second half, Barcelona continued to dominate proceedings. It looked like just a matter of time until they took the lead. David Villa scored on a marvelous free kick in the 50th minute to make it 2-1 Barca.

However, just when you thought it was all over, AC Milan threw a wrench into the Barca opener. They earned a corner at 90'+2 and Thiago Silva headed it in to equalize at 2-2, which was the full time result.

Obviously the result was huge for Milan. Nobody expected them to come out with a point, despite the early goal from Pato. However, they exposed Barca's central defense twice, both on Pato's goal and Silva's header at the end. It just goes to show you that Barca CAN be scored on, if you can get the ball away from them.

Italian Match Thoughts: AC Milan vs. Lazio

After a players' strike eliminated week of the Italian Serie A, things finally got off the ground this weekend in fairly spectacular fashion all over Italy. The first match took place on Friday at the San Siro in Milan between the reigning champions AC Milan and Roman club Lazio.

Honestly, just looking at the result it might be hard to believe that was an Italian game. Both sides started with a bang, and all the goals came in the opening 32 minutes, but it was a great match to watch all the way around.

Lazio especially got started off on the front foot. Their new summer signing, the German International Klose opened the scoring for the 2011-2012 Serie A season in the 12 minute, banging a shot past Abbiati to give Lazio the 0-1 league. The Milan defense looked to be somewhat in disarray. In the 18th minute, Nesta and Gattuso collide right outside the area and created an open shot for Cisse, but Abbiati managed to save it and keep it 0-1. There was a rebound but Klose put the shot wide.

However, Lazio did manage to double their lead in the 21st minute. Cisse came through and headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 0-2. Up until this point, it looked like Lazio was the home side and defending champs.

Milan was not to be outdone. Prince Boateng had been the most post potent offensive plaver for Milan and started to get some shots on goal. Then in the 29th Ibrahimovic took a nice pass from Cassano and banged it into the empty net to make it 1-2. Then just 4 minutes later Cassano made his presence known again, this time heading in a corner kick to equalize at 2-2, which was the score at half time.

The second half was mostly Milan, but neither they nor Lazio could manage to break the draw and the match finished at 2-2. it was obvious that the two sides were a little spent after the fantastic display in the first half. The match ended with the 2-2 score. All in all it was a great way to start the new Serie A season.

Congrats to AC Milan.

As much as it pains me to say it, congratulations are in order for AC Milan. Milan clinched the Serie A title yesterday after a 0-0 draw with Roma. For the first time in six years, the scudetto will pass from Inter.

There's no begrudging the title to Milan though. They're a quality side and had a great season. The two derby wins against Inter were both key, and the hole Rafa Benitez put Inter in proved too deep to climb out of.


This is the 18th scudetto for AC Milan.

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Match Thoughts: Fiorentina vs. AC Milan

Last week AC Milan destroyed Inter in the Milan derby to regain their confidence. This week, they looked to build on their momentum with an away match to Fiorentina. The Rossoneri hadn't lost at Fiorentina in six years, and last year took the same fixture by winning 2-1. Milan was also bolstered by the return of Ibrahimovic to their lineup after a three match ban.

All in the all the match was very entertaining and both clubs produced a wide open game and a couple of chances in the first 5-7 minutes. During this time, Seedorf smashed a shot on target, forcing the Fiorentina keeper to save, and it was a preview of things to come.

In the 8th minute, Seedorf struck again. He engaged in some brilliant 1-2 passing with Ibra, which resulted in Seedorf hammering a shot into the top corner of the net to give Milan a 1 goal lead. The Rossoneri weren't done though.

Fiorentina put their best stretch of the match together from about the 18th to the 24th minute, and saw about 5 minutes straight possession in the Milan defensive third. In the 24th, they had a free kick in a promising position not too far outside of the 18, but they tried a training ground type play that backfired badly and wasted the chance.

The rest of the first half was all Milan, as they put on a clinic up front, tearing the Fiorentina defense to shreds. They got several nice balls in and a few shots on goal. Finally in the 41st, they got a string of good passes from Ibra to Boateng to Pato, which resulted in Pato tapping in Milan's second goal and sending them to the half up by two.

Fiorentina tried something different in the second half, bringing in Babacar off the bench. He did succeed in sparking them a bit, but he squandered a chance in the 47th minute when he refused a pass on a counter and selfishly smacked his shot off target.

In the following minutes, Ibrahimovic had a few chances to finish off the match, but was consistently off target. Despite Milan controlling the match for the first hour plus, the Viola were starting to wake up.

In minute 73, Seedorf and Comotto went down in the Milan penalty area. Fiorentina screamed for a penalty, but the ref wouldn't have it. On replay, it looked like Comotto actually was the one who hauled Seedorf down by the arm, but still, the Viola felt hard done by. They did strike finally in the 79th minute as Vargas scored off of a rebound given up by Abiatti.

The final ten minutes weren't really as exciting as you might think. However, in the 87th minute, Ibrahimovic said something that was apparently way out of line to the 4th official, and was shown a straight red card. Despite winning the match 2-1, Milan will have to wait and see how many matches Ibra will miss now, and whether that haunts their run for the Scudetto.