17 September 2006
 
PARMA 0-2

MILAN
   

Seedorf 25 fk
   

Kaka' 85 Pen
   

 
Seedorf gave Milan the lead with a monstrous free kick from about 30 yards.
Gilardino left the field on a stretcher after a clash of heads left him busted wide
open just above the temple. Against a better team Milan would have been punished
 for such an abject second half performance but Kaka' wrapped up the points from
 the penalty spot after De Lucia floored him when he ran in on goal.

Attendance : 19,746
Assists : Oliveira (won fk), Kaka' (won Pen)
 
 
ASCOLI 1-1

MESSINA
Perrulli 88  

Rigano 62
   

 
The problem with a 20 team league is that it increases the mediocrity in the lower half
 of the table and these two teams are certainly evidence of that. Rigano, who formed
 such a great partnership with Tavano at Empoli last season, towered above the Ascoli
 defence to head in Masiello's cross. A free kick slammed into Messina wall and Perrulli
 latched onto the ball to smash home the equaliser.

Attendance : 7,000
Assists : Masiello, n/a
 
 
CATANIA 0-0

ATALANTA
   

 
Attendance : 20,000
Assist : n/a
 
 
LAZIO 1-2

PALERMO
Rocchi 73  

Di Michele 11, 38
   

 
Simplicio, one of several astute signings made by Palermo over the summer,
 intercepted a pass as Lazio broke forward to attack and played it straight down the
 middle for Di Natale to race clear and lob over the exposed Peruzzi. Lazio poured
 forward and should have been level before Palermo hit them with a sucker punch
 from a corner. Corini sent Barzagli clear, with almost the entire Lazio outfield in the
 Palermo half, Barzagli threaded the ball between two players to Di Michele who ran
 on the outside of Zauri, at the same time drawing out Peruzzi, and beat him with
 an exquisite lob. Having made three outstanding saves Agliardi let a tame effort
 from Di Rocchi squirm under his body. Mauri should have given Lazio a deserved
 share of the points but missed an open goal.

Attendance : 16,000
Assists : Simplicio, Barzagli, Mauri
 
 
EMPOLI 1-1

CHIEVO
Vannucchi 61 fk  

Mandelli 15
 
Bruno's header, from a corner, proved too hot to handle for Empoli 'keeper Balli and
Mandelli knocked the rebound into the net via his knee. Luciano got a second yellow
 for going through the back of Almiron. It was largely one way traffic after that.
 Squizzi should have been the second Chievo player to have been sent off when he
 flew out of his box to chop down Pozzi but the ref bottled it and only gave a yellow.
 Justice was served from the resulting free kick when Squizzi dropped the ball into
 his own net then made a miracle save from Saudati minutes later.

Attendance : 3,500
Red Card : Luciano 18 (Chievo)
Assists : n/a, Pozzi (won fk)
 
 
LIVORNO 1-0

FIORENTINA
Lucarelli 58  

 
   

 
Attendance : 10,000
Red Card : Pasqual 83 (Fiorentina)
Assist : Passoni (ck)
 
 
SIENA 1-3

ROMA
Frick 86  

Taddei 46
   

Pizarro 70
   

Okaka 92
     
Manninger was having an excellent game in goal for Siena - until half time. He let in
 a weak as piss shot from Taddei who made the second by firing the ball across the
 face of goal and Pizarro poked it in at the back post. Frick gave Siena a glimmer of
 hope when he inadvertently deflected team-mate Locatelli's header into the net but
 another dreadful mistake by Manninger gifted the child Okaka Roma's third.
 Manninger had an absolute nightmare but was totally hung out to dry by a defence
 that ball watched the opposition dance around their box. I can't remember the last
 time I saw a defence play as poorly as this.

During the first half Chiesa slapped Panucci in the face, and to be fair who can blame
 him, so is looking at a trial by television suspension.

Attendance : 9,000
Red Card : Brevi 27 (Siena)
Assists : Perrotta, Taddei, Locatelli, Mancini
 
 
UDINESE 2-0

TORINO
Di Natale 25  

 
Felipe 65  

 
   

 
Abbiati, who was so impressive on loan for Torino's hated neighbours Juve at the start
 of last season, let an easy shot from Di Natale slip through his fingers to give Udinese
 the lead. Felipe made up for a terrible miss in the first half with a spectacular mid-air
 volley at the near post.

Attendance : 14,000
Assists : Asamoah, Di Natale
 
 
16 September 2006
 
REGGINA 2-1

CAGLIARI
Lucarelli 52  

Suazo 62 Pen
Bianchi 93  

 
   

 
Leon picked up the ball out on the left flank and destroyed his marker with a fantastic
 nutmeg before lofting the ball to the back post for Alessandro Lucarelli to head in.
 Suazo equalised with an absolute bullshit penalty awarded when Esposito did a diving
 swan act. Suazo should have given Cagliari the lead when put clean through but
 under pressure from Lucarelli he lost his balance and shot wide. Amoruso thundered
 a header against the underside of the crossbar before last week's hat-trick hero
 tapped in the winner after Chimenti made a stunning point blank save from Amoruso.

Attendance : 9,700
Assists : Leon, Esposito (won pen), n/a
 
 
INTER 1-1

SAMPDORIA
Bonanni 79 og  

Flachi 48 Pen
   

 
After making a hat-trick of World Class saves in the first half, Castelazzi started the
 second by launching a goal kick upfield, Flachi chased down the ball and Cordoba
 brought him down in the box to concede a penalty. Crespo and Figo spurned further
 chances before Vieira wrongly had a goal disallowed for offside. Inter's luck finally
 turned when Castelazzi flapped at a corner and the ball bounced off team-mate
 Bonanni into the back of the net.

Following on from their pathetic display in Europe on Tuesday looking at the result
 you could be forgiven for thinking this was a typical half arsed effort from the
 Nerazzurri and in some ways (Ibrahimovic's decision making) it was though they
 should have won comfortably.

Attendance : 45,194
Assists : Flachi (won pen), n/a
 
 
R Mehdi