Boateng bags three in Milan comeback
Reuters - Sunday 23 October 2011, 21:21
Kevin-Prince Boateng scored a
hat-trick within 18 minutes of coming on as a half-time
substitute as AC Milan recovered from being 3-0 behind to win
4-3 at Lecce in an astonishing Serie A match on Sunday.
Mario Yepes's 82nd-minute header completed the fightback for
the defending champions who trailed to goals from Uruguayans
Guillermo Giacomazzi and Carlos Grossmuller and a Massimo Oddo
penalty after a shambolic first-half display.
Argentine Erik Lamela, 19, scored seven minutes into his
Serie A debut in AS Roma's 1-0 win over Palermo.
Inter Milan won for the only the second time in seven Serie
A outings this season when a Thiago Motta header gave them a far
from convincing 1-0 win over Chievo.
Udinese, unbeaten after seven games, lead with 15 points
while Lazio are second, one point behind, after a 2-0 win at
Bologna in the late match thanks to an own goal from Robert
Acquafresca and a Senad Lulic strike.
Juventus, also unbeaten after being held 2-2 by Genoa on
Saturday, dropped to third with 13 and Cagliari are fourth with
12 after a goalless draw at home to Napoli.
Napoli, Roma and Milan are level on 11 points.
TOO SLOW
"I'm happy because Milan are finally where we deserve to
be," Boateng, whose side started the weekend a modest 13th, told
Sky Sport Italia.
"This isn't a reply to my critics because I look to the
future and not to the past."
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri added: "A comeback win like
this is very important. We got ourselves into a bit of a mess
and we did little in the first half, we were too slow, although
I had faith we could fight back. I'm happy for Boateng."
Giacomazzi headed Lecce in front after four minutes and
former Milan defender Oddo converted a harshly-awarded penalty
on the half hour following a foul by Christian Abbiati on
Daniele Corvia.
On a bumpy pitch, a mistake by Mark van Bommel set up
another Lecce counter-attack seven minutes later which
Grossmuller finished off by slotting the ball past Abbiati.
The game changed completely when the ineffective Robinho was
replaced by the heavily-tattooed Boateng at half-time.
The Ghana international fired in from close range within
four minutes and scored with an exquisite first-time strike from
25 metres following Antonio Cassano's pass six minutes later.
He levelled with an opportunist goal in the 63rd minute when
a rebound from Ignazio Abate's shot landed at his feet, although
Yepes was clearly offside at time.
Antonio Nocerino hit the bar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic just
failed to turn in a Cassano pass for Milan before Cassano's
delicate cross was headed in by Yepes with eight minutes left.
Inter dominated the first half against Chievo at the San
Siro with midfielder Wesley Sneijder looking his old self and
went ahead when Thiago Motta rose above the defence to score
with a powerful header in the 34th minute.
Maicon hit the post for Inter in the second half but they
were never entirely comfortable and Bostjan Cesar nearly
equalised with a header which Julio Cesar grabbed just under the
crossbar.
Claudio Ranieri's side have seven points in 16th.