Milan defeat Genoa despite Robinho miss
Reuters - Friday 02 December 2011, 23:07
AC Milan shrugged off an
unbelievable Robinho miss, and an interruption caused when
teargas was thrown outside the ground, to record a 2-0 win at
Genoa that took them to the top of Serie A on Friday.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic won and converted a second-half penalty
and Antonio Nocerino side-footed the second while the hosts had
former Milan defender Kakha Kaladze sent off in the 54th minute.
In between the goals Robinho somehow contrived to scoop the
ball over the bar from two metres after a low cross by Alberto
Aquilani who was left thumping the ground in anger.
"Robinho also played an important part in the penalty,
football is like that," said Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri.
"We controlled the match after the first goal."
Ninth-placed Genoa's defeat adds to the pressure on Alberto
Malesani, the favourite to become the next Serie A coaching
victim.
Milan have 27 points from 13 games.
The game was halted for nine minutes in the first half after
the teargas incident left players, officials and fans coughing
and wiping their eyes.
Local media said police threw the teargas to stop scuffling
outside the stadium.
NOCERINO DENIED
Nocerino was twice denied early on, by a last-gasp Marco
Rossi tackle and then by goalkeeper Sebastien Frey.
Milan continued to dominate when play restarted following
the interruption, Kevin-Prince Boateng hitting the side netting,
Nocerino going close again and Frey parrying an Ibrahimovic
effort.
Genoa then came to life with Miguel Veloso's dipping free-kick tipped over by Marco Amelia and Giandomenico Mesto firing
across the face of the goal following sloppy Milan defending.
The visitors broke through in the 56th minute when
Ibrahimovic cleverly flicked the ball past Kaladze and was
scythed down by the Georgian who earned a second yellow card.
The Swede fired the resulting penalty into the roof of the
net.
Aquilani then won possession before turning and crossing for
Robinho who made his second remarkable miss in 10 days,
following another dreadful effort against Barcelona.
Nocerino made no mistake from a similar distance after
Boateng weaved his way to the byline and crossed to the
midfielder in the 79th minute.