Ibra pushes AC Milan further clear
ROME - A touch of brilliance from Zlatan Ibrahimovic earned AC Milan a 1-0 win over Fiorentina on Saturday to lift it four points clear at the top of Serie A.
One week after he had sunk his former teammates at Inter Milan, Ibrahimovic once again proved the match-winner.
On 45 minutes, with his back to goal, the Swede juggled the ball and executed an acrobatic bicycle kick which totally flummoxed Fiorentina keeper Artur Boruc, the ball thudding into the top far corner.
Ibrahimovic then thumped his chest so hard in celebration he appeared to have injured his arm, but he duly emerged intact for the second half.
AC Milan thought it had won a penalty in the 23rd minute after Per Kroldrup collided with Mathieu Flamini in the box, but the referee turned down its appeals.
On the half-hour Boruc, standing in for long-term injury victim Sebastien Frey, two-fisted Clarence Seedorf's shot out of danger.
With coach Massimiliano Allegri fielding his three-pointed midfield formation of Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini and Flamini, Milan, the goal aside, never produced dream football but was nevertheless solid and good for the three points.
It maintained its dominance after the break, and should have doubled its lead when Alessandro Nesta failed to convert a free header from eight yards, holding out to move onto 29 points.
Earlier, a Jeremy Menez-inspired Roma beat Udinese 2-0 to move into provisional third place ahead of the remainder of the weekend's action.
Menez scored a superb solo goal in the 24th minute before setting up Marco Borriello for Roma's second in the 56th minute to wrap up the points for the capital club.
The France international's key interventions enabled Roma to notch up its fifth victory from its last seven games in the Italian top flight.
Roma's reward was to move up three places into third, on 22 points.
Agence France-Presse
(China Daily 11/22/2010 page11)
