Bari Boy

Antonio Cassano - denies his hometown club a historic win

AC Milan 1 Bari 1

AC Milan can beat anyone. They sure can. But they can also lose to anyone. Bari almost proved that. A typical top versus bottom tie, Milan welcomed Bari for what everyone expected to be a very one sided affair at the San Siro. What people got instead was a frail Milan side that to huff and puff for a draw.

Many believe Milan are atop the table by merit. I would say its due to the lack of the same from other top clubs in the league. The undeniable experience of this side coupled with the inconsistencies of their opponents has kept Milan's flag waving ahead of the rest. The most fearfully talented strike force in the sub-continent couldn't hammer home a win against the worst defense in the league. Such is the beauty of the Serie A which is often mistaken for low parity. Zlatan Ibrahimovic unleashes the monster within in these type of games and we got to see that. A goal of his was ruled out for off-side, he bullied his counterparts with his size and strength and got into the right positions, stretching the defense. Unfortunately, he left his leash at home. Hitting out at Marco Rossi was unnecessary, which eventually earned him a two match ban. So we did see the monster, yes. But perhaps more than what we asked for.

Milan's men of honor were Abate and Gattuso, as usual. These two have owned the right side of the pitch against most opponents and have demonstrated terrific form. Abate is quickly becoming Europe's best right back and Gattuso is regaining some of that terrier form that had gone missing in recent years. It wouldn't be far fetched to assume that he might be Milan's best midfielder this season. Robinho failed to deliver as the trequartista, again. He works hard, very hard. But that's about it. His passes in the final third were atrocious and the less said about his finishing the better it is. Milan held the possession for most of the game. A mind boggling 72%! While at it, they shot 24 times. Bari simply held on. But the man they introduced to the beautiful game some 12 years ago, denied them a historic win. Pivotal to Milan's attack after his introduction, Cassano played his heart out. He took his goal with aplomb giving Milan a glimmer of hope.

He couldn't win the game for us but he did his bit in saving Milan from utter humiliation. People have continued to believe that teams such as Napoli, with due respect to them, have a chance of lifting the Scudetto in May. Though Napoli's performances have been nothing short of magical, it's results like these that keeps the title fight alive. The nuetrals aren't complaining. I can safely say the Milan fans are.

Bari - Gergely Rudolf 39'
Milan - Antonio Cassano 82'