2010 was a bad year for Italian football. I tried to think of the positives, but very few came to mind. A disastrous World Cup in South Africa, a bad showing in the Europa League, and only a Champions League victory (guided by a Portuguese mastermind) which retains some dignity for Italian football.

While 2010 was a poor year, it now allows all of Italian football to rebuild in 2011. Just looking at the Serie A, a much more competitive league has formed after an exciting summer of transfers. AC Milan have strengthened considerably with the super-signings of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Juventus are rebuilding properly under Luigi Delneri, who is creating a team which plays through the electrifying Milos Krasic. Inter Milan are in a rebuilding phase as well after the disappointment of Benitez’s failure, and now Leonardo trying to make a proper impact with a treble-winning side.

These changes along with a general strengthening of teams like Lazio, Napoli, Palermo, and even Roma all contribute to a much more exciting league.

No more 1-0 wins, ground out with counter-attacking football, now Italian sides seem to have realized that to win, you have to score goals. Juventus score plenty of goals while leaking at the back, Palermo play a fluid style with the humble Javier Pastore orchestrating the side, and AC Milan steamroll through teams with Ibrahimovic’s wrath accompanied by a dancing Robinho. No matter what anyone says, the Serie A has become exciting. AC Milan seem unstoppable, and if Leonardo manages to wake up a drowsy Inter team, we’ll have a proper battle for the scudetto on our hands.

With the Serie A becoming more exciting, we are also seeing this positive change reflected in the Italian national team. Cesare Prandelli is a shining symbol of hope for Italy fans, giving us all the chance to see Cassano back in the Azzurri shirt, along with Mario Balotelli and other exciting young players. The qualification for the European Championships of 2012 doesn’t look to be too difficult, and if Prandelli continues to breed these youngsters into the national team, there’s a chance that Italy will be a contender for the tournament held in Poland-Ukraine.

2011 is ultimately a year of hope for Italian football. A chance to forget about the UEFA co-efficient, the World Cup in South Africa, and a boring Inter Milan dominance in the Serie A. An exciting league has formed, and along with it a stronger national team is moulding itself under Cesare Prandelli’s venturing eyes. What do you hope for Italian football in 2011? Share your comments below!

With the Champions League and Europa League draws having taken place, the rest of the season is slowly drifting into a more predictable mush. There’s just one last weekend of Serie A action (this weekend), and then there’s a solid two weeks and a bit of break from the Serie A. I certainly find it refreshing, not only for the teams in the competition which will have time to replenish, but for myself as well.

The draw for the Round of 16 matches in the Champions League did not go too well for the Italian teams. Here are the three fixtures which the Serie A sides will be playing in the first round of the knockout stages.

Roma – Shakhtar Donetsk

AC Milan – Tottenham Hotspur

Inter Milan – Bayern Munich

It seems like Roma have the easiest opponent in Shakhtar Donetsk, but the Ukrainian side topped their Champions League group which included Arsenal. They managed to win all of their games in the group stages except one, which they lost away to Arsenal, so it seems like Roma will have a tough time with them.

AC Milan instead get the team which haunted Inter during the group stages, Tottenham Hotspur. The newcomers to this competition did wonderfully well in the group stages, finishing above Inter Milan in the group after some spectacular attacking play. This match looks to be extremely exciting along with it being very difficult to call. While in my mind AC Milan should be able to defeat Tottenham, which have been conceding tons of goals this season, there is a doubt that Allegri’s side falls short to the task.

Inter Milan – Bayern Munich is a strange match-up in my opinion. Both teams which won their domestic leagues and cups, and met each other in the Champions League final last season are now doing poorly in the Serie A and the Bundesliga. Inter Milan are seventh in the Serie A, and Bayern aren’t doing much better in sixth in the Bundesliga, but this clash still looks to be exciting in my opinion. Bayern Munich will undoubtedly want revenge for last season’s final, and they could knock Rafa Benitez’s slowly assembling team out of the competition. Whichever way this match goes, a big team won’t be progressing, and lets hope that it isn’t Inter which goes home from Europe early.

Among all this Champions League talk, I’ve almost forgotten about the horrible draw which Napoli got in the Europa League! Walter Mazzari’s side which barely managed to qualify for the Round of 32 of the Europa League were drawn with Spanish side Villareal. The Spaniards have been doing excellently this season in La Liga, and they’re in third behind – guess who? – Barcelona and Real Madrid. It’s certainly a tough challenge for Napoli, and they’ll truly need to be at their best if they want to progress to the Round of 16. With no other Italian sides left in the competition, lets hope that Napoli show that the Serie A still has much to offer in Europe by overcoming this big initial obstacle.

If you’re interested in seeing the complete Champions League and Europa League draws, you can click here. What are your thoughts regarding the Champions League and Europa League draws? Share your comments below!

It’s good to know that there will be three sides from the Serie A in the Champions League round of 16 representing Italy. While AC Milan and Inter Milan had already secured their qualification mathematically for the knockout stages of the tournament, there was still a doubt whether Roma would manage to get the needed result, and move on to the next round.

Good thing they managed to draw 1-1 away from home against CFR Cluj, it was a well-fought match by both sides. Borriello scored to put Roma ahead around 2o minutes into the match, but Cluj fans will be disappointed that Borriello was offside (classic Pippo Inzaghi, perfectly fooled the linesman), the Roma forward made a piercing run towards goal, and curled it around the Cluj keeper with his left foot.

Cluj reacted and created some chances, but it was Roma which truly threatened to score another couple of times. Menez probably should’ve been awarded a penalty for being obstructed as he was running towards goal, and Totti and Borriello had some good chances which they should’ve tucked away. Burdisso even hit the crossbar with an extremely precise header, but it seemed like the ball wouldn’t go into the net for a second time for the giallorossi. Cluj equalized in the dying minutes of the match, a header from Traore, who had been lively all match, got a resounding cheer from the home supporters, but they knew that they wouldn’t manage to qualify.

Although AC Milan were already qualified mathematically, that didn’t stop Allegri’s side from doing their best to give Serie A a bad reputation. The rossoneri lost 2-0 at the San Siro to an Ajax team which created most of the opportunities between the two sides. While Massimiliano Allegri started with a relatively weaker team than previous matches, with Ronaldinho, Bonera, Yepes, and Amelia all getting starts, the result was still disappointing. Amelia played well in goal, and the two goals he conceeded were due to some bad defending by the Milan backline, and an incredibly unstoppable top-corner strike by Alderweireld.

So where do the three Italian sides go from here? The potential opponents seem very difficult, especially because all three Italian sides finished runner-up in their groups. Can all three Italian sides progress past the round of 16? Am I being a bit too optimistic hoping that there will be two Italian teams in the semi-finals this season? A lot of wishful thinking, and very few solid performances from the Serie A sides in Europe…

Share your thoughts by commenting below!

Although Rafa Benitez’s Inter has qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League in the same position that Mourinho’s did a season ago, things look very different for the Spaniard. This is after their 3-0 loss away against Werder Bremen, and Benitez’s team played poorly. With this latest loss, Benitez has racked up seven defeats in all competitions, which is the amount of losses Jose Mourinho had all of last season. It’s normal that the president, Massimo Moratti, is getting fed up, yet it seems like Rafa has a chance to redeem himself with the FIFA World Club Cup. It’s truly Benitez’s last chance, and if he doesn’t manage to inspire the nerazzurri to a couple of wins in Abu Dhabi, Moratti will replace him promptly.

Benitez’s team selection was clearly influenced by the upcoming FIFA World Club Cup, with Nwankwo, Biraghi, Santon, Muntari all starting, and 38 year-old Orlandoni making his Champions League debut in goal. Benitez was further hampered when Marco Materazzi injured himself warming up for the match, so the Spaniard chose to put Esteban Cambiasso (who was due to rest this match) in the heart of the defence.

Although they had many new and young players, Inter didn’t play a bad first half. They managed to hit the woodwork twice with Pandev, yet they were suspect at the back, often giving a dangerous Bremen sides scoring chances. They conceded the first goal in the 39th minute, a Prodl header which sunk spirits before halftime.

In the second half Werder Bremen ran the show, and former Inter player, Marko Arnautovic, punished Inter with a great volley just five minutes in the second half. Inter were unable to create anything in the second half, and Pizarro sealed the match with a low diagonal strike, making it a humiliating 3-0 for last season’s champions.

What are your thoughts regarding this big loss for Inter? Can Rafa manage to drag himself out of these bad times, and start winning in Abu Dhabi? Share your comments below!

It’s the final group stages matchday of the Champions League, and Roma and Inter Milan need to win their midweek matches. After such a poor display from Italian sides in the Europa League, the Serie A needs to hold its head high and have three teams go into the knockout stages of Europe’s top competition. If Inter can manage to steal first place in their group from Tottenham, and Roma manage to qualify in their group, things will be looking slightly brighter for the Serie A, and the two clubs themselves.

Roma will be travelling to Romania for their match on Wednesday against CFR Cluj, and while at first it doesn’t look like a very difficult match, an upset could end Roma’s Champions League campaign early. After their fantastic 2-2 draw against Chievo (Chievo came back from two goals down, and then came close to scoring a winner after De Rossi was sent off in the final minutes), they play Cluj, and then the giallorossi will be hosting last-placed Bari next weekend. But two tough matches come right after playing Bari, first they’ll have to host Lazio in the Coppa Italia in the midweek, and then they travel to AC Milan the following weekend, and both of those matches could finish in a loss for Ranieri’s side.

While I think that Roma will manage to move on to the knockout stages of the Champions League, Lazio could knock out Roma from the Coppa Italia, and then the Ibrahimovic led AC Milan could easily defeat Roma at the San Siro. What do you think? Share your comments below!

Inter Milan are certainly in one of their worst moments right now, especially after their 3-1 loss to Lazio over the weekend. But Rafa Benitez has remained upbeat and optimistic about his current situation with Inter, and he seems to be prepared to grab a win away against Werder Bremen, which is the last game of Inter’s group stages in the Champions League. Yet the odds seemed stacked against him, not only will Rafa Benitez be missing Diego Milito, but the Spaniard will also have to do without Wesley Sneijder and Lucio! A cold trip to Germany doesn’t seem the best place to test out even more new youngsters, but it seems like Benitez will be forced to.

Right after the important game in the Champions League, Benitez has a chance to redeem himself after this season’s bad start with the European champions will travel to Abu Dhabi to play in the FIFA World Club Cup. Many players seem set to return in this competition, and winning a fairly simple trophy could motivate and convince players enough to begin winning in the other competitions. It’s very possible that Julio Cesar and Maicon will manage to return for the FIFA World Club Cup, and two veteran players like them should be able provide some cover for Inter at the back. Do you think that Rafa manage to right the ship at Inter Milan? What if Inter loses to Werder Bremen, and then has a poor display in the FIFA World Club Cup? Would it be time for him to go? Share your comments below!

Lazio inflicted another defeat on Serie A champions Inter with coach Rafael Benitez’s position becoming weaker and weaker with every passing week. The victory against Parma in the previous round was by a big score raising hope the Nerazzurri will be back on the right track yet many failed to note the Ducali are having a poor season and are in the bottom half of the table.

Injuries cannot continue to be used as an excuse as the form of certain key players like Wesley Sneijder has been quite disappointing this season. The extended World Cup campaign has had a negative effect on certain players, in particular Sneijder who is a shadow of the player who helped the Nerazzurri achieve a historic treble last season. Inter’s solid defensive line has struggled this season due to injuries but also due to the struggles of Lucio and Maicon. The biggest blow came when Walter Samuel was ruled out for the reason of the season due to his horrific injury. This certainly qualifies as a massive blow for the Nerazzurri yet this offered a window of opportunity for coach Benitez to either introduce Davide Santon as a starter on the flanks and moving Cristian Chivu to a central role in the back-line. One other option would be to have captain Javier Zanetti play as a full-back too while starting Ivan Cordoba in the back as a partner of Lucio.

Benitez has struggled to shape this team based on his strategy and has not been able to get the best out of the squad available at his disposal. Once again, it must be said that injuries have negatively affected the Nerazzurri but other factors have played a role as well. Benitez is not as good as former coach Jose Mourinho when it comes to motivating players, manipulating a situation to get the best out of his players and preparing his teams for certain matches. Inter have become too dependent on Samuel Eto’o and appear toothless whenever he is having an off night or suspended, as was the case for the Lazio clash.

Benitez’s approach does not inspire confidence and one can tell the players are not playing with the same swagger as last season under Mourinho. There are complaints about injuries, there is the excuse of bad luck, there is talk of opponents scoring from their limited opportunities and so forth. Rarely do champions resort to unconvincing or weak excuses to justify a tough spell in terms of results. The loss of Walter Samuel has been a major blow but that cannot excuse the poor form of their other starters. Other teams have in recent seasons endured a plethora of injuries but were able to cope with such emergencies and the Nerazzurri must do better considering they have been regarded as one of the deeper teams in Serie A.

Benitez now has the FIFA Club World Cup to redeem himself but if he cannot bring back the trophy to Italy then the Spaniard will likely be on his way out as the tifosi have not warmed up to his hiring. Fate has it that rivals Juventus were linked with Benitez during the summer yet he ended up with the Nerazzurri. Ironically at this stage, the Bianconeri appear to be building towards the future and improving while the Nerazzurri continue to struggle, have looked both slower and void of ideas when attacking opponents as well as the fact they are already seven points behind city rivals Milan.

The match against Werder Bremen in the Champions League will serve as a test for Benitez. While qualification to the Round of 16 has been secured, beating the worst team in the group will provide a massive boost to the team’s morale. Benitez is unlikely to rest players since first place in the group is on the line and this could make a big difference in terms of Inter’s next opponent in the elimination round. Only positive results will save Benitez’s job but it has become clear that failing to win the Club World Cup will usher a change in the coaching staff at Inter.

Finally some positive news for Serie A and Italian football in general, this midweek, while some sides played in the Coppa Italia, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Roma played and won in the Champions League. It was the penultimate matchday of the group stages, and although Roma haven’t mathematically qualified yet, AC Milan have mathematically qualified in second place (behind Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid), and Inter Milan have mathematically qualified, and they have a chance to fight for first place in the group with Tottenham Hotspur. All we can hope for now is that Roma manage to qualify for the knockout round, Inter qualify in first place, and that the Italian teams in the Europa League do just as well.

Roma defeated Bayern Munich at the Stadio Olimpico 3-2, in a fantastic comeback. The giallorossi went two down after some defensive mistakes, allowing Gomez to net a double in the first half, but they picked it up in the second half. Borriello clinically finished from the ground to give Roma some hope, and then De Rossi netted a goal to tie up the score at 2-2. Then in the 84th minute Roma were awarded a penalty, and the legendary captain Francesco stepped up and put it barely past Kraft’s fingertips, for an epic winner.

But Ranieri’s side hasn’t qualified yet, next matchday they’ll travel to Romania and face CFR Cluj while Bayern Munich faces FC Basel at home. All that Roma need to do to qualify is either get a draw or a win against Cluj, and that way they’ve mathematically qualified along with Bayern to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

AC Milan on the other hand have mathematically qualified after their 2-0 win away against Auxerre. Zlatan Ibrahimovic who provided another wonderful goal, a first time rocket which flew into the back of the French side’s net. Ronaldinho scored the second in the final minutes of the match, the Brazilian waltzed through the penalty box before he finally slipped a curling ball onto the far post and in.

With this win AC Milan have qualified for the next round, and the result of their next fixture against Ajax doesn’t really matter. It’s just a shame that Allegri’s side was unable to challenge Real Madrid for first place in the group, but as long as they do well in the knockout stages, I’m sure rossoneri fans won’t mind that much.

The match which took place today was at the San Siro, Inter Milan vs. Twente. It ended 1-0 for Rafa Benitez’s side which finally seems to have played some decent attacking football. Inter still had to play a relatively weakened side due to the injuries which have been plaguing the side for quite some time now, but they pressed Twente high up the field and created many opportunities to score. It was Esteban Cambiasso who scored the goal, Sneijder had a free kick deflected, and the ball fell perfectly for the Argentine to volley into the back of the net. This performance certainly showed signs of revival from a side which looked lifeless these past few weeks in the Serie A. We’ll just have to see if Benitez can continue to get this motivation from his players this weekend against Parma.

Right now Inter Milan and Tottenham are tied at the top of the group with 10 points, and it’s the English side which is ahead with a goal difference of +7, while Inter’s is just +4. Both Inter and Tottenham are travelling away next Champions League matchday, Inter will face Werder Bremen while Tottenham face Twente, and it seems like Inter have an easier match to win against the German team which only has two points and is at the bottom of the group table. So can Benitez inspire his men again enough to get a win, and hopefully steal the first place from Tottenham? I don’t think so, and in my opinion Inter will finish second, but make sure to share your thoughts by commenting below!

A great display from all three Italian sides, and hopefully this season not only will we have three teams in the knockout stages, but maybe more than just one of them will progress! What are your thoughts regarding the Champions League games? Comment below!

This will be a very interesting weekend, mainly because of all that has happened to mount up to these couple of days. While you had Inter Milan losing 3-1 away to Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, we also saw Roma win 3-2 away in Switzerland against FC Basel. AC Milan did their best against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, and probably could’ve won if it wasn’t for a last minute goal by Pedro Leon in the 94th minute of the match to make it 2-2. The Europa League was a pretty big disappointment for Italian sides as well, Sampdoria could only draw 0-0 at home with Metalist with Juventus getting the same result against Salzburg. Palermo lost 3-1 away to CSKA Moscow, and Napoli lost by the same scoreline away at Anfield against Liverpool.

So there are quite a few sides which will be trying to get a good result this weekend, and build on it for a good Serie A run. While that’s easy to say, we’ll see how many teams manage to win comfortably, and how many are still crippled from their midweek efforts in Europe’s “top competitions”. And if the sides competing in Europe do manage to get a good run going in the Serie A, maybe there’ll be a few more positive results the next time the Champions and Europa League come around.

If there’s one match which stands out when looking at the fixtures for this weekend, it has to be the Rome derby. Lazio are at home in the Stadio Olimpico facing Roma in one of Sunday’s earlier kick-offs. Right away what comes to mind is the fact that this Rome derby is very important for both sides, and maybe all of the Serie A, and I can’t remember (I have terrible memory as well) a Rome derby with so much significance.

Lazio are on a fantastic streak right now, and they’re top of the table four points ahead of second-placed Inter Milan. Meanwhile Roma aren’t achieving as much, but they’re still in a respectable ninth place, with a ten point difference between them and their city rivals. But Lazio only managed to squeeze a 1-0 win last weekend away at Palermo, and it was the home side which was playing much better than Lazio. Roma on the other hand defeated Lecce 2-0, creating about five opportunities in which they should’ve scored, but they didn’t.

So can Roma topple the surprise table-leaders Lazio? Well, even if Lazio lost to Roma this weekend, they’d still remain top of the table thanks to the four point cushion they have over Inter Milan, but a first loss of the season could demoralize Edy Reja’s side.

My prediction is a tight 2-1 win for Roma with Vucinic getting on the scoresheet. But this game can go countless different ways, so please share what you think the result will be below by commenting.

As for other matches, Palermo will be facing Genoa at home. While both sides haven’t had some great results recently, they both play wonderful attacking football, and to spice things up, both sides are tied in the table with 11 points. I expect this one to be a great match, with the likes of Javier Pastore going up against Miguel Veloso in the midfield, this is another match that can go either way.

While you can give Palermo a bit of home advantage, I think this match will end in a 2-2 draw. Genoa are a side which force their way to the goal with quick and attacking play, and Luca Toni looked very good against Inter Milan last weekend. But make sure to share your prediction by commenting below!

There aren’t many other “big” clashes in this weekend’s Serie A fixtures, and while AC Milan will have to travel to Bari, I think that Allegri’s side can find a way to win. Inter Milan also seem to have a pretty straightforward match at home against Brescia, but you never know, especially after that 3-1 loss to Tottenham. Will Benitez continue to be defensive? Milito will be returning this match, can he get on the scoresheet? So many questions, make sure to comment if you have any answers, or questions yourself!

This Champions League midweek had some highs and some lows for the Italian sides in the tournament. And if you’re interested in awesome match reports and other Champions League news, be sure to visit my latest article on Champions League Talk regarding the midweek action!

Let’s start with the positives, Roma won 3-2 away from home against FC Basel! A great result for Ranieri’s side, led by Menez who played very well, and by Totti who scored from the penalty spot.

Menez got the first goal, a sly finish from the edge of the box, taking advantage of general distraction to give Roma the lead. Then Totti doubled from the penalty spot, with the keeper having almost reached the Roma captain’s spot-kick. After the two goal flurry by Roma, Frei pulled one back in the second half to give Basel some hope, but Greco crushed that when he scored Roma’s third in the 76th minute. Shaqiri pulled one back for FC Basel at the end of the match, but the result was in Roma’s hands.

Three important points which help Ranieri’s side rise up to second in the table with six points behind Bayern Munich which has a perfect record and twelve points. Roma will host Bayern at the Stadio Olimpico the next Champions League matchday, and I think that any giallorossi fans should be happy with a draw for that game.

The other two matches for Italian sides weren’t as positive as Roma’s. AC Milan at home drew 2-2 with Real Madrid, and Inter Milan suffered a 3-1 loss away against Tottenham.

AC Milan conceeded the first goal at the 45 minute mark when Higuain took advantage of ay disorga­nized Milan back line, to spin around and finish coolly past Abbiati. But in the second half, Allegri made a key substitution, bringing Inzaghi for Ronaldinho. Inzaghi went on to score two goals (of which one was offside by about a meter, and he was right next to the linesman), and surpass Gerd Muller’s all time goalscoring record for the Champions League/European Cup with the Italian’s 70th goal in the competition.

But Mourinho is a sly and lucky man, and in the 94th minute of the game, substitute Karim Benzema picked out another substitute Pedro Leon with a defence-splitting through pass, and Leon finished through Abbiati’s legs for a lucky equalizer. Most certainly heart-breaking for AC Milan fans, but epic for any fans of Jose Mourinho.

As for Inter Milan, the match was a sad tale for Benitez’s side, and it was Gareth Bale who was the hero of the night for Tottenham fans. Gareth Bale literally made Maicon seem like a 16 year-old who had just been introduced to professional football. Maicon was made a fool of dozens of times by Bale who provided two assists for his teammates in their 3-1 win. It’s strange that Benitez didn’t try any tactical changes to stop the player, even as he realized during the match that Bale was tearing Maicon to shreds.

While Tottenham played brilliant attacking football, Inter Milan was cautious, sluggish, and defensive. The goal was a moment of brilliance by an undertone Samuel Eto’o who despite his average performances, manages to score goals. Right now Inter Milan are second in the table due to goal-difference, with Tottenham first. Inter will need to pull out two wins at home against Twente, and away at Werder Bremen if they want to have any chance of winning the group, but even if they come second, Tottenham fully deserve first place.

What were your thoughts on the Champions League midweek for Italian clubs? Share your thoughts below!

While AC Milan and Roma were both humiliated in their Champions League matches yesterday, Inter Milan put on a good show for any people who watched the European champions. Both sides were equal on points at the top of the group, but with Inter’s win, the nerazzurri go top of Group A. Twente and Werder Bremen played out a 1-1 draw at Twente, leaving them both tied with two points at the bottom, Tottenham in second with four points, and Inter Milan first with seven points.

Rafael Benitez decided to start with the same team which defeated Cagliari this past weekend, this is mainly due to injuries spread around the starting 11. So Eto’o playing as a lone forward with the trio of Coutinho, Sneijder, and Biabiany supporting him. And then Stankovic and Zanetti in front of the defence comprised of Maicon, Samuel, Lucio, and Chivu. Tottenham also played with a weakened side, the English side was missing their key player Rafael Van der Vaart who was sent off last game against Werder Bremen.

The match began with instant action, while some might’ve expected a dull game from Inter, they went out to win from the first minute. It took them just two minutes to find the back of Tottenham’s net, a great move on the left wing which released Zanetti in the box to side foot past Gomes. So right away Inter find themselves leading at the San Siro, with captain fantastic the scorer.

About ten minutes later Inter were given a penalty when Gomes slashed through Biabiany at the top of the penalty box, a direct red for the Brazilian goalkeeper, and a chance for Inter to double the scoreline. Tottenham replaced Modric to put on their second keeper, Carlo Cudicini who would face Samuel Eto’o from the penalty spot. The Cameroon striker made his stuttering run up and powered the ball into the top left hand corner.

Things were going perfectly for Inter, and when Stankovic scored a third in the 14th after a well worked move, Tottenham were steadily sinking. The fourth goal was created by Coutinho in the 35th minute, a pinpoint through pass which Eto’o leaped on and finished past Cudicini.

Possession was left for Inter, and although Eto’o wasn’t as dangerous as he usually is, Coutinho and Sneijder often combined wonderfully to create chances for themselves and their teammates. The Brazilian Philippe Coutinho was arguably the man of the match, some great individual skill and perfect composure enured that his side kept the ball and were constantly dangerous.

In the second half we saw more of the same with continuos possession from Interas Tottenham offered sprints of attacking flair. And in the 51st minute one of these sprints paid off for Tottenham, a great run by Bale who squeezed through Inter defenders to move into the penalty box and drill the ball into the bottom corner. Julio Cesar didn’t even try to save the unstoppable shot.

The next two goals came at the end of the match, Bale copied his previous run to drill it again past Julio Cesar to make the score 4-2. And then the final goal came about thirty seconds later, same player, same corner. Bale received the ball at the top of the box and smacked it past Julio Cesar for a third time, completing his epic hat trick.

So what are your thoughts regarding this wild match which happened at the San Siro? Inter Milan will be travelling to White Heart Lane in the next Champions League matchday to replay Tottenham, what will happen there? Share your thoughts below!