| Serie A Week 34 - 3/5/09 (14.00 UK)
Catania 0 - 2 Milan
Inzaghi 27 (M), Kaka 52 (M)
Stadio Massimino
Pippo Inzaghi's 11th goal in eight games maintained Milan's splendid form and second place.
The Scudetto hopes were looking more of a utopia after Inter's win over Lazio last night meant they needed only six points from four remaining games. Instead the Rossoneri had to focus on keeping second place away from Juventus and made this tricky trip to Sicily without the suspended Mathieu Flamini and the usual injury list (Bonera, Borriello, Gattuso, Nesta, Kaladze, Abbiati, Antonini). The Sicilians had already secured safety and missed Pablo Ledesma, Potenza and the banned Fabio Sciacca.
Milan had won six of their previous seven games, but their record in Catania was of three victories, two defeats and six consecutive draws.
Catania rattled the frame of the goal six minutes in when a corner kick was headed back into the six-yard box by Martinez and Giuseppe Favalli's attempted clearance thumped the upright!
Paolo Maldini almost scored at the age of 40 when he got on the end of a corner and looped the header over Kosicky, but Izco got back for a decisive goalline clearance.
Pippo Inzaghi just failed to get on the end of David Beckham's cross, then forced Kosicky into a double save in the rain.
Inzaghi opened the scoring with his 11th goal in eight games, although much of the credit was Kaka's. The Brazilian ran from midfield and threaded through for SuperPippo, who spun round between two defenders to drill in from eight yards.
Kosicky rushed off his line to close down Inzaghi and Nelson Dida blocked a Giuseppe Mascara daisy-cutter. Andrea Pirlo chipped the ball to the back post where three Milan players were totally unmarked, but Inzaghi turned the header just wide.
Milan doubled their lead straight after the restart, as Massimo Ambrosini nodded the ball back across the face of goal where it was flapped into Kaka's path for the easiest of tap-ins.
Inzaghi wasted a golden opportunity when he got in front of his marker only to volley Kaka's cross over from close range.
Inzaghi hit the woodwork when Kosicky deflected his shot on to the upright and moments later Kaka did the same thing, curling on to the opposite post with the goalkeeper beaten.
Alexandre Pato came on for the final minutes, sporting a newly-shaved head, immediately forcing Kosicky into a tricky low save.
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Catania: Kosicky; Silvestri, Silvestre, Stovini, Capuano; Carboni (Llama 63), Biagianti, Izco (Tedesco 46); Mascara (Spinesi 82) Martinez, Morimoto
Milan: Dida; Zambrotta, Maldini, Favalli, Jankulovski; Beckham (Bonera 79), Pirlo, Ambrosini; Seedorf; Kaka (Mattioni 89), Inzaghi (Pato 74)
Ref: De Marco
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