Palermo
Amelia – 8.0: A dominant
performance by the Italian international keeper tonight, as he made a
countless number of crucial saves throughout the contest. Highlights
included a world class save against Pato after 17 minutes, and the
penalty save on Ronaldinho ten minutes later.
Balzaretti – 6.5: Worked
hard at both ends of the park, but didn’t set the world on fire
tonight. He did assist the Simplicio goal however, following a great
ball in from the left after 80 minutes.
Bovo – 6.0: The
centre-back was a little clumsy tonight, as he picked up yellow card
following a poor effort to halt the run of Inzaghi on 48 minutes. He
also made an inept challenge on Ronaldinho after 79 minutes, which
resulted in Milan’s second penalty of the contest.
Carrozzieri – 7.0: Despite
being booked on 77 minutes, he was an extremely influential player this
evening. Was great at the back, as he nullified the impact of the Milan
forwards, Inzaghi in particular, and he also did well to get forward on
a number of occasions.
Cassani – 7.5: The right-back was
one of the most consistent performers over the course of the 90
minutes. He was undoubtedly the best player in the first 20 minutes,
and he provided support at both ends of the park, putting in some great
challenges at the back, and sending in some great balls in attack.
Liverani – 7.0:
A general in the midfield this evening, as he was central to a number
of his side’s attacking plays. His wonderful chip proved on 59 minutes
in to the area led to the second goal, scored by Cavani.
Nocerino – 6.5:
Had a shaky start tonight, as he almost gifted Pato a goal after 17
minutes, when his poor touch was swooped on by the Brazilian; however
he worked his way into the match, to become an important player in the
latter stages.
Bresciano – 6.0: A relatively quiet
performance from the Australian international this evening, although he
didn’t really put a foot wrong all night.
Simplicio – 7.0: Very
clever performance from this player tonight, and he was rewarded with a
goal on 80 minutes, following a great ball in Balzaretti.
Cavani – 7.5: The
powerful striker provided good support to Miccoli all night, and he too
was rewarded with a goal, his side’s second after 59 minutes, when he
headed home a Liverani chip.
Miccoli – 9.0: A simply
stunning display by Miccoli. Was absolutely dominant for the entire
match tonight, and was unlucky not to have scored on more than one
occasion. Perhaps a recall to Marcello Lippi’s Italian squad could be
on the cards for the Palermo hitman.
Subs: Kjaer N/A, Succi N/A
MilanAbbiati – 8.5: Undoubtedly
his side’s best player on the night, as he made save after save to keep
his side in the contest in the first half. He wasn’t really at fault
for any of the goals, and can hold his head up high after a phenomenal
individual performance.
Zambrotta – 5.5: He worked hard
at both ends of the park; however he let Miccoli skip past him too
easily for the first goal. Had a great effort to make it 3-2 in the
86th minute, only to be denied by Amelia.
Maldini – 4.5: The Milan icon had an absolute nightmare tonight, as he was troubled by Cavani and Miccoli for the majority of the match
.
Bonera – 4.5: Similar
to his partner at the back, he struggled to get the better of the
Palermo attacking duo, and suffered greatly as a result.
Jankulovski – 5.0:
He evidently gave his all, but he faded out of the contest as the match
wore on. Poor marking on his behalf, to allow Simplicio to head home
the third goal for Palermo.
Flamini – 5.0: Very quiet
performance by the former Arsenal man tonight. He didn’t do much wrong,
but also not anything worth noting, and was substituted after 56
minutes as a result.
Pirlo – 5.5: The midfielder took his
time to get into the contest. He did go close to scoring on a few
occasions, including a 65th minute free kick that forced Amelia into
making a great save.
Ambrosini – 5.5: Worked hard in the
midfield, but he failed to have the impact he would have hoped for. He
was substituted after 56 minutes for Shevchenko.
Seedorf – 6.5: Looked confident and menacing when in possession of the ball, and tested his luck from long range more often than once.
Ronaldinho – 6.5:
An inconsistent performance by the Brazilian. Brilliant at times, very
poor at others. He scored the only goal for his side from the spot
after 83 minutes, but also missed from the spot in the first.
Pato – 6.0:
The young Brazilian started brightly, and he had a huge opportunity to
score on 17 minutes, but was denied by Amelia. He also managed to win
the first penalty for his side, before being forced to withdraw due to
injury after 29 minutes.
Subs: Inzaghi 5.0, Shevchenko 5.5, Emerson 5.5