AC Milan defeated Bari 2-0 this past Sunday in the twenty-fifth round of the Italian League. The team shortened its distance from second place AS Roma, 2 points away, and first place Internazionale, 7 points away. Milan, which has accumulated four games without defeat, now has 48 points and remains in third place of the standings, while Bari, with 32 points, is in 11th place.

From the kickoff the Rossoneri came out with the motivation to keep them at the top of the standings. One of the first plays came at minute 14 when captain Massimo Ambrosini tried to surprise Bari with a left-footed shot from outside. The ball went wide and rapped on the left post, nevertheless sending a strong warning.

As the minutes passed, the ball remained in the control of the visitors. The Brazilian Alexandre Pato frightened his rivals with a strong shot, while Borriello missed a close header as well. It wasn’t until half an hour had passed that Bari woke up and brought some character in the field. Honduran Edgar Alvarez, with a pass from Massimo Donati, sent an accurate left shot that nonetheless failed to score.

Finally, before halftime, the score opened. Borriello showed some power off a pass from Ronaldinho and, practically alone in the center of the area, finished the play with a left shot that beat Belgian goalkeeper Jean Francois Gillet. The score was now 1-0 in favor of AC Milan.

The second half saw a slightly different situation. The host team began to hold the ball a little. At minute 52 the creative Massimo Donati fired right from outside the area after being assisted by the Argentinian Emmanuel Rivas, but failed to score.

But the team led by Brazilian Leonardo continued to control the pace of the game, and at minute 69, Pato sealed the score after carrying the ball from a shot by Ronaldinho, putting the scoreboard at 2-0.

After the goal, the Rossoneri completely dominated the ball. Bari was desperate to score and, in fact, came close after a penalty kick, but AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati managed to detain the ball at minute 88. The last play ended the game with the victory for the Rossoneri, 2-0.

With this triumph, Milan Coach Leonardo stated he was really pleased with the way his players carried out their tactics and their unification and cooperation on the field.

“We need this spirit to obtain great results like we have this evening. We were fantastic from a tactical point of view, and the team is over the moon about this. It was a complete performance by Milan. The important thing is that we defeated Bari this evening. I want to go as far as I can with this side, as they demonstrate something new every day. The team is very united, and wants to do their best,” said Leonardo.

AC Milan striker, Alexandre Pato, agreed, saying that the win against Bari showed how united the team was at the moment.

“The Scudetto? We are only thinking about ourselves and our work. We are all united at this time, and want to win, and only win,” Pato said.

AC Milan’s next match will be against Fiorentina on February 24th at Artemio Franchi whereas Bari will face Catania on February 27th as visitors.

About the Author

Ally White is a top senior copy writer for the Italian Serie A Soccer games as well as the sports betting industry updates for many exceptional sports web sites. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.