Italian Soccer- S.S. Lazio Crowned Champion of 2009 Italian Super Cup

Samuel Eto'o finally made his official debut with Inter Milan, the current champion of the Italian A Series, in a game against the Lazio during the twenty-second Italian Super Cup. Eto’o wasn’t the only player making his debut with the Nerazzurri. The Argentine Diego Milito and the Brazilian Lucio also made their first appearances with Inter. Although neither team scored in the first half, it was clear that the Lazio took the lead; the tempo set by the Biancocelesti showed their superiority over Milan. The Inter tried on several occasions to create dangerous plays, but even the constant attacks from the duo formed by Eto’o and Milito were not enough to match the level of play brought by their opponents. Always vigilant and ready to defend themselves, the Lazio players focused on approaching Milan’s field area as quickly as possible, intending to direct powerful shots to Inter’s Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar. In fact, Cesar’s defense proved key, especially in minute 20 when Lazio’s Mauro Zárate kicked a dangerous shot that Cesar neatly deflected. The Lazio maintained pressure on the Italian champions, who were defending themselves with all their strength while at the same time hoping to open the score in their favor. The former task fell largely on the shoulders of Brazilian defender Lucio, who knew how to effectively stop the progress of Zárate and Tommaso Rocchi. The Nerazzurra also began an offensive combination of plays, with Dejan Stankovic and Sulley Muntari giving Fernando Muslera, the Lazio goalkeeper, a hard time. However, their attacks were for naught; Muslera was not intimidated and was able to defend his goal. Despite the constant efforts to score a goal, the battle for the first half ended with an empty scoreboard. The second half, however, began to see change. Inter temporarily became the dominant team, pressing hard on its opponent. At minutes 56 and 59, Milito and Eto’o once again made their presence felt on the field with three consecutive attacks that brought intense pressure on Lazio goalkeeper Muslera, who nevertheless reacted with a great defensive performance. At minute 63, Lazio finally opened the score in its favor. Zárate made a shot that was intercepted by Matuzalem, who then with a powerful shot sent the ball to the back of the net. Just three minutes later, the Biancocelesti crowd vibrated after the team scored its second goal, performed by Rocchi. Inter manager José Mourinho was forced to change his team’s game, making several strategic replacements in the midfield: exchanging the Stankovic for Patrick Vieira and putting Mario Balotelli in place of Thiago Motta. The changes were effective, as at minute 78 Eto’o managed to transfer Balotelli’s pass into a goal. Inter remained eager to match - and even exceed - Lazio’s score, and at minute 86 the team seemed to have a chance. Goalkeeper Muslera saw a shot by Milito slipping away and ending close to the net. Eto’o shot the ball toward the net, but an upside call led to the cancellation of the goal. After that, the newly transferred Cameroonian player made several attempt to equalize the score, but ultimately failed. Muslera did a good job of not allowing the goals, and eventually the game ended with a score of 2-1, crowning Lazio the champion of the Italian Super Cup for the third time.