Sport | Football
Inter Milan dance to Samba tune
Brazilian team Internacional de Porto Alegre outfoxed Italian champions Inter Milan 2-1 in the Mohammad Bin Rashid International Football Championship.
- By Sarah Tregoning, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:25 January 8, 2008
- Internacional Porto de Allegre players celbrate after winning the final match of the Mohammed bin Rashid International Football Championship at Al Wasl Club.
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
Dubai: Brazilian team Internacional de Porto Alegre outfoxed Italian champions Inter Milan 2-1 to earn a $1 million pay cheque last night in the Mohammad Bin Rashid International Football Championship.
Internacional captain, Fernandao got his name on the score sheet within the first two minutes when he volleyed an Alex cross to the right of Inter keeper Julio Soares and set the tone for a high-octane and highly-entertaining finale.
The two sides traded blows with end-to-end action and both sides seeming to treat the game as something more than a friendly — as well they might considering the prize money on offer.
But despite a plethora of chances for both teams it took Milan until the 40th minute to level the scores.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic stormed down the left wing for Inter and crossed into Internacional's box.
Keeper Renan dived forward to punch the ball away, straight into the path of the marauding Luis Jiminez, whose first effort at a volley spun high off his left foot, but having dropped to the ground he swivelled on his back and his second attempt with his right foot found the goal.
After the break the action, if anything, intensified with Internacional's excellent Alex continually causing Inter problems on the right with explosive runs and accurate crosses.
Fernandao looked close to scoring once again in early stages of the half, but his sliding outstretched left boot shot the ball just to the left of the post from a corner.
But in the 70th minute Alex fed yet another cross into the danger area, Magrao headed the ball back and Nilmar's bicycle kick banged home the goal that sealed a Brazilian victory and the cash prize.
Narrow win
Stuttgart were saved from embarrassment in the last two minutes of their third-place playoff game against a 10-man Ajax by the scorching left boot of Alexander Farnerud.
Ajax were deprived of the services of Hedwiges Maduro in the first ten minutes of the match after the midfielder brought down Stuttgart's Sergiu Radu outside the Ajax area.
But the German side failed to take advantage of their extra man and finished the first half looking like it was they, and not Ajax, who were missing a player.
Just as a penalty shoot-out seemed inevitable, Farnerud, outshining his more illustrious left-footed teammate, Robert Hitzlsperger, connected with a shot outside the Ajax box and lashed home a goal.
Ajax coach Adrie Koster said he was disappointed with the result and criticised his teams defence, that he said forced the sending off of Maduro.
"It's a shame that we have come last in this tournament, especially when you play the great part of the game with 10 men," he said. "I think we deserved more from the way we played our last game [against Inter Milan].
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