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Rediff.com  » Sports » Lazio stun Inter to win Super Cup

Lazio stun Inter to win Super Cup

August 08, 2009 20:47 IST
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Italian Cup winners Lazio stunned Serie A champions Inter Milan with two goals in two minutes early in the second half to win the Super Cup 2-1 in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium on Saturday.

Brazilian midfielder Matuzalem opened the scoring against the run of play in the 61st minute and Inter had barely recovered from the shock before Lazio skipper Tommaso Rocchi chipped Inter keeper Julio Cesar to double the lead.

Inter piled on the pressure and new signing Samuel Eto'o cut the deficit with 15 minutes to go but Lazio held on to win the traditional pre-season contest for the third time.

Inter manager Jose Mourinho started all four of his new signings, pairing Eto'o and Diego Milito up front with Thiago Motta anchoring midfield and Lucio in central defence.

Although the champions had the best of the early exchanges, Lazio were the first to get a strike on goal with Mauro Zarate's left-footed shot from the edge of the area forcing Julio Cesar to full stretch to turn the ball around the post after 20 minutes.

Eto'o and Milito looked lively in attack but it was Brazilian Lucio who came closest to scoring for Inter in the first half with a low close-range header from Esteban Cambiasso's corner palmed away by Fernando Muslera 10 minutes before halftime.

Dejan Stankovic, Muntari, Eto'o and Milito all had early chances as Inter looked to take control after the break but it was Lazio who made the breakthrough.

Matuzalem found himself free in the area after a 61st-minute Rocchi free kick spun off the wall and he forced the ball into the net with his chin when his first attempt was blocked by Cesar.

The celebrations had barely ended when skipper Rocchi doubled the lead with a sublime chip that left Cesar with no chance two minutes later.

Mourinho brought on Patrick Vieira in midfield and, with Inter camped inside the Lazio half, Eto'o finally found space to score his first goal for his new club, lashing the ball into the roof of the net in the 75th minute.

Argentine Milito thought he had equalised 10 minutes later but the referee called him back for offside and, with Muslera outstanding in the Lazio goal, the Cup winners held out for a morale-boosting victory.

A crowd of some 65,000 made plenty of noise at the Bird's Nest for the first sporting event at the stadium since last September on the first anniversary of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

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Source: REUTERS
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