Classy Super Cup final pleases Chinese fans

• Source: Global Times
• [23:54 August 09 2009]
• Comments

By Wang Wei

Lazio players celebrate with the Italian Super Cup trophy on the podium at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest in Beijing Saturday. Photo: AFP

Non-favorites Lazio stunned Inter Milan in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium Saturday with a 2-1 victory to lift the Italian Super Cup.

A spectacular performance by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and a quick double fire around the hour mark earned Italian Cup winner Lazio their third Super Cup trophy in history in front of some 70,000 local fans.

The crowd, about half of whom were without a certain club to support before the game kicked off, came to the state-of-the-art stadium simply to mark the first anniversary of the 2008 Beijing Games rather than to watch some of the finest players in the world – but they were soon involved in the great atmosphere provided by frenzied Chinese Serie A fans.

Inter Milan, the star-studded league-defending champion, which has gradually become one of the most-welcomed Italian clubs in China due to its consecutive Siere A triumph after Juventus was forced to relegate for a match-fixing scandal in 2006, enjoyed the “home court” advantage in the packed stadium.

When Mourinho’s men came out of the tunnel to warm up, they were granted with heroic cheering and applause from tens of thousands of Chinese fans.

Inter Milan, which dominated midfield right from the start, looked to be dangerously in front of Lazio’s final third and almost scored on several occasions. As new-signing duo Samuel Eto’o and Lucio threatened, an excelent Muslera stood in their way to opening the score.

Lucio, the former FC Bayern defender, nearly broken the deadlock in the 37th minute. rising above everyone and steering his header toward the top corner of the goal on receiving a beautiful cross from Esteban Cambiasso, only for the Uruguayan keeper to brilliantly tip it over the bar.

Muslera was still kept busy when the second half started. He tipped away a Dejan Stankovic long shot in the 49th minute before blocking Sulley Muntari’s powerful low drive moments earlier.

Inter’s best chance of the game fell to Eto’o, who rounded off the helpless keeper after stealing a lame back pass from Modibo Diakite, but his off-balance shot went agonizingly wide of the far post.

As Inter players continued to waste their host of clear-cut chances, it was Lazio which took the lead by surprise in the 61st minute.

Lazio captain Tommaso Rocchi’s fierce free kick came off Lucio’s leg, falling to the feet of Brazilian midfielder Matuzalém, who tapped home the opener to the delight of local Lazio fans.

Motivated by the underdog’s tenacious performance, a huge crowd of neutral Chinese fans turned pro-Lazio by sounding their appreciation to The Eagle, and the Rome-based team repaid their faith just three minutes later.

A perfect lob pass from the left side saw Rocchi totally free in front of Inter’s goal, the 31-year-old superbly lobbed keeper Julio Cesar to extend their lead to 2-0 while bringing everyone in the stadium to their feet.

Mourinho then sent on striking duo Mario Balotelli and David Suazo, hoping to pull one back as soon as possible. But it was Eto’o, who posed a real threat all night long, gave the Portuguese manager a glimmer of hope when he slotted home a thundering drive in the 75th minute with Inter fans chanting his name for that marvelous piece of skill.

Argentine striker Diego Millito almost evened the score in the 81st minute when he rolled the ball past Muslera inside the box, but was agonizingly ruled offside.

Chinese fans, in a desperate search for a dramatic last-gasp equalizer, booed the referee for his decision which ruined their hope of watching a thrilling extra time.

Although Inter Milan laid seige to the Lazio goal in the waning minutes of the game, Muslera and his defenders held on to the last second to round off a memorable night for both Lazio and the majority of Chinese fans.

“Unlike the less competitive Barclays Asia Trophy (hosted in Beijing from July 29 to 31, featuring Tottenham, West Ham, Hull City and Beijing Guoan), the Super Cup final was more like a real game, just like what we had watched on TV every week,” said a 45-year-old Beijing-based Inter fan, who had watched Serie A for more than 10 years. “It was a good game, despite the result.”

“I’ve never watched a single football match,” admitted a 74-year-old grandmother, who came to the Bird’s Nest with her daughter’s family. “I just felt it was a really good thing to invite so many foreign sportsmen to come over and celebrate the first anniversary of the Beijing Games.”

“I didn’t see either of the three goals, to tell you the truth,” she said, smiling. “But it was a noisy stadium, a good atmosphere indeed.”

Football brings real happiness, which is what the Chinese crowd enjoyed that night.