Milan squeeze into second

ByEurosport

Published 08/01/2006 at 21:32 GMT

Alberto Gilardino found the net against his former side Parma but Milan were made to sweat for a 4-3 win on Sunday. Sought-after Marco Marchionni found the net twice for Parma, but Carlo Ancelotti's side claimed the three points and now sit second, nine p

Milan have now racked up an impressive eleven goals in their last three games - with Gilardino taking his season's tally to 12 - but Ancelotti's concerns will be with the ease that Parma cut through his side's rearguard.

Without the rested Paolo Maldini and commanding Jaap Stam, Milan trembled for the frighteningly short periods a workmanlike Parma enjoyed possession at the San Siro.

The ease with which Marchionni nipped past four players after latching onto Bernado Corradi's clever layoff to put Parma within a goal of Milan five minutes from time will be the stuff of Ancelotti's nightmares.

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SHELL SHOCKED

And to add to Ancelotti's woes, it was a Dida clanger that gifted Parma a shock 23rd-minute lead.

Milan had started brightly with Serginho and Clarence Seedorf linking well down the left, but when a left-wing corner was swung into the Milan box Dida spilled a routine catch leaving Paolo Cannavaro to stab home from point-blank range.

FOOTBALL 2005-2006 Serie A Milan Parma Seedorf

Image credit: Reuters

But it only took the well-oiled Milan attacking machine four minutes to pull level as Giuseppe Cardone turned a Kaka centre past Matteo Guardalben with Gilardino heading the home side in front just a minute later after delightful play between Seedorf and Shevchenko down the left.

When Kaka curled a superb third ten minutes before the break after Shevchenko had been thwarted, Milan looked to be cruising.

But Milan appeared determined to show that criticism of their ageing back four is justified by almost allowing Parma to snatch an unlikely point.

A minute after Shevchenko had a goal correctly chalked off for offside, Marchionni waltzed through the middle of a shell-shocked Milan back four to slip the ball under Dida with twenty minutes remaining.

Shevchenko finally found his way onto the scoresheet with the ultimately decisive goal eight minutes from time, anticpating Rui Costa's near-post ball in world-class fashion to sidefoot home.

After Marchionni's second raised the blood pressure in both dug-outs, Parma coach Mario Beretta was sent off for a violent outburst in the direction of a linesman as time ran out.

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