Tuesday, May 31, 2011

31 May 2009 - Capo Di Tutti Capocannoniere

On 31 May 2009, Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimović's 81st-minute backheel on Serie A's last day won the match and made him the season's top scorer.

Playing at home against mid-table Atalanta, Inter had already secured their fourth consecutive Scudetto (including the 2006 title, awarded to Inter after being stripped from Juventus due to a bribery scandal), starting the day 10 points clear of second-place finisher AC Milan.

The match began with a flurry of goals. Inter went ahead early with a Sulley Muntary goal in the 6th minute. But Atalanta's Cristiano Doni headed his team level four minutes later. Two minutes after that, Ibrahimović got onto the scoresheet, slipping behind the Atalanta defense to retrieve a lobbed ball and powering it low past keeper Andrea Consigli. The lead did not last long, however, as Luca Cigarini provided another equalizer for Atalanta in the 25th minute.

In the second half, Doni scored again--this time from a 25-yard free kick--to send the visitors ahead. Inter then equalized after an 80th-minute scramble in front of the Atalanta goal resulted in a driving shot from Esteban Cambiasso. Only one minute later, Ibrahimović, standing in front of the Atalanta goal, muscled a defender off the ball and slotted it home with a clever backheel.

In addition to securing the 4-3 victory, the goal was his 25th of the season, pushing him past Genoa's Diego Milito and Bologna's Marco Di Vaio--both of whom had 24--for the Capocannoniere as Serie A's top scorer.

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