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An extremely controversial last-minute penalty and stoppage-time Zlatan Ibrahimovic strike helped Inter to beat Parma 3-2 after their worst performance of the season.
All eyes were on the two January signings taking their bows. The Nerazzurri unveiled Nuno Maniche from Atletico Madrid, while Parma had former Livorno and Shakhtar Donetsk hitman Cristiano Lucarelli on the bench. Out injured were Douglas Maicon, Luis Figo, Olivier Dacourt, Walter Samuel and David Suazo for Inter, plus Parma men Igor Budan, Giulio Falcone and the frozen out Domenico Morfeo.
The Gialloblu had a poor record here, not winning since a 3-1 result in May 1999 and had just one point from their previous five visits. The fog made play difficult at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Ferdinand Coly limped off early on after a sliding tackle from Marco Materazzi left him with an ankle injury.
Esteban Cambiasso's cross found Zlatan Ibrahimovic at full stretch, but he was unable to get the finish on target. The move continued with some panicked defending as Parma were still playing with 10 men, but after several minutes of treatment Coly came back on to dispossess a startled Maxwell. It didn't last long and Coly asked for a substitution, forcing a reshuffle.
Stefano Morrone went close for the visitors with a long-range snapshot that whistled past the near post.
The first real scoring opportunity was created by Parma on 20 minutes, but both Reginaldo and Bernardo Corradi had their shots charged down. As the move continued, Corradi had penalty appeals waved away for an Ivan Cordoba embrace.
Inter seemed ill-at-ease and Parma had another good chance as Julio Cesar fumbled and Corradi failed to make the most of the howler thanks to a clean tackle from the goalkeeper.
Luca Bucci smothered an Ibrahimovic left-foot effort, but then another Ibra attempt was deflected and both Cambiasso and Hernan Crespo couldn't get diving headers on the end of it.
Nonetheless, from the resulting corner Cambiasso was left unmarked to drill a powerful strike into the bottom near corner with his left foot from eight yards. Luca Cigarini should have done better with his marking.
Bucci captured a Maniche effort, but Ibrahimovic escaped punishment when he was caught on camera elbowing Rossi. It is possible he could be given a ban using video evidence.
Crespo performed a spectacular 'rabona' - crossing the feet and hitting the ball with the back leg - but Parma equalised on the counter seconds later. Reginaldo rolled across to the edge of the box where Cigarini was unmarked to smack a low drive into the far bottom corner. It was the Under-21 international's second Serie A goal.
An unlucky ricochet as Rossi cleared the ball on to teammate Castellini threated to score a bizarre own goal.
After the restart Reginaldo and Andrea Pisanu missed from a promising position, while at the other end Luis Jimenez's shot flashed across the face of goal and Crespo's effort was charged down.
Maniche ended his debut after 56 relatively uneventful minutes to make way for Cesar.
Parma really should have taken the lead moments later, as Reginaldo went on the counter from an Inter free kick around the box, skipped past Javier Zanetti, but tried to go all the way and was dispossessed when he could have passed to one of two free teammates. That move was sparked by an Ibrahimovic error and Mancini was so angry he kicked a cold drinks container, injuring his shin.
Bucci smothered a snapshot from substitute Julio Cruz, while the other new entry Cesar volleyed over the bar from Il Jardinero's assist. Julio Cesar controlled a Pisanu curler, but Ibra got in front of Bucci to nod a Jimenez chipped cross over the bar.
It remained an extremely balanced game and Julio Cesar had to get down quickly to fingertip a Pisanu angled drive round the post after good work from Reginaldo. From the resulting corner Parma went even closer, as Fernando Couto's header slammed the inside of the upright and was going in before a decisive Cesar goalline clearance!
The Gialloblu took the lead, one could say deservedly, with substitute Andrea Gasbarroni's moment of magic. He had only been on the field for two minutes, but cheekily aimed a free kick at the near post from the tightest of angles, surprising Julio Cesar who couldn't keep it out.
Lucarelli made his Parma debut for the final 20 minutes and Julio Cesar flapped a free kick out for Pisanu to volley over. Bucci may be one of the oldest players in Serie A, but he showed he still has his wits about him with a glorious save on Cambiasso's header. From the resulting corner Cambiasso scored, but was clearly offside.
On the counter of an increasingly entertaining match, Gasbarroni fired over. Gasbarroni had another great chance, but instead of rolling across for one of two unmarked teammates he went for glory and was closed down.
Patrick Vieira made his comeback for the first time since the Champions League game in Moscow in October.
There was controversy five minutes from time, as Jimenez's effort was charged down by Bucci and Couto performed a goalline clearance on Ibrahimovic. The referee awarded a penalty and sent off Couto for handball, but replays certainly seem to suggest he got the ball with his head. Ibrahimovic sent Bucci the wrong way to convert and draw Inter level. Ibra potentially got himself into more trouble by pinching Dessena's cheek as he went past.
Parma were left with nine men as Dessena was stretchered off, but in that moment Cruz put the ball into the box and Ibrahimovic managed to chest down and fire in the winner less than 30 seconds from the final whistle.
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