Inter's big party

HAPPY HUNDRED: A giant Inter Milan jersey is hung in the stadium to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the club at San Siro on Saturday.Photo: AFP

Inter Milan kicked off their centenary celebrations with a 2-0 victory over Reggina and followed up with a feast of nostalgia.
Any chance Reggina had of spoiling the party was quashed by a generously awarded home penalty after just 14 minutes at the San Siro, followed by a string of important saves from Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic slid home the spot-kick and centre-back Nicolas Burdisso headed home a Luis Jumenez free-kick just past the half hour mark, taking advantage of some slack marking, to seal the points.
That meant the party could go ahead as planned with huge flags draped over each of the four sides of the stand.
On one side was a giant shirt donning the number 100, on another the flags of Italy and the city of Milan, on another the words centenary.
The fans would not be allowed to forget what they had turned up for.
Curiously, though, only 64,000 supporters were there in a stadium that can hold 20,000 more than that and did four days earlier for a Champions League match between AC Milan and Arsenal.
Those empty seats will likely also be banished for Tuesday's crucial Champions League tie between Inter and Liverpool with the Italians trailing 2-0 from the first leg of their last 16 clash.
Even so, those who were present created a fabulous atmosphere.
At one point a series of taped messages from personalities within the football world were played on big screens around the stadium.
Big cheers greeted the likes of former players Roberto Baggio, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Alvaro Recoba and Walter Zenga, and even current young star Mario Balotelli.
Comically though, other messages were not so well received.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter was roundly jeered but that was nothing compared to the reaction that former Juventus star, and now UEFA president, Michel Platini was given.
There was music from locally-born Italian great Adriano Celentano, speeches and videos of archive footage showing great victories of Inter Milan's past, from their two European Cup triumphs in 1964 and 1965 and also from their 15 Serie A title triumphs, five Italian Cups and three UEFA Cups.
It was a day to remember some past glories as well as revel in the current era of domestic domination.
Finally came a presentation of scores of former players, including the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann, Guiseppe Bergomi, Baggio and Zenga.
President Massimo Moratti delighted in the occasion and even managed to sing with Celentano.
"This is wonderful, the fans are happy. I was very happy to sing with Celentano because he's a big fan, an artist from this community," said Moratti, who revealed his favourite Inter player was Eddie Firmani, a South African born Italy international who spent only three years at Inter.
"I saw several players but I was impressed by Firmani, a great player who played in the period before our European Cup triumphs but who could make you cry."
Moratti also turned his attentions, ominously, to matters at hand and Liverpool.
"We want to worry, we want to concentrate, we want tenacity, we want character, we want everything that is necessary to win that match and progress," he said.
In the day's only other game Sicilians Palermo were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Udinese.