Faceoff Between Legends ai??i?? Buffon Scores A Point Against Totti
There are occasions grand enough to leave everyone witnessing spellbound. When two legends engage into a one-on-one faceoff, all hell breaks loose and the world ceases for moments before reclaiming normalcy. In the 15th round of Serie A action when Luis Enriqueai??i??s struggling AS Roma hosted Juventus, one such moment arrived when the home side were awarded a penalty minutes after the visitors restored parity in the second half after being put down through a Daniele De Rossi effort early in the first half.
Club captain and icon Francesco Totti, one of the best in business, was undoubtedly the chosen one to take the spot kick and put his team into the driving seat again. However, the Roman emperor was this time up against a goalkeeper who is equally legendary in stature. Gianluigi Buffon, Juventusai??i?? number one once again demonstrated why he is considered to be one of the best when he denied Totti scoring from the spot ai??i?? something that happens as rarely as Amauri scoring for Juventus ai??i?? with his unparalleled reflexes, vision and instinctive goalkeeping prowess. The save meant that Giorgio Chielliniai??i??s equalizer would prove to be just about enough for Juventus to continue their unbeaten run.
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Luis Enrique ai??i?? Running Out Of Time?
Having collected only one point in their last three league games, the capital side led by Luis Enrique require some serious scrutiny regarding the football that they are playing. Apparently, the plans of implementing the Barcelona ideology in Rome have not gone down to well with the Giallorossi and the league table does not read too well for the side despite no European commitments for the season. A point against league leaders Juventus despite a much depleted squad at disposal must provide Luis Enrique some breather but certainly does not match the ambitions set by the American owners.
Clarence Seedorf ai??i?? Hero & Villain In A Matter of Minutes
Though the Dutchmanai??i??s game is on an exponential deterioration of late and has invited a fair share of criticism from both the media and fans alike for his lack of pace and vision, shooting remains his forte and in the weekend fixture against Bologna, Seedorf did not fail to provide the glimpses of what he does the best. After being put down by an inch-perfect chip from the home skipper Marco Di Vaio, Seedorf lurched in a devastating strike to put the Rossoneri on level terms.
However, minutes later, while aiming to stop an Alessandro Diamanti cross from causing any potential danger, Seedorf quite clearly ended up handling the ball inside the box. Ideally, Bologna should have been straight away awarded a penalty but on the contrary, Panagiotis Kone was booked for protesting. With one goal apiece from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessandro Diamanti during the second half, the game ended 2-2, after providing some highly entertaining football in the dying minutes.
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Gianluca Rocchi Grabs The Limelight Once More
The game between Bologna and Milan was certainly not the one decided solely on the performances of the two sides. It was heavily influenced by some of the most horrendous decisions on the part of the match official Gianluca Rocchi who has managed a reputation for himself over the years now of changing the fortunes of a game for the worse with his shocker of judgements.
Apart from ruling out Bolognaai??i??s penalty appeal despite Seedorf clearly handling the ball, Rocchi awarded Milan a decisive penalty in the second half when Zlatan Ibrahimovic ai???fellai??i?? at the slightest of contact from Andrea Raggi while the latter attempted at clearing the ball from the box. If not for the two decisions, the final outcome of the game might have been different and in all likelihood the home side would have ended up being the happier of the two.
Napoli ai??i?? Shining Continentally; Struggling Domestically
Though their fifth position on the league table suggests against pressing the panic buttons already, a seven point gap to the fourth placed Lazio is definitely worth asking some questions at Walter Mazzariai??i??s sideai??i??s apparent struggle in finding the right balance between the domestic and European commitments. The weekend clash against Novara was their third consecutive face-off with a provincial team after facing Siena and Lecce in two previous rounds.
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Much to the disappointment of the fans, the Naples outfit could only amass a single victory from the three games. Given their squad strength, this was a great opportunity to claim all the nine available points and close in on the gap to the top teams. It took a late equalizer from Blerim Dzemalli for the visitors to earn a point from the game after a stunning free kick from Ivan Radovanovic put Novara in front.
Internazionale Inch Closer To The Top Half
A convincing 2-0 win over Fiorentina saw Internazionale earning six points in last three games from a possible nine. Claudio Ranieriai??i??s Internazionale is still far from being well versed but is certainly showing some signs of carving a progressive path. Against a Fiorentina side that entered without the services of star wing forward Stevan Jovetic and the midfield lynchpin Ricardo Montolivo, Internazionale immediately made the home advantage count.
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A goal from Giampaolo Pazzini and Yuto Nagatomo on each side of the goal earned the home team three vital points. Brazilian youngster Phillipe Coutinho once again failed not to impress the fans and raised their bar of expectations. Internazionale are traveling to Genoa on Tuesday to play last monthai??i??s postponed fixture and a win here can assure them the seventh position on the table. A victory with three-goal margin or more can even see them supersede Palermo for the sixth place.
Udinese, Lazio Extend The Positive Run
We are nearing to the conclusion of the first half of the season and the two teams that have stood out despite not being tagged favorites are Udinese and Lazio. The two battled it out for the fourth spot last season where Udinese just edged past the team from the capital by managing a last matchday draw against Champions Milan. Producing impressive wins over Chievo and Lecce, Udinese and Lazio are now sitting second and fourth on the table respectively. Given the current run of form, both the teams are bound to give the traditional front-runners a run for their money in the title race.
A Battle of Goalkeepers Where Adrian Mutu Reigned Supreme
Palermo have had a highly topsy-turvy campaign this season and with their first loss at home they only furthered to their reputation of being unpredictable in a league competition. The game that ended 1-0 in favour of Cesena ai??i?? the visitors of the Sicilian club ai??i?? was a battle of two goalkeepers Francesco Benussi and Nicola Ravaglia as both produced a professional display of goalkeeping denying their respective opponents fairly realistic chances more than once.
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However, Adrian Mutu, who played the entire game doing justice to his potential finally managed to break the deadlock that handed over his team three vital points. The loss put an end to the rampant home form of Palermo as the Rosanero were handed over their first defeat in their own backyard.
Match of the Weekend
Lecce 2-3 Lazio
Though it can largely be classified a game of two halves, the excitement levels maintained throughout and the late winner from Miroslav Klose, something that comes all too naturally to the German qualifies the game as the best one from the matchday.
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Star of the Weekend
Miroslav Klose (Lazio)
The ever-green German veteran who never fails to deliver the signs of getting younger ever since his arrival in Italy, once again ensured why he is rated as one of the most dangerous men inside the box defying the barriers of age.
Against the R-zone strugglers Lecce, Klose once again raised his standards to match the occasion and scored crucial goals to ensure his team take all three points from an important away game. The winner in the 87th minute where Klose outjumped the centre defence of Lecce and headed the ball precisely into the back of the net strengthened his vintage value even further.
Goal of the Weekend
Alberto Paloschi (Chievo) v Udinese
Though Milan did not have an exactly memorable weekend in terms of result, their youth product serving a loan period for the Verona based club must have done his parent club proud with this effort of his that put his team on the scoresheet. Although the goal carried hardly any significance to the final result, it provided the visitors a consolation nonetheless.
Save of the Weekend
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) v Roma
Apart from Buffonai??i??s goalkeeping attributes that came strong to deny a spot kick from someone of Tottiai??i??s caliber and class, the juncture at which he produced the save and its impact on the result of the game easily reserves a place for this category.
Miss of the Weekend
Mattia Destro (Siena) v Genoa
Despite being a goal down in the second half at home, Siena were very much into the game and chances were coming thick and fast. During these intense moments, Italian U-21 striker Mattia Destro found himself with only the keeper to beat after an assist from his teammate deflected off the Genoa defender and came straight to him. However, Destro managed to do a Robinho and hit the top of the post despite the goalkeeper having already fallen the wrong way.
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Diego Milito Meets a New Low
The Argentine striker who played the protagonist in the Jose Mourinho directed epic that was released in the year 2010, has since fallen from the highest pedestal of his career. Milito met the new lows when he was voted for the satirical Bidone dai??i??Oroaward (Golden Dustbin) conducted by a ai???Rai Radio 2ai??i?? programme Catersport. Milito beat Amauri and Krasic who secured the second and third positions respectively.
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Champion no more?
Results at a glance
Lecce
2 – 3
Lazio
Siena
0 – 2
Genoa
Internazionale
2 – 0
Fiorentina
Palermo
0 – 1
Cesena
Atalanta
1 – 1
Catania
Bologna
2 – 2
Milan
Cagliari
0 – 0
Parma
Udinese
2 – 1
Chievo
Novara
1 – 1
Napoli
Roma
1 – 1
Juventus
Team of the Weekend (4-3-3)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus); Guillermo Rodriguez (Cesena), Lucio (Inter), Nicola Legrottaglie (Catania), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus); Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Marco Rossi (Genoa), Andrea Cossu (Cagliari); Adrian Mutu (Cesena), Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Phillipe Coutinho (Inter)
