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| | Spotlight: Amazing Alvaro |
Monday 30 April, 2007
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| Football Italia rounds up the winners and the losers from Week 34 of the Serie A season |
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The winners…
Alvaro Recoba (Inter)
The Nerazzurro, who seems set to leave the outfit at the end of the season, scored his first goal since March 2006 in Inter’s 3-1 win over Empoli. The outfit’s first home game since securing the Scudetto was preceded by scenes of celebration for the first title won on the pitch since 1989 and El Chino put in an excellent overall performance, sealing the victory with corner flag goal, swinging the ball under the crossbar and catching goalkeeper Davide Bassi by surprise.
Angelo Peruzzi (Lazio)
The Lazio and former Italy goalkeeper announced his immediate retirement from football after the goalless draw with Roma in Sunday’s Derby della Capitale. The 37-year-old, who made his Serie A debut for Roma in 1987 before moving on to play for Verona, Juventus and Inter before joining Lazio at the start of the 2000-01 season, played a good match despite a broken finger, confirming that he will be greatly missed by the Biancocelesti.
Alberto Fontana (Palermo)
The Rosanero goalkeeper made some crucial saves in the match against Livorno, contributing to the 2-1 win over the Tuscan side and allowing the Sicilian outfit to record their first Serie A win after 12 matches. The Isolani are now fifth in the table, six points shy of fourth-placed Lazio.
The losers…
Francesco Totti (Roma)
Il Capitano’s presence in the Derby della Capitale was in doubt because of a back problem, but he decided to play nonetheless and gave a dull performance. The day’s big match ended with a goalless draw, which left the Giallorossi supporters disappointed, and the world champion failed to impress, coming off for Mirko Vucinic 15 minutes before the final whistle.
Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)
The Bianconero was ordered off in the match with Catania at the Stadio Friuli for his dissent towards referee Luca Marelli, who had awarded a controversial penalty to the Sicilian outfit. The red card shown to the striker left the Zebrette with nine men, allowing Catania to celebrate their first victory in four months, as their last League triumph had come on January 24, when they defeated Empoli 2-1.
Oscar Brevi (Torino)
The Granata defender left his side with 10 men 15 minutes before the final whistle in the match with Milan, which ended with a 1-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico. The home side had no answer once the defender was sent off and Torino remain in deep relegation trouble, having picked up one point in five matches.
The goals…
Pasquale Foggia (Reggina)
The striker scored an impressive goal against his former side Ascoli in the Amaranto’s crucial 3-2 win away at the Stadio Del Duca, easing his side’s fears of relegation. Foggia eluded all his opponents with a run down the right flank, then sending the ball beyond outstretched ‘keeper Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos.
Christian Maggio (Sampdoria)
The Blucerchiati secured a precious 2-0 win away at Siena, breaking the deadlock thanks to Christian Maggio. The defender scored a stunning strike after 38 minutes, when he volleyed the ball at the near post with his back to the goal.
Reginaldo (Fiorentina)
The Viola scored a superb goal which gave the Gigliati an important win over Chievo, keeping alive their slim hopes of a Champions League spot. The Brazilian took advantage of Fabio Liverani’s cross, which went past Giampaolo Pazzini, volleying the ball with his right foot around goalkeeper Lorenzo Squizzi into the far top corner.
The numbers…
Amoruso equals personal best
Nicola Amoruso was once again decisive in Reggina’s win over Ascoli, scoring a brace and bringing his personal tally to 14 Serie A goals this season. The striker, who has netted five times in the last three matches, had not done so well since 1995-96, when he appeared for Padova.
Inter add new records
Inter secured their 27th win of the season, equalling the record set in the 1950-51 season, when Aldo Olivieri sat on the Nerazzurri bench, and Roberto Mancini now has four more matches to further improve the record. Furthermore, Inter scored at the San Siro for the 36th straight time, as their last goalless game at the Stadio Meazza dates back to May 29, 2005 against Reggina.
Milan fly high
The Rossoneri’s win over Torino is their fifth in a row, a season record for the San Siro outfit, who have won 16 points from their last seven matches. Also, Clarence Seedorf scored his sixth Serie A goal, a record for the Dutchman, who had scored the same number with Ajax in 1994-95 and with Real Madrid in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
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| Words: Lara Mezzanotte |
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Past Spotlights
A unique review of each round of the 2006-07 Serie A campaign. More |
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