| |
| | Spotlight: Diamanti in the rough |
Monday 21 April, 2008
|
| Football Italia rounds up the winners and the losers from Week 34 of the Serie A season |
|
 |
|
|
The winners…
Alessandro Diamanti (Livorno)
Even more so than Julio Cruz, this is the man who is set to decide the Scudetto. Diamanti played in Serie C up until this season, yet his free kick ended Roma’s 12-match winning streak at the Olimpico and allowed Inter to go six points clear.
Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
Alex can’t seem to stay out of this section at the moment, as a hat-trick takes him just two goals away from Marco Borriello at the top of the Capocannoniere charts and makes a Euro 2008 recall almost inevitable.
Kaka (Milan)
If anyone wondered how much Milan have been missing their shining light at full fitness, then they just had to see him single-handedly tear Reggina apart. The Brazilian converted two penalties, placed a snooker shot into the far corner and harangued the poor Amaranto defence for 90 minutes.
The losers…
Francesco Totti (Roma)
We don’t want to add insult to injury – literally in this case – but it had to be the worst weekend of Totti’s life. In one fell swoop he saw Roma fumble the Scudetto in typical fashion against the bottom of the table club and tore knee ligaments that will keep him out for four to six months.
Michele Fini (Cagliari)
Yes, you scored a fantastic goal, but DO NOT TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT TO CELEBRATE WHEN YOU’RE ALREADY ON A YELLOW CARD. Sorry to shout, but it had to be said.
Nicola Ayroldi
We could’ve said Andrea Gasbarroni for his horrific tackle on the back of Gyorgy Garics’ knee, or Walter Gargano and Giulio Falcone for their ear-pulling brawl. But really, the Tardini tension was stoked up by the incompetence of a referee who awarded two completely invented penalties, sent off McDonald Mariga for getting fouled and lost all control of the game.
The goals…
Marco Donadel (Fiorentina)
He doesn’t score often, but when he does they tend to be just like this – a right-foot screamer from over 20 metres that slotted into the far bottom corner.
Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
The pick of his three was probably the last, as David Trezeguet held up the ball for Del Piero’s unstoppable volley. The run on to Cristiano Zanetti's pass over the defence and angled drive was an excellent candidate, too.
Michele Fini (Cagliari)
Robert Acquafresca’s splendid turn in the same game was equally worthy, but Fini sneaks it for the sheer power of his half-volley that nearly broke the net.
The numbers…
Seeing red
It was a bumper round of 11 dismissals, not including Coaches Edy Reja and Pasquale Marino. Lazio are now the least disciplined side in Serie A with 11 red cards and Parma follow on nine. Both are well above the other teams’ average of five.
Triple delight
Alessandro Del Piero nets his fourth Serie A hat-trick – the first outside Turin – and takes his career tally to 151 goals. Kaka’s treble also allows the Milan man to equal his career best of 14 goals in 2005-06.
Fall of Roma
The Olimpico result was unexpected for several reasons. Above all Roma had won their last 12 home games on the trot in Serie A and Livorno hadn’t scored in their last five away matches. The Amaranto had lost all but two of their previous 15 visits to the capital, picking up a draw in 1933 and a 1-0 win in 1947.
|
|
| Words: Susy Campanale |
|
Past Spotlights
A unique review of each round of the 2007-08 Serie A campaign. More |
|
| |
| |
