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| | Week 2 spotlight: De Sanctis denies Roma | Monday 12 September, 2005 |
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 Player of the Week: De Sanctis (Udinese)
Udinese ‘keeper Morgan De Sanctis has been regarded as one of Italy’s best for the last few years now and his performance at Roma on Sunday illustrated exactly why. The former Juventus bench warmer put in another extraordinary display between the sticks as he single-handedly kept out the Giallorossi.
De Sanctis will certainly feel that he had a point to prove after being leapfrogged by Angelo Peruzzi for the Italy No 1 jersey last week. The Friuli hero had been a regular in the set-up behind Gigi Buffon and Flavio Roma for the last 12 months. So when those two custodians got injured, the 28-year-old could have been forgiven for thinking that he would be handed the gloves for the Scotland and Belarus trips.
However, boss Marcello Lippi opted to recall Peruzzi instead. Although the Lazio veteran could arguably be considered as a safer option, De Sanctis is a player who fans should feel at ease with. He’s undoubtedly one of the bravest in the Division and his reflexes aren’t bad either. His two miracle stops from Daniele De Rossi were sublime, saves worthy of the three points which his side took away from the Stadio Olimpico.
De Sanctis started his career in the Second Division with Pescara back in 1994. His form during his three-year spell on the Adriatic coast alerted the attention of Juventus, who plucked him to ironically be back-up for Peruzzi. The Guardiagrele-born shot-stopper moved to Udine in 1998 but only became a regular during the 2002-03 season.
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Goal of the Week: Bonazzoli (Sampdoria)
Appearances can clearly be deceptive. After all, Emiliano Bonazzoli is not exactly elegance personified. Yet it was the rugged Sampdoria target man who rippled the most spectacular goal of the weekend. The former Under-21 international grabbed the opener in Doria’s 3-2 win over Reggina with a strike that Barcelona sensation Ronaldinho would have been proud of.
Bonazzoli, widely praised for his ability in the air, showed Serie A onlookers that there is clearly more to his game than many first believed. Standing just on the edge of the area, the giant brought the ball under control with his chest, before unleashing a rasping diagonal right foot volley into the top corner of the net.
Of course, Reggina fans knew that the 25-year-old had that sort of ability in his locker. Many still remember his stunning strike for them at Lazio last season before he opted to swap the Stadio Granillo for the Stadio Marassi this summer. They will take some comfort, perhaps, from the fact that Bonazzoli had the decency to not celebrate out of respect to his now former club.
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 Number of the Week: 99
David Trezeguet’s double at Empoli on Sunday means that he is just one goal shy of his century for Juventus. The Frenchman has now netted 75 goals in Serie A, with the other 24 coming in various Cup competitions. The 4-0 destruction of the Tuscan minnows, Juve’s first poker away from home since 19 January 2003, also saw Patrick Vieira net his first goal in Italy. |
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| Words: Antonio Labbate |
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