Socrates

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 0 Francesco Totti (58′) Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Attendance: 54981 Conte: 'Juve were fatigued' Feb 16, 2013 Antonio Conte blamed fatigue for Juve’s 1-0 defeat to Roma and demanded “a little more respect” for the teams in Europe. This was the second time Juventus had lost in Serie A after a Champions League match, as they were also defeated by Milan following the 3-0 win over Chelsea. “I already said before the Fiorentina game that we certainly didn’t like playing three games in seven days,” said Conte. The Bianconeri beat Celtic 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. “We were bound to pay for that with fatigue and one more day would’ve helped us to rest and reorganise. This is the only excuse I can give for today, as we did not play as a team and when we do that anyone can beat us. “Compliments to Roma, it was a good victory. This is a new Roma, so we didn’t have much to go on in preparing for them. I wish I’d had more information, as we could’ve done better. “We have regrets that there was not one more day to prepare and recover our fitness levels. I hope in future when the fixture lists are drawn up there can be a little more respect for a club that is taking Italy forward in Europe.” Conte also lambasted his squad for not following the game plan the way they usually do. “Unfortunately when we don’t play as a team, we don’t have these individual moments to get us out of trouble. “We don’t play as a team when we don’t follow the sheet music and that makes everyone go off key. Everyone went their own way and it is really disappointing. “We made two steps forward at Celtic, but one backwards today. I hope we can find that maturity that still eludes us. “I spoke to the team and wanted them to tell me who was feeling tired, emotionally drained or anything else. Everyone said they were in good shape, so I picked the players I felt would do the best job tonight. “If I had picked other players and we lost, then I’d get blamed anyway, so whatever a Coach does it’s going to risk being wrong. If I had changed the strikers after they scored so regularly, I would’ve been criticised for that. “It’s a shame the result was negative and it is ultimately my responsibility. We will try to learn from this. Fatigue can happen, but we have got to play as a team or we go nowhere. I won’t talk about individuals. I didn’t like the team, I didn’t like anyone tonight.” Kwadwo Asamoah made his first appearance since December 21, as he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations. “Asamoah was on international duty for six weeks and someone even wanted me to play him against Celtic. He looked like a fish out of water today, as he hadn’t trained with us for a month and a half and it was enough to take him out of our systems.” Conte reacted angrily when told that Walter Mazzarri had complained Napoli’s fixture list was just as crammed, having played in the Europa League on Thursday. “We played three games in seven days, how many did Napoli play? It’s easy to calculate. In any case, all the clubs in Europe must be given the opportunity to rest and recover when we are involved in these extra competitions.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 0 Francesco Totti (58′) Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Attendance: 54981 Totti: 'Great Roma character' Feb 16, 2013 Francesco Totti praised Roma’s “great character” to beat Juventus and apologised profusely to Andrea Pirlo. The captain spoke after he scored a spectacular goal, clocked at 113km/h, in tonight’s 1-0 victory. “I hoped for this, as we don’t deserve our current position. The team always tries to give its all for ourselves and the fans. Unfortunately lately we haven’t achieved that. “Only with great character could we beat a team like Juventus. It was normal that at the start we were timid, as we are coming off a very difficult time and Juve are among the best teams in Europe. “We held out in the first half, then stepped up and were able to get the victory.” It was their first win of 2013, however Totti also warned the fans and local media not to suddenly go overboard with their expectations. “At Roma it is very easy to go over the top after a victory. I think we must keep our feet on the ground, take it one Sunday at a time and see where we end up. I hope what I said this week helped everyone a little bit.” Totti was also booked for catching Pirlo on the knee with his studs, causing a nasty cut, and was extremely apologetic. “It isn’t like me to do a foul like that. He anticipated me and I was really sorry, but thankfully he was able to continue.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 0 Francesco Totti (58′) Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Attendance: 54981 'Juventus won't go anywhere if we don't play like a team' - Conte The Bianconeri coach has admitted that his side did not perform well enough during the 1-0 loss to Roma on Saturday, but refused to point the finger at anyone in particular. Feb 16, 2013 Juventus coach Antonio Conte has slammed his team's performance during Saturday's 1-0 defeat at the hands of Roma, but explained that they had been suffering from fatigue. A Francesco Totti strike saw the capital club past the Bianconeri at the Stadio Olimpico, and the former Siena boss admitted that his side did not perform at the necessary level. "Fatigue is normal, but if we don't play like a team, we won't go anywhere," he told reporters after the match. "I won't mention individuals, but I didn't like the team or anyone out there tonight. "Everyone went their own way and it was really disappointing. We have regrets that we did not have an extra day to prepare and recover our physical levels. "If I had picked other players and we lost, then I'd be blamed as well. [Kwado] Asamoah has been on international duty for six weeks and someone wanted me to play him against Celtic. He looked like a fish out of water today." Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri had been critical of the Italian champions' protests about their fixture schedule, but Conte believes his complaints were justified. "We've played three games in seven days, how many did Napoli play? It's easy to calculate," he retorted. "In any case, all clubs must be given the opportunity to recover whenever we are involved in these supplementary competitions.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 0 Francesco Totti (58′) Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Attendance: 54981 Player Ratings Goal.com evaluates the performances of everyone on show at the Stadio Olimpico, as the Giallorossi upset the champions courtesy of a stunning strike from Francesco Totti. Feb 16, 2013 ROMA Maarten Stekelenburg - Got down really well to keep out Pirlo's low free kick and did likewise with an effort from Matri shortly after half-time. Had one dodgy moment in the closing stages when he fumbled a cross but, for the most part, the Dutchman was a very reliable presence in between the posts. Marquinhos - Crucially cut out a cross from Lichsteiner that would have left Matri with a tap-in and also got in the way of a Vidal through-ball later in the first half. Typified Roma's wonderful resilience and composure at the back. Iván Rodrigo Piris - Made a great block on a goal-bound effort from Pirlo but his most valuable contribution was the way in which he kept Vucinic quiet. Indeed, the Montenegrin's withdrawal was testament to a fine night's work from Piris. Nicolas Andres Burdisso - Another who stood tall at the back for Roma. Made a vital intervention just when it appeared that Pirlo had played Vucinic in on goal with just three minutes gone. Also underlined his bravery with a brilliant block on a well-struck drive from Lichsteiner. Vasilis Torosidis - An invaluable contribution. Did not offer much by way of an attacking threat but played an absolutely massive role in nullifying the threat posed by Asamoah, who, like Vucinic, also saw his night end early. Miralem Pjanic - Full of running in the middle of the park, he created two great chances for Osvaldo and threatened himself with a stinging drive early in the second half. Eventually ran out of steam, though, and was sensibly replaced by Bradley. Daniele De Rossi - Booked for a desperately wild lunge on Lichsteiner but, that poor decision aside, the vice-captain led by example in the middle of the park, offering an industry that simply was not matched by either Pogba or Vidal. Marquinho - Initially struggled to contain Lichsteiner but showed far more appetite for the fight the longer the first half wore on. Also charged forward at every opportunity to give his Swiss opponent something to think about from a defensive perspective. Indeed, he would have netted a second for Roma had Lichsteiner not got in the way of his goal-bound effort late on. Erik Lamela - Caused chaos every time he got on the ball, with his trickery and clever lines of running. Linked very well with Osvaldo and was a great outlet for Totti. Francesco Totti - A classic Totti performance. Was calmness personified in possession but his old nasty streak came to the fore 30 minutes in when he left the boot in on Andrea Pirlo. However, he then brought the house down with a stunning strike. Ageing like a fine wine. Pablo Daniel Osvaldo - Despite being closely marked by Barzagli, Osvaldo did a fine job leading the line, producing a number of neat lay-offs while at the same time causing problems with his movement and direct running. Should have scored, though, after getting his head on a cross from Pjanic. Substitutions Federico Balzaretti - Replaced Marquinho for the last 10 minutes as Roma looked to shut up shop. Michael Bradley - Took over from Pjanic in the middle of the park and settled in nicely. Alessandro Florenzi - Sent on in place of Totti for the final few minutes to do some chasing, as well as given the Roma No.10 a deserved standing ovation. JUVENTUS Gianluigi Buffon - Dealt pretty easily with everything that Roma threw at him in the first half, which wasn't much. However, he was very busy after the restart, saving well from Pjanic before pulling off a terrific stop deny Osvaldo from close range. Absolutely powerless to prevent Totti from opening the scoring, though, and was one of the few Juve players to show up. Andrea Barzagli - Made two crucial clearances inside the opening 10 minutes alone and while Osvaldo caused him the odd bit of bother, he was solid as ever. Leonardo Bonucci - Caught a little flat-footed by Osvaldo early on, but was fairly cool and composed thereafter. Martín Cáceres - The weak link at the back for Juve, the Uruguayan never looked entirely comfortable, least of all when he ventured into enemy territory. Stephan Lichtsteiner - Got in behind Marquinho a few times inside the opening quarter but never managed to pick anyone out in the centre. During the second half, meanwhile, it was he who was forced onto the back foot. Paul Pogba - Teed up Vucinic for a volley that flew just wide and went on one tremendous run from inside his own half which showcased his quick feet and impressive turn of pace. However, overall, his passing was poor and he struggled to impose himself on proceedings. Andrea Pirlo - Probing right from the off, the veteran midfielder very nearly put Vucinic clean through inside three minutes before then going so close to breaking the deadlock with a free kick. His influence waned after Totti left him with a nasty gash on his knee but he was still one of Juve's better players. Arturo Vidal - A desperately subdued showing from the Chilean, who also struggled to impose himself in Glasgow in midweek. Not once made his presence felt and his no-show allowed De Rossi & Co. to run riot. Kwadwo Asamoah - Looking more than a little jaded in what was his first game back after the Africa Cup of Nations, the former Udinese man was not his usual rampaging self during the first half and was unsurprisingly replaced shortly after the break. Mirko Vučinić - Really struggled to get into the game but very nearly broke the deadlock with a stunning volley that went just inches wide. However, it came as no surprise when he was hauled off 10 minutes into the second half. Alessandro Matri - The in-form forward had barely had a touch of the ball before getting his first sight of goal just after the interval, Matri seeing his low strike from a tight angle easily dealt with by Stekelenburg. Kept working, but to no avail. Substitutions Simone Padoin - Came on for Asamoah but did not do anything worthy of note. Sebastian Giovinco - Thrown on in place of the ineffective Vucinic, the diminutive forward fared little better up top. Nicolas Anelka - Sprung from the bench with just under 20 minutes to go but did not get a sniff of goal. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 0 Francesco Totti (58′) Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Attendance: 54981 Totti on target to down Juve Feb 16, 2013 Francesco Totti won his personal battle with Gianluigi Buffon as Roma did a favour to their city rivals Lazio, and themselves, with a 1-0 win over Juventus. Totti struck an unstoppable winner in the 58th minute as Roma edged up to within six points of the top five while Juve's five-point advantage at the top of Serie A could be cut by Napoli on Sunday. Lazio will also take joy in Roma's win as they can get back into the hunt for the Scudetto with victory at Siena on Monday night. There were plenty of smiles and hugs as captains Totti and Buffon exchanged pennants prior to the coin toss, but as has been the case nine times in the past already, Totti ultimately wiped the smile off Buffon's face. His goal in the 58th minute was worthy of winning any match, and it left Buffon with no chance. Miralem Pjanic's direct free-kick attempt was blocked by a Juve defender and the ball fell to Totti 25 yards from goal. He did not think twice as he made perfect contact with the ball, rendering Buffon's dive unnecessary as the net was already rippling before the Italy number one even got near it. Totti's strike was no more than the Giallorossi deserved after dominating the first hour against the champions. Pablo Osvaldo had already wasted a hat-trick of chances, the best of which a header straight at Buffon in the 57th minute, while the closest Juve had come was early in the second half when former Roma striker Mirko Vucinic volleyed wide. Andrea Pirlo, who suffered an early scare after a clash of knees with a concerned Totti, had also brought a fine save out of Maarten Stekelenburg with a curling free-kick, but Juve were lacking their usual bite. Roma, on the other hand, continued to cause the Juve defence concern with Erik Lamela dancing his way through, but overdoing it a little in the 70th minute as his last stepover let him down. Nicolas Anelka was sent on by Juve coach Antonio Conte to add further weight to his attack but although he set up fellow substitute Sebastian Giovinco for a chance late on, he could not alter the course of the game as Roma picked up a morale-boosting victory at the Stadio Olimpico. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 0 Francesco Totti (58′) Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Attendance: 54981 Totti missile sinks Juve! Francesco Totti’s missile clocked at 113km/h gave the all-new Roma a surprise 1-0 victory over Serie A leaders Juventus. Feb 16, 2013 The Giallorossi’s crisis dragged on even after Zdenek Zeman’s dismissal, as new Coach Aurelio Andreazzoli lost his debut 3-1 away to Sampdoria. He changed the system again to a 3-4-2-1 with Erik Lamela and Totti supporting under-fire striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, but full-back Ivan Piris was strangely moved into a back three. Juve were fresh from a 3-0 triumph at Celtic Park, but had Claudio Marchisio and Federico Peluso suspended, while Giorgio Chiellini, Paolo De Ceglie and Nicklas Bendtner were injured. Kwadwo Asamoah played his first game since December 21 after the Africa Cup of Nations. Osvaldo cut back from the left and fired straight at Gigi Buffon, then he ran on to a through ball to go round the goalkeeper and rolled back towards an empty net, but Leonardo Bonucci deflected it back into his arms before any Roma players could pounce. Daniele De Rossi was booked for a very hard tackle on Stephan Lichtsteiner and from that Andrea Pirlo free kick, Maarten Stekelenburg had to get down to palm it round the base of the upright. Stekelenburg also smothered a Paul Pogba long-range effort and Francesco Totti went into the book when catching Pirlo on the knee with his studs, leaving a nasty cut. The Roma captain was very apologetic to his fellow 2006 World Cup winner. Straight after the restart, Osvaldo ran on to a through ball and anticipated Andrea Barzagli at full stretch to prod wide of the target. Moments later Mirko Vucinic slightly shinned his volley wide from an excellent position. It was suddenly wide open and Torosidis got on the end of a Totti assist only to be forced out for a corner by a sliding tackle. Miralem Pjanic unleashed a screamer from 25 metres that stung Buffon’s palms in a flying save to his right. Alessandro Matri sprung the offside trap and tested Stekelenburg at the base of the near post, as Conte introduced Sebastian Giovinco and Simone Padoin. Osvaldo soared above the crowd to aim a bullet header under the bar, but Buffon beat it away in a reaction save from point-blank range. Roma broke the deadlock in some style. A free kick was charged down to 23 metres, where Totti immediately hit an unstoppable right-foot rocket into the near top corner. Buffon had absolutely no chance, as it was travelling at 113km/h. This was the 10th career goal Totti has put past Buffon. De Rossi should’ve made it 2-0 when Roma went on the counter from a Juve corner and Osvaldo knocked it down for his teammate, but the midfielder hit a fresh-air shot. He had started the move, so was presumably exhausted by the time he got to the other end. Lamela prodded inches wide of the back stick from a flicked-on corner, then the Argentine dribbled past two players before Barzagli got a toe in to stop him shooting from six yards. The final substitution was Nicolas Anelka, who received his Serie A debut after playing a couple of minutes against Celtic, as Juve changed to a 4-3-3 system. Stekelenburg risked throwing it all away when he fumbled a cross, but Roma received a free kick as Pogba pushed his defender. Moments later Buffon palmed a Totti low cross off the feet of Lamela in the six-yard box and the Marquinho follow-up was deflected out off Lichtsteiner’s arm from point-blank range, but the linesman had already flagged offside. In the final minute Roma went on another counter and Torosidis flashed a ball across the face of goal with no teammates able to get on the end of it. Juve were furious at the final whistle, as deep into stoppages Buffon went up for the last corner and the referee blew the whistle before they could take it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROMA: Stekelenburg; Piris, Burdisso, Marquinhos; Torosidis, De Rossi, Pjanic (Bradley 68), Marquinho (Balzaretti 83); Lamela, Totti (Florenzi 88); Osvaldo JUVENTUS: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Caceres; Lichtsteiner, Vidal (Anelka 71), Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah (Padoin 56); Vucinic (Giovinco 56), Matri Ref: Rocchi http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) 1 - 0 Francesco Totti (58′) Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi Attendance: 54981‎ Champions shocked by Totti thunderbolt The Giallorossi skipper rolled back the years with a blistering 25-yard drive that gave Bianconeri goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon absolutely no chance. Feb 16, 2013 Roma ended a run of seven Serie A matches without a win by stunning leaders Juventus 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. Francesco Totti scored the only goal of the game on 58 minutes, the Giallorossi captain finding the top left corner of Gianluigi Buffon's goal with an unstoppable 25-yard drive. Juventus tried to rally in the remaining half hour but a blunt Bianconeri outfit were unable to force an equaliser, meaning Napoli can now cut their lead at the summit of the standings to just two points should the Partenopei defeat Sampdoria at home on Sunday. Despite their woeful recent form, Roma began in a sprightly fashion, with Pablo Osvaldo looking particularly lively up front. Indeed, the forward threatened twice inside the opening 10 minutes, cutting inside Leonardo Bonucci early on only to shoot straight at Buffon, before then being forced too far wide by the Juventus skipper to get a shot away after being slipped through by Erik Lamela. However, Juventus, despite their Champions League exertions in midweek, also played their part in what was an agreeably open start to the game, with Andrea Pirlo very nearly opening the scoring with a clever free kick that could very easily have sneaked into the bottom right corner of Maarten Stekelenburg’s goal, had the Dutchman not got down so swiftly to parry the ball to safety. Rather frustratingly, though, the pace of the game dropped and the atmosphere became increasingly tetchy. Indeed, Daniele De Rossi levelled Stephan Lichtsteiner with a desperately late lunge on the Swiss wing-back before Francesco Totti elected to run his studs down the leg of Pirlo, leaving the playmaker with a nasty gash on his knee. Happily, the half-time break removed some of the mounting tension from the game, allowing both sides to rediscover their attacking instincts, with particularly pleasing results for the neutral. First, Osvaldo hooked the ball just wide after sliding to get on the end of Totti's through-ball and then, just moments later, Mirko Vucinic's whizzed the most wonderfully executed volley just past Stekelenburg's right post. It was obvious that a goal was coming and it arrived just before the hour mark - and in sensational fashion. Miralem Pjanic tried his luck with a free kick but it was blocked by the Bianconeri wall. However, the ball only went as far as Totti, who unleashed a blistering, first-time shot that gave Buffon in the Juventus goal absolutely no chance. Juventus pushed forward in search of an equaliser but, in truth, it was Roma who looked the more likely to score next, and it was only a combination of poor finishing and wonderful defending that prevented them from doing so, with Daniele De Rossi miscuing after being teed up by Osvaldo, before Lichtsteiner threw his body in the way of an effort from Marquinho. In the end, though, a solitary strike from their skipper proved enough to earn Roma a long overdue win - and blow the Scudetto race wide open in the process. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Gran palla di Anelka, Giovinco a vuoto.

Giovinco.

Entra Anelka!

Roma di nuovo pericolosa.

Totti 1-0

Respinta centrale di Buffon.

Serie A Week 25 - 16-2-2013 (8:45 p.m.) - Olimpico Stadium - Rome Referee: Gianluca Rocchi HT 0-0: Stek keeps Pirlo out Feb 16, 2013 The new Roma is holding out at half-time against Juventus, as Maarten Stekelenburg denied Andrea Pirlo. The Giallorossi’s crisis dragged on even after Zdenek Zeman’s dismissal, as new Coach Aurelio Andreazzoli lost his debut 3-1 away to Sampdoria. He changed the system again to a 3-4-2-1 with Erik Lamela and Francesco Totti supporting under-fire striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, but full-back Ivan Piris was strangely moved into a back three. Juve were fresh from a 3-0 triumph at Celtic Park, but had Claudio Marchisio and Federico Peluso suspended, while Giorgio Chiellini, Paolo De Ceglie and Nicklas Bendtner were injured. Kwadwo Asamoah played his first game since December 21 after the Africa Cup of Nations. Osvaldo cut back from the left and fired straight at Gigi Buffon, then he ran on to a through ball to go round the goalkeeper and rolled back towards an empty net, but Leonardo Bonucci deflected it back into his arms before any Roma players could pounce. Daniele De Rossi was booked for a very hard tackle on Stephan Lichtsteiner and from that Andrea Pirlo free kick, Maarten Stekelenburg had to get down to palm it round the base of the upright. Stekelenburg also smothered a Paul Pogba long-range effort and Francesco Totti went into the book when catching Pirlo on the knee with his studs, leaving a nasty cut. The Roma captain was very apologetic to his fellow 2006 World Cup winner. Roma 0-0 Juventus (Half-Time) ROMA: Stekelenburg; Piris, Burdisso, Marquinhos; Torosidis, De Rossi, Pjanic, Marquinho; Lamela, Totti; Osvaldo JUVENTUS: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Caceres; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah; Vucinic, Matri Ref: Rocchi http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Ma dov'era il fallo di Pogba?

Ottimo Bonucci.

Fuorigioco netto di Osvaldo che non ci crede.

Tanti errori.

Totti da rosso.

Pupone maledetto!

Er pupone!

Grande parata di Stekelenburg sulla punizione di Pirlo.

Fallaccio di De Rossi.

Buffon di mano, non era passaggio all'indietro.

Perché tiri Andrea?