Translated material
Passion of the Eternal City
Lazio beat Roma in the Rome derby
The main event of the European football weekend took place in Rome, where for the first time this season two teams from the Italian capital - Lazio and Roma - came face to face. This match has been on the lips of every resident of the Eternal City for a whole month - two weeks before the “classico” the conversations begin, heating up every day, and two weeks after its completion they gradually fade away. There is a suspicion that the vicissitudes of last Sunday's derby will be discussed until the next meeting, which is scheduled for the end of April.Roma won six victories in a row before the match with their eternal enemy. Six victories in which the goalkeepers of the Roman opponents got the balls out of their goal 19 times. Moreover, this season the Giallorossi are almost the only team in Europe that manages to combine amazing showmanship with equally amazing efficiency. But it is generally accepted that any facts mean absolutely nothing in a real derby. That's how it happened this time too. Lazio, which is not very bright these days, defeated Roma with a score of 3:0! Having fought off the attacks of the “yellow-reds”, the “white-blues” only really spread their wings towards the end of the first half and carried out a couple of attacks. It was then that the scoring was opened - perhaps the only Lazio player who could reach star status in the near future, 24-year-old Argentinean Christian Ledesma struck a fantastic shot from 33 meters and hit the top nine of the team's "weakest link" goal Luciano Spalletti - Alexandra Doni. After the break, Massimo Oddo, who converted a penalty, and his namesake Mutarelli upset the Brazilian once more and scored the first ever (!) home victory over the “sworn friends” with a big score. This result played into the hands of Inter Milan, which, having won a record eighth victory in a row in its history (this time over Empoli with a score of 3:0), was already seven points away from Roma. As for Milan, the Rossoneri once again disappointed, failing to defeat Torino at home - 0:0, and the leader of the hosts' attacks, Alberto Gilardino, missed a penalty shortly before the final whistle.
Barcelona won their routine victory in the Pyrenees. The Catalans hosted one of the main outsiders of the championship - Real Sociedad - and were content with the only goal scored in a not very impressive game. 1:0, and the goal was scored by Ronaldinho, who was playing in earnest. The most anticipated match of the tour took place in Andalusia, where the current winner of the UEFA Cup and European Super Cup, Sevilla, hosted Real Madrid. The hand of Fabio Capello, turning the “royal” club into one of the most pragmatic teams in the Old World, is more and more noticeable with each round. But against Sevilla, which has gained momentum and manages to part with its leading players year after year, but despite this, continue to demonstrate high-class play, the Italian’s tactical plan did not work. The visitors took the lead thanks to David Beckham, who made his mark with a clever free-kick in the 13th minute. But just four minutes later, Frederic Kanoute, a Frenchman who plays for the Mali national team, equalized the score, and after the break, a noticeable game advantage was turned into a victory by Uruguayan Ernesto Chevanton - 2:1. Valencia attracted attention, interrupting a 6-match winless streak with a big victory over Deportivo - 4:0. Barcelona, having scored 33 points, went to the Land of the Rising Sun for the title of club world champion, giving Seville, which was two points behind, a chance to take the lead in the next round. Real Madrid has 29 points.
Another unimpressive victory was won by Bayern Munich, this time beating Energie from Cottbus - 2:1. Bastian Schweinsteisscher and Daniel van Buyten scored for the current national champions - the players against whom, based on the results of the first part of the championship, Felix Magath should probably have the least complaints. To the delight of intrigue lovers, as well as fans of other clubs, all the southerners' competitors also won victories in the penultimate round of the outgoing year. Stuttgart, thanks to an accurate strike from Marco Streller in the 87th minute, defeated Bochum - 1:0, Schalke 04 in the Ruhr derby, not without the help of the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper who failed the match, won with a score of 3:1, and Werder Bremen defeated Eintracht Frankfurt am Main with a memorable score of 6:2 against Spartak Moscow. What is noteworthy is that the defender Naldo (full name: Ronaldo Aparecido Rodriguez. - Editor's note ) played poker in this meeting, who threatens to become the most tasty morsel on the upcoming transfer market next summer. The Brazilian, who according to anthropometric data resembles his compatriot Lucio, scores the sixth goal of the season, and does this with his head, and after short passes with partners, and with free kicks. Werder and Schalke lead the standings with 33 points, Stuttgart have 31 and Bayern have one less.
As for the French championship, there is only one real intrigue left - who will take second and third places, giving the right to participate in the Champions League. Nobody has any questions with the first line for a long time. The champion of the last five years, Lyon, is rushing to the sixth title at full speed. In the reporting round, Gerard Houllier's team dealt with Paris Saint-Germain without any major problems - 3:1, winning their fifteenth (!) victory in 17 rounds. Lens, which was 14 points behind, beat Toulouse 1:0 and moved to second place. Lille, which shared points with the most titled French club Saint-Etienne - 2:2, dropped to an honorable third place.
Results. Italian Championship. 15th round. "Regina" - "Ascoli" - 2:1. "Palermo" - "Livorno" - 3:0. "Milan" - "Torino" - 0:0. "Atalanta" - "Messina" - 3:2. "Cagliari" - "Parma" - 0:0. Catania - Udinese - 1:0. Chievo - Fiorentina - 0:1. "Empoli" - "Inter" - 0:3. "Sampdoria" - "Siena" - 0:0. "Lazio" - "Roma" - 3:0. The leaders are: Inter - 39 points, Roma - 32, Palermo - 31.
Spanish Championship. 14th round. Barcelona - Real Sociedad - 1:0. “Sevilla” – “Real” – 2:1. "Athletic" - "Recreativo" - 4:2. Celta - Villarreal - 1:1. Getafe - Betis - 1:1. "Gimnastic" - "Levante" - 2:1. "Osasuna" - "Mallorca" - 3:0. "Racing" - "Zaragoza" - 0:2. Atlético Madrid - Espanyol - 1:2. “Valencia” – “Deportivo” – 4:0. The leaders are: Barcelona - 33 points, Sevilla - 31, Real Madrid - 29.
German Championship. 16th round. Bayer - Hertha - 2:1. “Bayern” – “Energie” – 2:1. Eintracht - Werder - 2:6. "Hamburg" - "Nuremberg" - 0:0. "Hannover" - "Arminia" - 1:1. Borussia M - Mainz - 1:1. Stuttgart - Bochum - 1:0. "Schalke 04" - "Borussia" D - 3:1. Wolfsburg - Alemannia - 1:2. The leaders are: Werder, Schalke 04 - 33 points each, Stuttgart - 31, Bayern - 30.
French Championship. 17th round. "Toulouse" - "Lens" - 0:1. Bordeaux - Rennes - 1:2. "Lorien" - "Sedan" - 2:0. “Marseille” – “Monaco” – 2:1. "Nantes" - "Le Mans" - 0:0. "Nice" - "Nancy" - 0:0. "Troyes" - "Auxerre" - 3:3. "Valenciennes" - "Sochaux" - 0:0. "Lille" - "Saint-Etienne" - 2:2. "Lyon" - "Paris Saint-Germain" - 3:1. Leading: Lyon - 46 points, Lens - 32, Lille - 30.