Translated material
Coronation postponed
Roma ends Inter's unbeaten streak
The Romans, having long ago lost any real chance of catching up with Inter, the leader in Serie A, finally decided to at least annoy the “black and blue”. In a tour postponed from February 3 due to riots in Sicily, during which a policeman was killed by fans, Roma inflicted their first defeat in the championship on Roberto Mancini's team, postponing the official coronation for some time.Inter can already consider the next Scudetto theirs - what other doubts can there be about the class of a team that has not lost 31 matches in a row in the national championship. However, Inter had an excellent chance to secure the championship title by defeating their main rival this season. But dishonored by the recent defeat in the Champions League (1:7 from Manchester United), Roma did not give another reason for ridicule: the Romans beat the invincible Inter - 3:1. And Francesco Totti's decisive goal in the 89th minute not only interrupted the Black and Blues' winning streak, but also deprived them of the theoretical opportunity to score 100 points in this championship.
However, Totti can only conditionally be called the author of this goal. When the meeting was heading towards a natural draw (Materazzi responded to Perrota's accurate shot with a converted penalty), Roma were awarded a free kick. It was the visiting captain who took the shot, after which the ball hit Luis Figo in the back and bounced into the goal. Another goal, which gives the illusion of a confident victory, was scored by Casseti in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
“There was an unpleasant aftertaste after this game, because we hoped to hold this championship without a single defeat,” Inter coach Roberto Mancini regretted after the match. — We wanted to end the season with a victory in the championship today, but it didn’t work out. However, this will not change the fate of the Scudetto, which will sooner or later come into our hands. It's not a problem. But I hope this defeat will become a valuable lesson and will cheer us up so that on Sunday the title will be won in the match with Siena.
No one can encroach on Roma's second place either. But there may still be a fight for third place. Milan, which defeated outsider Ascoli with a score of 5:2 in the last round, for which potential national team newcomer Budyansky played the entire match, does not lose hope of catching up with Lazio. The “red-blacks” have a chance: the Romans are experiencing some decline and for the second time they cannot win against teams from the lower part of the standings.
This tour was also memorable for the return to the field of what was once one of the most formidable Italian scorers, Cristina Vieri. The 33-year-old striker missed more than a year due to a serious knee injury and underwent two operations. And then his debut took place at Atalanta: Vieri came out for the last twenty minutes of the match, during which he did not manage to distinguish himself in anything. However, the forward himself was not upset. “The main thing is that my ordeal is over,” Vieri said. — Training only in the gym for a year was very difficult for me. I want to thank the Atalanta players who helped me. Now I want to continue to get fit and sooner or later I will score a goal.”
Meanwhile, Juventus, which was exiled there, is making its way up from Series B, which seems to be seriously intent on winning at least a small “gold”. In the last round, Didier Deschamps' team could not win, and Genoa reduced the gap from the leader to five points. But on Saturday, Juve intends to put the pursuer in his place in a head-to-head meeting. However, if he fails to do this, Turin will not be too upset: the other day the club’s management made it clear that Juventus head coach Didier Deschamps, whose contract expires in a year, can count on an agreement extension being issued soon.
Results of matches of the 22nd round. Inter - Roma - 1:3, Ascoli - Milan - 2:5, Empoli - Atalanta - 2:0, Lazio - Chievo -- 0:0, Livorno -- Cagliari -- 2:1, Regina -- Messina -- 3:1, Udinese -- Sampdoria -- 1:0, Parma "- "Fiorentina" - 2:0, "Siena" - "Torino" - 1:0. The leaders are: Inter - 81 points, Roma - 68, Lazio - 57, Milan - 53.