Restoring The Might of Rome

Roma through in Tim Cup



Last updated: 29 January 2014
Cup holders need extra time to see Palermo off
Caprari's goal after just 12 seconds of the game seemed to point to an easy win for Roma, which it could have been if Ademilson had buried his chance in the fourth minute, but since the Brazilian missed, Struna's header from a Miccoli free kick allowed Palermo to equalise in the 11th minute and from then on Roma found it much harder to impose themselves; Palermo were dangerous almost only on set pieces but that was enough to keep the Roma fans worried, as their team could not find a breathrough.

Extra time was needed to solve this tie, and it was then that Gabbiadini decided the match with a furious low drive which went past the Palermo keeper just near the post, for the happiness of all his teammates, the manager and the fans.

With Juventus and Milan being eliminated by Torino and Atalanta, now Roma's way to the final and a second title seems straightforward, although it's always better not to underestimate the opponents as the other two Italian giants just proved.



Scorers: 1' Caprari, 11' Struna, 114' Gabbiadini

Booked: Dentinho, Struna (Palermo) De Rossi, Gabbiadini, Balzaretti (Roma)

Man of the Match: Struna

Roma wrap up Papadopoulos deal



Last updated: 31 January 2014
Last hour deal for the table leaders
Roma decided to strenghten their back line spending 20 million euro on Greek defender Kiriakos Papadopoulos, who signed a five year deal worth 3,7 million euro per year; the young centre back will form one of the quickest defensive pairings in Europe with Marquinhos, but the Greek is also a physical defender who can mark any opponent and knows how to tackle well; his weak point is in the passing technique though so he will probably be instructed to play short, safe passes from his manager.

Roma crush nine man Siena



Last updated: 2 February 2014
The home side committed suicide with two useless sending off
Siena were doing a brilliant job of containing Roma and were even in front thanks to Calaiò's goal in the 22nd minute, and Roma seemed unable to score even from the spot as Piris missed the penalty awarded to the Giallorossi in the 35th minute, but they then literally committed suicide as Contini elbowed Destro and was sent to an early shower few minutes later; not 60 seconds later, Destro himself scored the equaliser for Roma, which went to the break ahead of a goal as Lamela was there to score just 2 minutes after the equaliser.

In the second half Roma seemed on the verge of scoring again any moment, but Siena threatened with some set pieces so it wasn't an easy game for the table leaders; however, it became much smoother when Coppola emulated Contini and was equally sent off by the referee for an elbow to Pjanic; the Bosnian went then to score in the 87th minute, closely followed by Lamela who rounded the score to 4-1.



Scorers: 22' Calaiò 40' Destro 42' Lamela 87' Pjanic 88' Lamela

Booked: Lamela, Destro (Roma)

Sent off: 39' Contini (Violent conduct) 76' Coppola (Violent conduct)

Man of the Match: Lamela

Atalanta slow Roma down



Last updated: 5 February 2014
Roma waste a two goal lead
Roma thought to be headed to another win when Destro doubled its lead in the 38th minute, following Lamela's opener twenty minutes earlier; however, they relaxed too much, allowing Marilungo to score a brace and pull Atalanta level in the 56th minute; with half an hour to go, Roma could still have won this, but didn't find a new breakthrough to make it.



Scorers: 20' Lamela 38' Destro 44', 56' Marilungo

Booked: De Rossi, Florenzi (Roma) Ariaudo (Atalanta)

Man of the Match: Marilungo

Ternana don't stand a chance



Last updated: 8 February 2014
The newly promoted side were swept easily aside by Roma in a 4-1 win
It was the most classical of head-tail encounters tonight betwee Ternana and Roma as the bottom team of the Serie A faced the top one; and the result was proof of the different technical values of the two teams as the Giallorossi coasted to victory, thanks to a man of the match performance by Caprari, who was fouled in the box and allowed Piris to step up and slot the penalty into the net; the young Roman winger then started his personal show as he scored twice before the end of the first half, and then stepped up to complete his hat-trick when another penalty was awarded, again for a foul on Caprari himself; however, he had his spot kick parried and needed to wait another twelve minutes to score a third, this time converting the penalty awarded for a foul on Ademilson.

Ternana's only joy came with Dainelli's goal in the 71st minute.



Scorers: 13' Piris (pen) 16', 34', 62' (pen) Caprari, 71' Dainelli

Booked: Dianda, Litteri, Romanò (Ternana) Martins Indi, Balzaretti (Roma)

Man of the Match: Caprari

Roma book Tim Cup final place



Last updated: 12 February 2014
Atalanta crash 3-0 at the Olimpico
Roma's strong start in the first leg of the Tim Cup semifinal stunned Atalanta which found themselves down 2-0 after 16 minutes, hit first by Norinho's first goal with Roma, then by Ademilson who was faster than Consigli on Pjanic's through ball and touched it into the net before the keeper could gather it; things got even worse for the guests when Denis, who had came off the bench, gained himself a straight red for an elbow to Papadopoulos, leaving his teammates one man down.

Roma took the chance and immediately rounded the score, again with Norinho who had his long range shot deflected past Consigli for the happiness of the Roma fans.

In the other semi-final Siena won against Torino 1-0, so that tie remains wide open to any outcome.



Scorers: 3' Norinho, 16' Ademilson, 68' Norinho

Booked: Parolo (Atalanta)

Sent off: 67' Denis (Violent Conduct)

Man of the Match: Norinho

Well done getting to the final again mate!

Actually we are not there yet, but after winning the first leg 3-0 I sure hope we don't mess the return leg up!!

The clash with Real Madrid is getting closer...and that's what I'm focusing on now

Roma turn Genoa game around



Last updated: 16 February 2014
The Giallorossi go down but come out on top
Genoa started the game against Roma well, with Felipe Seymour giving the Grifoni an early lead in the 8th minute, meeting a cross from Constant to beat Perin; however, Roma were not going down easily in front of their fans and first equalised with Ward-Prowse, tenth goal of the season for the young midfielder, and then in the second half completed the comeback with Destro's goal which gave the home side the three points.



Scorers: 8' Felipe Seymour 20' Ward-Prowse 65' Destro

Booked: De Rossi, Marquinhos, Norinho (Roma) Bertolacci, Ferronetti (Genoa)

Man of the Match: Felipe Seymour

Roma edge title clash



Last updated: 22 February 2014
Important away win for the Giallorossi
It was a key match in the title race tonight at the San Siro between Inter and Roma, with the home side trying to close the gap from the Roman side, which has been constantly top of the table this season; some Inter players were clearly nervous and most of all Wesley Sneijder, who proved it by getting himself sent off in the 48th minute for two yellow cards, both of which were for stupid fouls in midfield.

This proved to be the decisive event of an even match, because from then on Roma got a firmier grasp on the game and managed to score the winner with the latest addition to their squad, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who in the 56th minute corrected into the net a loose ball in Inter's box, following a free kick from De Rossi. The Greek's effort won Roma the three points and to the player the man of the match award, also because of his impeccable defending at the other end of the pitch.





Scorers: 56' Papadopoulos

Booked: Sneijder (Inter), Papadopoulos, Crescenzi, Gabbiadini, Balzaretti (Roma)

Sent off: 48' Sneijder (two yellow cards)

Man of the Match: Papadopoulos

Nice gap your beginning to open at the top of the table now matey

Yeah, I guess if we don't mess up too badly a 9 point gap should be enough to start thinking the title is ours...but you never know what can happen!

And now it's Champions League time...Real Madrid we don't fear you!!

Real shock at the Olimpico



Last updated: 26 February 2014
Merengues annihilated by Roma and Destro
Real Madrid might have suspected the Roma match would not be a walk in the park but they surely didn't expect leaving the Olimpico trashed by the home side; Mattia Destro was the absolute hero of the night as he put the Merengues to the sword, opening the score in the seventh minute as he corrected an header from Pjanic past Casillas.

Roma held tight for the remaining part of the first half, trying to hit Real on the counter and getting close to a second goal with Destro who was pushed into the box and the referee awarding the Giallorossi a penalty; De Rossi stepped up but his spot kick ended on the bar and then the rebound was saved by Casillas.

Some would have thought that a bad sign, and in another occasion it might have been; but whatever Roma's manager said in the locker room at half time must have worked like magic because the second half saw the Giallorossi widen the gap with goals in quick succession; first Destro lobbing Casillas with a header on a cross from Lamela, then Destro again, found space for a solo move which he ended placing a shot close to the post and out of Casillas' reach; then Lamela finished Real off with a headed finish on Caprari's cross.

The Spanish giants were stunned but managed to avoid conceding more goals and went close to score one themselves, but at the end of the day Roma were far superior in this game and deserved their large victory.





Scorers: 7', 55', 57' Destro, 59' Lamela

Booked: Marcelo

Man of the Match: Destro

Roma surprised by Torino



Last updated: February 2014
The Giallorossi record their first league defeat in 65 games
Roma must have still been on a high for the Champions League triumph over Real as they faced Torino at home, allowing the opposition an early lead thanks to Andre Dias' header on a corner in the seventh minute.

Meggiorini offered the Giallorossi a lifeline as he got himself sent off in the 14th minute for violent conduct following a reckless challenge on Papadopoulos, but despite the man advantage the home side could not find an equaliser and even risked conceding another as Stekelenburg saved Sansone's penalty in the 72nd minute.



Scorers: 7' Andre Dias

Booked: Ward-Prowse, Piris, Papadopoulos (Roma), Hallenius (Torino)

Sent off: 14' Meggiorini (Violent Conduct)

Man of the Match: Andre Dias

Awesome carer!
Congratulations!

Roma return to winning ways



Last updated: 9 March 2014
Chievo slammed by the Giallorossi
Their previous defeat made Roma particularly determined against Chievo, and they gained a clear win at the expense of the home team as Pjanic opened the score with a brilliant free-kick; Osvaldo then doubled the lead as he tapped in Sorrentino's deflection on Pjanic's shot. Hetemaj tried pulling Chievo back into the game but Osvaldo was ready to close the door again for Chievo as he was the quickest to get on the rebound after Destro hit the bar with a header, and score his second of the game.

Right before half time he could have completed his hat-trick but missed the penalty which had been awarded for a foul on Destro, however the fourth goal for Roma arrived in the 73rd minute with Lamela, who was found into space by Pjanic and did not miss from close range.



Scorers: 10' Pjanic 14' Osvaldo 25' Hetemaj 26' Osvaldo, 73' Lamela

Booked: Rigoni, Hetemaj (Chievo) Papadopoulos (Roma)

Man of the Match: Pjanic

Thanks

Cagliari snatch a point



Last updated: 14 March 2014
Roma can't win against the Sardi
On a frozen pitch, Roma drew with Cagliari as their mind was probably already in Madrid for the clash with Real; nonetheless, the home team had taken the lead with Ademilson heading home a cross from Gabbiadini; but soon later Perin missed a low ball in the box leaving the goal unguarded for Sau to equalise.

From then on the match remained balanced and neither side could find a winner.



Scorers: 11' Ademilson 16' Sau

Booked: Dodò, Ward-Prowse, Norinho, Papadopoulos (Roma) Sau, Perico (Cagliari)

Man of the Match: Tachtsidis

Dreadful Roma go through



Last updated: 18 March 2014
Madrid almost pulled back the four goal disadvantage
Roma travelled to Madrid confident of going through thanks to the 4-0 win of the first leg, but the Giallorossi almost messed that up as they allowed Madrid an early lead thanks to Xabi Alonso heading home a corner from Modric; then Madrid went to dominate the game and deservedly doubled the lead with Cristiano Ronaldo in the 37th minute, effectively halving their deficit.

Roma came out of the locker room for second half a bit more concentrated but Real kept controlling the game and had a goal disallowed for offside in the 57th minute, then finally found a third with 20 minutes to go as Higuain was found into space by a long ball from Ramos; the Argentine had no problem to beat Stekelenburg.

Real now were piling up the pressure to find a fourht and bring the game to extra time, but Roma somehow resisted to the assault and brought hom the pass for next round despite a woeful performance.





Scorers: 5' Xabi Alonso 37' C.Ronaldo 70' Higuain

Booked: Rafael, Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Osvaldo, Pjanic (Roma)

Man of the Match: Sergio Ramos

Roma widen the gap



Last updated: 23 March 2014
Palermo beaten at home
Roma's response to its manager's critics after the Real game came in the form of an important title race win in Palermo; the first 20 minutes were balanced but then Osvaldo gave Roma the lead with a fine header on Balzaretti's cross, then De Rossi doubled the lead with another header, this time on Pjanic's free kick, at the end of the first half; in the second part of the game the Giallorossi controlled the game and made sure to bring home the three points which mean, as Inter and Juventus won, that now Roma's pursuers are the two giants, which are joint eleven points off the top of the table.



Scorers: 26' Osvaldo 42' De Rossi

Booked: Morganella (Palermo) Lamela, Florenzi, Balzaretti (Roma)

Man of the Match: Balzaretti

Roma get the final



Last updated: 26 March 2014
Atalanta almost close the gap but Roma are through
Roma did exactly what they did with Real against Atalanta, allowing the home side to almost nullify the first leg disadvantage; the game started balanced but slowly Atalanta got a firm grip on the midfield and thus on the game, finding the lead with Kozak in the 23rd minute, and getting close to a second in many occasions.

When Norinho got himself sent off for two yellows, Atalanta's control of the game increased even more and brought them to a second goal with Schelotto, but it was by now injury time of the second half, so it was too late for them to complete the comeback.

Roma will face Siena in the final.



Scorers: 23' Kozak 90+2' Schelotto

Booked: Marilungo, Bellusci, Peluso, Parolo (Atalanta) iris, Crescenzi, Norinho, Tachtsidis (Roma)

Sent off: 82' Norinho (Two yellow cards)

Man of the Match: Schelotto

Roma will face Benfica



Last updated: 29 March 2014
Champions League draw puts Roma against the Portuguese side
Roma will face Benfica in the Champions League quarter finals, as decided by tonight's draw; the pairings for the semi-finals were alse drawn today, and the winner of this clash will face the winner of the Manchester United-Barcelona tie for a place in the final.

"Could have been much worse to be fair, it won't be easy but we can manage to go through" said the Roma manager after the draw had ended. "As for the semi-final, we will worry about that if and when we get there"

I had lelft FM open yesterday and it crashed today when I went to play, thus I had to redo the Atalanta game, which I now lost 1-0 but I'm still through to the final, and had to redo the Champions League draws, now I'll have to face Benfica instead of Dortmund and Barca got paired with United instead of Porto.

Thought I would tell you so those of you who have seen the post yesterday don't get confused when I get to the Champions League matches

Roma beat Napoli



Last updated: 30 March 2014
Balanced game edged by the home side
It was a tight game at the Olimpico as Roma faced Napoli tonight; both sides had good chances, and the first half ending in a draw was probbaly the right result.

However, it is often said that the quality of title-winning sides is to somehow find a breakthrough in games like these, and that's what Roma did in the second half when a good team move saw Destro nod it down to Norinho, who played a through ball for Gabbiadini, and the Italian striker didn't miss from so close to the goal, giving Roma the lead that they managed to keep till the final whistle, getting the three points and keeping Inter, who had won the derby against Milan, eleven points off the top.



Scorers: 68' Gabbiadini

Booked: Norinho, Ward-Prowse (Roma), Gargano (Napoli)

Man of the Match: Campagnaro

Giallorossi see the semi-final



Last updated: 2 April 2014
Roma win 2-0 and look to the semi-final
Roma played well against Benfica in the first leg of the quarter finals tonight, and got a nice 2-0 win which should see them go through and reach the semifinals of the Champions League; after some good chances, Roma found the lead thanks to a well timed combination which allowed Pjanic to enter into the box with the ball on his feet, and strike it past Artur; in the second half Benfica raised the pressure on Roma's back line and the fans were calling for a second goal, fearing an equaliser; however, up front Roma wated a number of opportunities, until Lamela finished the game off with a solo move which he concluded with a low left foot drive which went into the net right in the low corner.

Pjanic was awarded the man of the match prize for his commanding midfield display, and the much important goal which opened the score.





Scorers: 25' Pjanic 85' Lamela

Booked: Balzaretti, De Sciglio (Roma), Mulumbu, Pereira (Benfica)

Man of the Match: Pjanic

Roma zeroes on the title



Last updated: 5 April 2014
Nine man Fiorentina lose 2-0 at the Olimpico
Roma easily controlled the match against Fiorentina as the won 2-0, thanks to a brace from Ademilson who opened the score in the 28th minute witha header from Piris' cross; Olivera made things easier for Roma as he got himself sent off in the 34th minute, and Roma only had to finish off the game from then on, which they did in the 72nd minute when Ward-Prowse found Ademilson's run and the Brazilian sent the ball into the net past Neto with a low finish; things got even worse for Fiorentina soon later as Mbokani dived in the box and received the second yellow card of his game, leaving his teammates down to nine men.

As Inter drew against Juventus Roma are now 13 points off the second with 6 games to go, this means that two wins will seal the Serie A title for the Giallorossi.



Scorers: 28', 72' Ademilson

Booked: Ward-Prowse, Martins Indi (Roma), Mbokani, Mesbah, Olivera (Fiorentina)

Sent off: 34' Olivera, 77' Mbokani (two yellows)

Man of the Match: Ademilson

Roma has second leg issue



Last updated: 8 April 2014
Giallorossi go through on away goals
Roma clearly has an issue going into away second legs with a good advantage as they once more made things hard for themselves in the return leg against Benfica; De Rossi fouled Cardozo in the box and the referee awarded the home side the penalty which Fletcher scored; from then on Roma's players showed signs of nervousness and Benfica took control of the game, scoring again with Gomez in the dying minutes of the first half, and matching Roma's advantage from the first leg.

In the second half the Roman side played better and found a deserved goal with Destro in the 78th minute, but soon later they were worried again as Fletcher found space in the box and scored his second of the game.

The 3-1 allowed Roma to go through on away goals, but they need to sort themselves out if they want to have a chance against Barcelona in the semifinal.





Scorers: 25' Fletcher (pen), 40' Alejandro Gomez, 78' Destro, 80' Fletcher

Booked: Garay (Benfica), Osvaldo (Roma)

Man of the Match: Cardozo

Roma ease past Bologna



Last updated: 12 April 2014
Lamela guides the Giallorossi to victory
A brilliant start from Lamela allowed Roma to get into a comfortable position early into the Bologna clash, as the Argentine scored the first goal after a great solo move, then from the right flank crossed low for Destro who only had to push the ball home, which he did, doubling the lead in the 16th minute.

From then on Roma controlled the game quite easily, conceding little to Bologna and bringing home the three points. As Inter drew again, their advantage grew to 15 points with 5 games to go, this means that one point in the remaining games will give them the title; Roma will want to secure it as soon as possible though, to be able to focus on their Champions League campaign, and also because next game is at home against Catania, so they will want to have the celebration in front of their fans.



Scorers: 7' Lamela 16' Destro

Booked: Annan

Man of the Match: Cherubin

Goal emergency for Roma



Last updated: 16 April 2014
Giallorossi without a goalkeeper for the main games of the season
Roma will have to face the title decider against Catania and at least the first leg against Barcelona without both its goalkeepers; Stekelenburg will be out for the season as he reported a hip ijury which will keep him out for two months; Perin instead reported a sprained ankle which will see the young goalkeeper out of action for at least 4 weeks.

Roma are Serie A champions!!



Last updated: 19 April 2014
Giallorossi win against Catania and seal the title
Roma's decisive match against Catania started well as Pjanic sent the home side in front after only six minutes, finishing a nice team move; the Giallorossi had the match under control but missed many chances and thus the score wasn't as round as the way the game went would have allowed, especially Destro seemed unable to find the net despite having many shots toward Andujar's goal.

What counts at the end of the day, though, is that Roma have got the result they wanted, and now they can celebrate winning the title, although there's a Champions League semi-final ahead which will probably postpone the parties for some days.



Scorers: 6' Pjanic

Booked: Balzaretti

Man of the Match: De Sciglio