Italian Serie A: AS Roma Draw 1-1 with Juventus
Amongst all the major leagues in Europe, the Italian league has turned out to be the most competitive and lively this season. The top six teams have all proven to be tough ones, showing their credentials for the league title. Amongst
these six teams, the fifth and sixth place is being taken by Juventus and AS Roma, with a difference of only one point between them, and five points for the top. Therefore, the match between Juventus and AS Roma, at Stadio Olimpico, was very important in deciding
the future of title challenge in Serie A.
Both teams played extremely well but in the end they had to settle with a draw. Vincenzo Iaquinta scored in the 35th minute to give the lead to Juventus. However, Roma always looked threatening on the attack as they
searched for an equaliser. At the end of the first half, Francesco Totti converted from the penalty spot to level the match.
This was an important match, as both teams were trying hard to establish themselves as title contenders in the Serie A. Juventus had not been able to win anything since their relegation after a match-fixing scandal. On the other
hand, Roma has also been away from the spotlight, since Inter Milan established itself as the real force for the most part of the decade. It was, therefore, an exciting match as fans saw end-to-end football, with little time wasted in the midfield.
Milos Krasic, the best player for Juventus this season, was missing from the match. However, Alberto Aquilani, the player on loan from Liverpool, was present in the midfield. The strike force of The Old Lady was led by Iaquinta
and Fabio Quagliarella, while Alessandro Del Piero was present on the bench. For AS Roma, Marco Borriello, the top scorer for his team, was present on the bench, while Totti led the attack of his side.
Juventus had a chance to go ahead in the seventh minute of the match. Quagliarella and Iaquinta partnered well upfront, as both have developed a great understanding. It was a pass played by Quagliarella, but Iaquinta was not convinced
that he was onside. Therefore, he did not go after the pass with full commitment, and fell short of it in the end.
Soon afterwards, Roma had a chance to go ahead in the match. Jeremy Menez had a shot on goal, but Juventus’ goalkeeper was up for the challenge. The shot was pushed wide by the keeper, Marco Storari, denying the goal to Roma. In
the 24th minute, Juventus had another chance to go ahead, but Iaquinta could not reach the loose ball once again. It was a cross played by Aquilani, which was headed to the far post by Quagliarella. However, Iaquinta was inches away from the ball,
which went wide of the target.
Ten minutes after this chance, Juventus went ahead, as this time Iaquinta did not make any mistake. Aquilani lifted the ball into the penalty box, and Iaquinta converted it into an unstoppable volley. Julio Sergio just stood there
as Juventus went ahead in the game. After a few minutes, Roma had their first penalty shout as Philippe Mexes was apparently fouled in the penalty area. However, the referee rightfully denied the penalty shout, despite protests by Roma.
However, around the half time mark, Roma had their second penalty shout as Simone Pepe handled the ball in penalty area, and this time the referee pointed towards the spot. Totti stepped up to take the penalty and he converted
it to level the match.
The second half was as good as the first one, but both teams failed to score. There were a few chances for both sides, but no one came close enough. In the end, the match ended with both teams bagging a single point. With this
result, Roma stayed in their sixth position, while Juventus moved into fourth, as Inter still had a match in hand.
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