Serie A – Second half review: Parma versus Roma
After the first half ended with the score line at nil all, the second half started with a strange substitution for Roma as they substituted their captain, Francesco Totti during the half time break for Henrique Simplicio. Totti was Roma’s standout player
in the first half so his relegation to the bench was a very weird move indeed by the under fire Claudio Ranieri. Parma who had a fine end to the first half, took the initiative at the start of the second half as well as the men in black and white broke forward
with pace, however their attack died as Valeri Bojinov was caught offside in the 48th minute of the match.
Roma’s attack at times lacked cohesion and strength as most of their offensive traffic was directed by Mirko Vucinic, however the striker was guilty of being too selfish at times as he tried to do a trick or two more often than not. In the 50th minute,
Roma attacked through a counter attacking move but they were stopped thanks to a professional foul by Gabriel Pauleta. Pauleta was shown a yellow card as a result by the referee.
In the 51st minute, Ranieri made another curious decision as Vucinic was substituted in place of Julio Baptista. Baptista, who used to play in Spain for Real Madrid before making his move to Roma, was deployed in a withdrawn striker’s role by
his manager. Right after the substitution, Parma gained more ascendency as Marquez sprinted forward with pace but the midfielder was marvellously tackled by Philippe Mexes. The Frenchmen’s tackle brought Parma’s attack to an end.
Roma’s introduction of Baptista added a bit more pace to their offense as Vucinic’s laid back approach was replaced with a more urgent attitude. Despite the new faces, it was David Pizzaro who pulled most of the strings in the Roma’s midfield. Pizzaro’s
composure and vision on the ball was crucial for Roma all throughout the second half as they tried to make do with what little possession of the ball they had. In the 58th minute, it was David Pizzaro yet again who again went past three Parma defenders
before whipping in a cross which was deflected out for a corner.
From the ensuing corner, Mexes’s volley almost gave his team the lead but the defender’s shot went wide of the mark that it was aimed at. In the 61st minute of the match, Parma brought on the experienced Italian striker, Hernan Crespo in place
of their Bulgarian striker, Bojinov. Crespo, who previously played for clubs like Inter Milan and Chelsea, gave Parma a different dimension to their game as the veteran striker tried his best to influence the game with his off-the-ball movement.
In the 64th minute, Roma had yet another chance to get the opening goal as Marco Boriello was played in by his team’s midfielder, Marco Cassetti. However the ex-Milanese striker was just inches away from the ball which was thumped in down the
right hand side of Roma’s midfield. In the 70th minute of the match, Sebastian Giovinco was introduced into the game by Parma. The ex-Juventus player replaced Massimo Gobbi in Parma’s midfield. Shortly after Roma also made their last change of the
match as Stefano Okaka replaced Cicinho at the right back position for the Roman club.
Giovinco fused some skill in a Parma side which had plenty if possession but lacked innovation. After the little Italian was substituted in, Parma started looking dangerous in attack. On the other hand, Roma settled for playing on the counter attack as Parma’s
control on the ball looked to be unflinching for most part of the second half. The match finally ended in a goalless draw after both the teams failed to score any goals during the 90 minutes.
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