Roma v ManU: Liveblog

By: chris | April 1st, 2008

Game. Unreal.

92′ Mancini with a poor, poor ball into the middle. Terrible game from him, really.

90′ Ronaldo volley over.

89′ Foul on somebody, Roma fk…..corner.

88′ Ronaldo too far through the box, to Tev, stopped by OMR.

85′ Mexes dribbles it out of bounds, Roma losing shape and all. Who knows what this team needs right now.

And could we can the talk from the announcers saying ManU is through? We know the likelihood they’re through is extraordinarily high. However, there’s a reason they play the games.

84′ Tevez for Rooney.

82′ Rooney’s shot blocked by OMR. Roma down the other end…..Espo taken down, throw in ManYoo.

80′ Mancini’s shot stuffed. Long distance try from Pizarro goes nowhere.

79′ Nothing, nothing and more nothing.

Espo on for Aquilani, who did little.

Espo coming on. If ever there was a time to make up for an tnire season of nothing, this is it.

75′ Dead on their feet, it appears.

73′ KA puts one over the bar. Philou cheering everyone on.

Roma not doing much right now. Bleh.

Ronaldo off the post. He is the only player in the world I would say I would be very happy to see get a career ending injury. A disgrace to athlete’s everywhere.

I’ve had my day with Doni. Bout time for a new keeper.

65′ 0-2. Throw everyone forward. Everyone.

64′ Is Aberdeen playing today? No? then can we shut up about them please?

63′ Corner, Roma…..foul DDR in the box. Pretty bad call.

Corner, Roma….Mancini is bringing the ball back away from the goal too much on his first touch……..fuckin’ a….great save by vdS.

61′ Ronaldo dives again. Is he trying out for the Portugal Olympic Dive Team? Good christ man, have some respect.

Poor ball up high from Mancini.

60′ Giuly huge impact already……this is what they need. Ball into the middle saved by vdS….corner.

Giuly for Taddei….here comes the CL hero. Let’s make it 3 for 3 with the kits.

58′ Pizaman loses the ball, puts it out of bounds. LG for DP now, please.

57′ Cassetti foul on Evra.

56′ KA blocked by the ManPoo back line. That was his first.

Need some Ludovicious.

55′ Hargreaves on for Anderson.

54′ Ronaldo dives, free kick. Mexes is yellowed, perhaps for his reaction. Come on, Philippe. Goal kick Roma.

53′ AA hammered down trying to make a run. That’s a fk, ya know.

52′ Oh man, Panucci fires it just over. Roma looking much better here.

51′ Can we stop with the long balls? Tonetto is saved from EVDS.

Oh Max……laser fired wide, that had to tie it right there.

48′ Poor touch by Max, Roma ets a foul. DDR gets tackled near the box. Nothin’. That’s a pk for United at OT.

Better ball in, but Taddei knocked it too far, a second ball into the box is cleared.

47′ Mancini has not been even close to his vintage self……Roma corner.

46′ Pizarro another long ball too far. Come on, let’s shorten this up.

SECOND HALF KICKOFF

Half Really, something needs to change going forward. The game borderline sucks and Roma is going for too many long balls and not enough of their vintage gameplan. Defensively they’e held United really well and it’s just been one freak occurrence.

Pizarro yellow for Ronaldo’s ridiculous dive. What an acting job.

Yellow for Anderson. Let’s have one more for him.

Ronaldo gets crushed by DDR. Good.

45′ Slowing down. Lotsa nothing. 3 minute stoppage.

43′ Roma in possession…..too far from Piza, goalkick MU.

42′ Vuci……mama…..just wide.

40′ Now it’s time to step it up. Roma have controlled this game and now that shit.

39′ Fuck. Ronaldo 0-1.

38′ Long ball for Vuci from RT goes too far to EDVS, some disease emanating from your colon.

37′ Corner Roma…..Mark Cass a little too long for Rodrigo. CR6.25 is bitching and moaning like a little girl. What’s new.

36′ Mancini has not been good. MU’s triangle gives Roma possession….good cross from Max headed out by Evra.

35′ Fark, one ball through and Vuci was clean to goal. Rio put it out well.

34′ Free kick in a good spot for Roma….nothin. Piza hasn’t been great on set pieces yet.

32′ Here comes John O’Shea. NICE.

These commentators are idiots. Giggs was just running down as the messenger, yet they’re question why SAF would bring Giggs on. Mensa duo, no doubt.

31′ Giggs is going down to find out what the deal is…….let’s see him go out.

Stretcher is coming out. And Vucinic has been winning the battle between Rio & NV, now if Vidic goes out, this could be huge.

28′ Vidic is down…….oh boy, he’s really in pain….could just be a stinger, but…..

27′ Mancini runs at the D….booted out….possession….Vucinic……just over. Fantastic composure to turn on that ball falling down.

26′ Max tried the move Totti fed him with against Empoli…..no go.

25′ Doni kung fu kicks the shit out of the ball back to EVDS – that sounds like a disease, doesn’t it?

24′ Pizaman low….cleared out of the box twice.

24′ Mexes little clip on CR6.5…..MU throw….Scholes gets blocked. Roma free kick….quick counter….Mancini…..corner, Roma.

22′ The homeless lumberjack appears to be playing LB now. Clusterfucking…….goal kick. MU.

21′ max loses the ball, out for a ManU throw.

20′ Foul by Max on JSPark. Crapoldo is no Totti and puts the FK wide.

19′ Where was the foul on Taddei? Evra and his badonkadonk plowed him over.

Anderson kicks just outside of the field goal posts. Christ, he wouldn’t even make it in the NFL.

18′ Ronaldo is pouting like a pre-schooler. Good to see all is normal.

17′ Foul in the box on Crapoldo, flies a bow. Yeah, fuckin’ you.

Ohhhhhh…..Panucci just over the bar. Patented header from the ageless one right there.

15′ Superb tackle by Cassetti on Crapoldo….Roma possess….deflection for a Roma corner.

14′ Nice touches from Roma – Vuci and Mancini – but Roma end up having to put it out.

13′ ManU trying to play keepaway for 90 minutes….finally Roma gets it back.

12′ That would’ve been a ManU peno at Old Trafford.

10′ Slowing down….CRon gets “fouled” by Mexes….

9′ “Manchester U trying to out-Roma Roma”……they just wanna be like the Giallorossi.

8′ Scholes fouls Piza, lots of long balls from Roma….Vuci chases down vdS….poor stuff from ManPoo.

Poor ball from CRon, Roma have possession. Taddei chased vdS down too much and Cassetti was up against CRon and Evra ll alone. That’s a no no Rodrigo.

5′ Has Crapoldo even had a touch yet? Roma throw, gaining some early possession. David swinging long balls early.

Poor free kick, really, DDR called for the foul.

4′ Ugh, ppor ball from Mark Cass, Roma gets poss….very slow buildups ere. Anderson pounds Rodrigo from behind without consent, free kick.

3′ Long ball from Piza to taddei, Evra heads it out….poor ball by DDR….through ball too far for Vuci………

2′ Roma winning headers, Anderson pounds one out of bounds. Roma seems very composed.

1′ ManYoo send an early ball down to Rooney, results in a thrwo. Roma nabs possession…..Vuci fires one way, way wide.

KICKOFF

Spalletti is looking extra suave. Ferdinand has a HUGE booboo. He get in a right?

Curva Sud is off the chain right now. There we go.

Countdown to kickoff…..5 minutes.

The time for revenge is now.

This game leaves me somewhat beyond words. Partly because I’m so…sick…and….tired of thinking about and watching Manchester United. There’s a reason why I, and many others who appreciate the finer things in life, don’t watch the Premiership. Or, more appropriately, the Premiershit. Were they wiped off the map it would be of no great loss to the sport from a technical and tactical standpoint.

Beyond ManUre itself, however, I don’t know what to expect. Never do with this Roma team. Logic says they will be fired up for the big game, as we all know they play to the level of their opponents almost to a fault (see: the derby, where Roma was merda against merda). But it’s not as cut and dried this time around.

Now it’s not just about Roma. It’s about all of calcio, as they’re the country’s lone representative remaining in Europe this year (shut up, Viola). Those are mighty large expectations missing one Francesco Totti. But they should be fine, as long as The Grand Imperial Poobah is at the helm. In TGIP we trust.

So here’s to Roma, and here’s to an early red for the scum of the sporting world, Cristiana Ronaldo.

Rumored lineup via il Romanista:

ROMA (4-2-3-1):

Doni;
Cassetti, Mexes, Panucci, Tonetto;
De Rossi, Aquilani;
Mancini, Pizarro, Taddei; Vucinic.

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-2-1):

Van der Sar;
Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra;
Carrick, Scholes, Anderson;
Ronaldo, Park;
Rooney.

No Giggs and PARK????

Is it me or does that lineup not look all that frightening anymore?

I said it at the beginning of the year, I’ll say it now….

Also, instead of liveblogging down the page, the newest entry will start at the top. Because it’s easier that way and I’m an idiot for not recognizing this sooner.

ESPN’s coverage has just now come one……

Anderson looks like he should be the other girl on a BET sitcome.

Amantino is looking spacey. I don’t like that.

Bout time:

Over/under on “bulge the old onion bags”: +/-8.5
+/- on pounds of hairproduct used by CRon: 273.5
Times Derek Rae will proverbially yank on Fergie’s Fergie: 273.5