Liveblogging The Coppa, Return Leg Style

By: chris | January 29th, 2008

Since Roma just sprung this game on me and didn’t tell me it was today and not tomorrow (which I don’t appreciate one bit), I’ll Liveblog the game in lieu of any sort of preview.

As we know, Roma put in a helluva performance last week to take a nice little lead into the return leg with a 1-1 draw, with the advantage on away goals. The entire centreback department has either decided to be suspended or die for this match (as well as maybe kinda sorta sign a contract with Ajax then act like nothing happened), which means I’d expect we’ll be looking at something like this:

Cicinho, Panucci, Cassetti, Tonetto

or this:

Cassetti, DDR, Panucci, Tonetto.

I love Cicinho and am all for seeing him get run out, but damn, they need as much D as possible today and we all know that’s not exactly his strong point.

And as much as I think we’d all enjoy seeing a little DDR at CB, these aren’t exactly the ideal circumstances to conduct such an experiment.

So here we go, wishin’, hopin’, prayin’, believin’.

Talentino is out again with back issues, which is good for Roma on the field, but I think many wanted to see him at the Olimpico again. Such is life.

I convocati:

ANTUNES Gabriel
AQUILANI Alberto
BRIGHI Matteo
CASSETTI Marco
CICINHO
CURCI Gianluca
DE ROSSI Daniele
DONI
ESPOSITO Mauro
GIULY Ludovic
MANCINI Alessandro
PANUCCI Christian
PERROTTA Simone
PIT Adrian
PIZARRO David
TADDEI Rodrigo
TONETTO Max
TOTTI Francesco
VUCINIC Mirko
ZOTTI Carlo

Lineups:

ROMA: Curci; Cicinho, Panucci, Cassetti, Tonetto; De Rossi, Aquilani; Taddei, Giuly, Mancini, Totti.
A disp.: Doni, Pizarro, Vucinic, Antunes, Esposito, Perrotta, Brighi.
All.: Spalletti

SAMPDORIA: Mirante; Campagnaro, Sala, Lucchini, Maggio; Zenoni, Delvecchio, Volpi, Ziegler; Bellucci, Bonazzoli.
A disp.: Castellazzi, Konan, Franceschini, Gastaldello, Pieri, Ferrari:
All.: Mazzarri

Spal is busting out the big guns.

Game

And we’re off!

Got the Solaris stream working, but now the second laptop is acting like a donkey. Awesome. This week sucks.

Alright, here we go. Max plowed into, free kick…

5′ Feck, De Rossi is shaken up. I feel like I’m watching my child whenever he goes down.

6′ I love Aquilani. He looks a little less timid than he has the last couple times out. Great sign.

Corner, foul in the area against Lulu. Free kick Roma.

7′ I’m just going to say this right now: OMR is going to release from the back line, push up and one time a perfect long ball o assist on a goal today. I’m feeling it.

9′ Uhhhhhhhhh….Curci is walking off….here comes Doni.

Did he just get loaned out in the first 10 minutes? Did Spal just broker a deal with Samp for a loan on the sideline during a fucking game? What a legend.

(He’s limping. Ugh)

12′ DDR keeps getting run over. I may need to have a word with these Samp fellas.

14′ Lulu wins a corner, ballboy hops over the barricade….you watchin, Zampa?

Shot from distance blocked.

Stream crapped out. Bogus.

18′ Shit, yellow for Alberto. Well, at least it’s not a CB, or we might see Daniele Prade come running out onto the pitch to slot into the back line.

20′ Samp header goes over the bar, a good chance for the ringed ones. I have a feeling defense on set pieces is not going to be particularly wonderful for the Giallorossi today.

2′ Roma keeps winning back possession, Totti dummies to nobody.

23′ Cicinho overlap. Man, he just comes from nowhere. Roma gets a throw, possessing, Mancini, Tonetto, Mancini, Giuly, DDR, Cicinho, Taddei….hand ball. Samp free kick.

25′ Roma almost got unlucky. Somebody whiffed and it nearrly wound up on Bellucchi’s foot in front of Doni. That would’ve been bad news.

26′ Mancini slaloms through the defense and Aquilani chips one over the green. Goal kick.

28′ Tonetto yellow. Let’s keep this patchworrk D-line intact, cool? No reds please.

31′ Samp theatrics in the box. Free kick Roma. Finally, it was getting busy down that end.

33′ Woof. Long range shot nearly deflected in by Mirante. That was a chance and a half right there. Quick corner results in another corner….

Mancini launches it towards Saturn’s 3rd moon, which is being orbited by 75% of the crosses Massimo Oddo puts in for the Azzurri.

Btw, a Vaseline stream right now would look like fucking Blu-Ray. If I get names wrong, there’s a damn good reason. I’ll switch it up at halftime.

Doni saves….so who’s the emergency keeper right now? Giuly?

38′ Amantino and Max with nice runs but Mirante takes the trickling shot/deflection/whatever.

39′ Playboy Jeans being advertised on the sideboards. It’s all about class at the Olimpico.

41′ Cicinho wins a corner…….damn, King almost scores with what looked to be a side bike. Just over the bar.

44′ Dare I say, Il Capitano has been a complete nonfactor so far in the match.

DDR with a cannon just over the bar. Love it.

2 minutes added on.

Ciiiiicinho on the break. Christ he gets up that wing fast. Halftime.

If Roma can bring some of those shots down a yard we’re talking about some powerful goals in the second half.

I really don’t know what to say. Either team could score. It’s been fairly balanced, though Roma is clearly the superior team. Most improtantly, the back line hasn’t shown many leaks yet, though I am worried about set pieces, where Roma isn’t exactly towering over anyone.

If I were to guess, I’d say the game will end up 0-0 or 1-0 Roma.

Back to the game, second half kicks off.

Samp spending most of the last minute in the Roman half. Poor touch by Totti. Oof.

47′ I think Mirko is running up and down the touchline. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Il Capitano sub at some point in the next 15 mins or so.

48′ Aquilani fires wide from distance. Well at least he’s not being shy.

Cleared off the line by Taddei!….Roma break, Mancini gets taken down by Amanino. Fantastic job by Rodrigo.

49′ Cicinho presiding over the free kick, Mirante swipes it from the air.

51′ Oh my….Giuly shoots….it’s a throw in. Yes, that’s correct. Throw in.

52′ Roma holding possession. Lucchini goes down. Ball is played out.

54′ Fantastic pass by Aquilani, a wide open Cicinho flitters it off Mirante. Corner…..DDR foul.

55′ If that was a shot from the wing by Cicinho that was nearly splendid, if it was a cross…….not so much.

56′ Steal by Max….buffering….poor pass.

58′ Totti with a nice pass to Giuly whose shot it stuffed. Corner Roma….getting quite a few today……..headed out by Samp. Throw in. Lose possession.

60′ AMANTINO AMANTINO AMANTINO!!!!!!!!!

Get this guy a feckin contract.

1-0 Roma.

Mancini made the run from half with the ball, one stepover and slotted it lower left corner. Vintage stuff.

63′ Roma keeps getting runs, Mancini does some more stepovers and the cross is picked out of the air by Mirante.

65′ Roma playing serious possession now, as though they’re just trying to run the clock out.

Totti is almost….almost….appearing to be human today. But he’s not.

66′ Good run from Giuly, drops it off to Taddei but his shotcross is saved easily.

Brilliant pass for Francesco, Giuly’s shot saved well. Much better footy from Roma here.

68′ Cicinho playing extremely well.

Perrotta on for Totti. Not his finest.

I guess this means Giuly is playing as the lone man up top? Jesus.

70′ Nice save by Doni and the back line blocking a couple Samp shots….counter ends up in a Roma corner. Foul, Samp kick.

72′ Great work by Cicinho, Perrotta’s shot is deflected just wide. Another corner……very short. Mirante saves it right in front of OMR.

73′ Bellucci with a helluva volley off his left from a long cross. Over the bar, great effort.

The cart is coming on for Cicinho. Nice.

Cici walks off, good news. Ready to come back on.

76′ Ziegler, the scorer from the first leg has another shot blocked just outside the box. Samp showing some life here.

78′ Alberto turns and shoots over the bar. Maybe a few ground huggers will even things out.

81′ Francheschini with a yellow for being a cranky pants. David on for Ludovicious. So what kind of formation is this? 0 CBs, 3RBs, 1 LB, 3 DMs, 1 LW, 1 RW, 1 CM, 0 STs…..hoooray balance!

86′ Cicinho is pushed down from behind. He’s taken a real beating in the last 20 minutes. Nearly a clear chance on goal with some nice play between Alberto and Mancini.

89′ Whoa, nearly a disaster with OMR and Doni. Alex rushes out to grab it in time.

3 mins extra. The last half of this half has been fairly run of the mill.

Volpi’s shot from range is blocked well. Roma’s going to have to work for 3 mins.

92′ Mancini’s shot blocked, Roma corner. Here comes some time wasting…..

Final whistle…..and Roma’s through to the winner of Udinese and Catania.

Good result, not the greatest game, but hey, we’ll take it. Thanks for hangin out.