Liveblogging The Coppa, Samp Style

By: chris | January 23rd, 2008

Samp - Roma

Here we go, into the darkness that is illegal streaming from the jungles of Asia. I always get my feelings for the liveblogs via my coffee purchasing experience just before the game starts (I have no idea whether it works out, but run with it), and let’s just say I’m not feeling good about this game right now. The bastard of a teenager working today decided to spill half of my scalding hot triple espresso on my hand and pants…and then acted like nothing happened. Bad juju.

Not helping things, as I’m sure you’ve heard, is the absence of the calcio Jesus who has been caught by the flu like epidemic sweeping the locker room. I swear, what is it with that Trigoria locker room. It’s like a petri dish. Diseases growing everywhere. Also out are Simone, with the same deal, The Brazilian Chuck Norris, Juan, who has a microfracture or something because he kicked a brick wall, and when it crumbled it fell on top of him, and Marco Andreolli, who has died again. R.I.P.

(As far as this Bianchi thing goes, color me unworried. Not only are Lazio miles and miles away from doing anything productive in Serie A anytime soon, but signing yet another forward isn’t going to help them stop bleeding goals to 10 man teams. Their forwards are the one place they’ve actually got some depth and talent - and this is almost definitely a replacement for Pandev. In his own words, a deal with Munich has been agreed to - it just remains to be seen if he moves now or in the summer. They’re going to suck eternally. Fret not. I like Bianchi, but he was never a “must buy”. Those words are saved for guys like Mario Gomez. You know, the guy continually linked to Roma who Lazio could never afford. Coughbitchescough.)

King Berto definitely starts, but other than that, I haven’t seen a lineup yet. So for now, we’ll wait to get the lineups while I put on pot of some herbal tea/coffee hybrid which quite frankly scares me….

Lineups:

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

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

About what was expected. Though I didn’t expect both Cassetti and OMR.

Oh, yeah, and Antoniio is playing.

Also, the second laptop has kind of a Dutch typing syndrome, where it likes to double up vowels. So please excuse the typos throughout.

Kickoff to Samp and we’re off…

1′ Why do I get the feeling that we’re going to see DDR floating near Talentino much of the day?

2′ Lots of pitter patter. Which means a whole lot of nothin’ so far.

3′ Cassano and I think Bellucchi with a great 1-2. Saved by Gilu. Guy’s decent.

4′ Giuly being a nuisance already, stabs at it near the top of the box and it’s saved by Mirante. I’m feeling a big game from Lulu here.

5′ Mancini’s rocking the neck warmer and short sleeves. It’s cold….but not that cold. Hot. (Or maybe he’s hiding a hickey. Forza Amantino!)

6′ I love English commentary. We’ve had our first “Amantino Man-chee-nee”

Whoa, what a FK from Mancini, over the bar.

7′ Matteo Ferrari looks like he’s wearing boxing shoes. I say he goes full out and puts some tassles on those babies. And maybe a little bit of chinchilla around the waistband on his shorts.

9′ Philou with a yeller. Timed his tackle with a sundial in the basement.

10′ Lots of clusterfucking in the box, good movement by Roma, Mancini foiled and DDR eventually shoots it wide. Best chance thus far.

11′ So, uh, it looks like the two CBs for the return leg may be Panucci and DDR. Ugh.

(Btw, the stream is stalling, for the geniuses who decided to tempt the streaming gods.)

DDR shoots it over the bar. Defender and ball got there at the same time.

13′ Anybody who can possibly make a clean(ish) tackle please report to Trigoria immediately for training for the next 2-3 weeks. (That does NOT mean you, Samuel Kuffour)

What a fucking shot by Panucci….holy shyte. What was that, 40 yards? Tipped by Mirante.

Oh shit….Philou with 2 yellows.

Man, this game is about to get real ugly, real quick.

So I guess the back will look something like this:

Cassetti, Ferrari, Panucci, Tonetto.

Gross.

20′ Corner…amounts in little. They really need to take advantage of those.

21′ Hide the women and children, a power free kick from Cassetti. Just over the bar.

23′ Cassano shoots. Curci saves. This isn’t looking promising.

24′ Somebody needs to pull out an Oscar-wrothy performance and get someone from Samp sent off. I’m looking at you, Mancini.

26′ By the way, I picked Philou to win MOTM, in case you needed confirmation for how much of an idiot I am.

28′ So Samp hasn’t conceded a goal since the game at the Olimpico before the break. Well that’s uplifting.

30′ Good interception by Cassetti….a whole lot of nothin’. Philou needs to realize how much liveblogging a 10 man team sucks. I want a writteen letter of apology.

And also, I just burnt my tongue. This laptop is about to get on a one way flight out the window.

31′ The King is lucky he wasn’t booked for nearly taking off a shirt during mid counter. Maybe the ref is feeling sorry for Roma right now.

33′ Whoa, Delvecchio missed a onetimer right in front of Curci. That should’ve been numero uno.

35′ Volpi goes down, Aquilani should’ve had a go on net but played it out of bounds. Dammit, they can’t lose these decent chances.

I’m feeling Taddei after half time.

37′ Samp goal waved off………offside. Booya.

Or maybe dangerous play? Cassano went in with a high foot.

39′ Mancini beats three defender. Giuly hands it over to the keeper. Horsefeathers.

Corner. Roma putting some decent chances together now…..Corner number two….

Two short corners in a row. Shitastic.

42′ There is no better midfield duo in Serie A than DDR and KA, I just want to say that right now.

Curci makes a good run out and grabs the ball on what would’ve been a sure goal.

43′ Mirko misses a sitter with his noggin.

What in the feck has happened to him? Is he allergic to the goal now?

But at any rate, he’s still wrking his ass off and getting some defensive help in.

45′ Tonetto puts in a Massimo Oddo-esque cross. Ball winds up somewhere in Umbria.

Half: Roma should really have done better with their chances, but it’s hard to ask much when they’ve been down a man since the 18th. Still, if the last 10 minutes of the half is any indication, Roma is playing with confidence and appear as though a win is not totally out of the question. And if anyone can beat a team with 10 men, it’s Roma.

Considering this lack of finishing they break the bank and get Gomez tomorrow. Give up 20m. Just get someone besides Totti who can finish with any regularity.

And we’re off again…

Whoa, I just noticed something. Is this the same ref who did the Juve game? I think it is. Asshole.

My stream sucks right now. I blame Massimo Moratti. Not sure why, but I feel he’s to blame for all that is wrong with the world.

49′ Samp gets a little ounter working, win a corner….nothin

51′ Vucinic has been utterly horrible except for his defensive workrate. Man. Second Coppa game in a row.

54′ Bellucchi on for Delvecchio. Booooo.

Here comes Taddei. I assume we’ll see Giuly come off…..

Yeah, Rodrigo on for Lulu. Solid move.

My stream keeps pausing again. Bitches.

57′ Man, Mancini had it right in front of the keeper.

Holy shit, he was kicked in the head. That was extremely dangerous. That’s at least a yellow. Kicked in the head from behind? What’s that? 2 reds? All while he was standing up.

59′ I think the announcer just said Chelsea wants/wanted Amantino to play RB in the summer?

Where does this shit come from?

62′ Fuck. Zieglier. 1-0 Samp.

About 1 keeper in the world could have reached that. Shite.

65′ Mancini has been doing well all by his lonesome today. Wins a corner. Aquilani shooots it towards a planet that is not earth. Goalkick.

VUCINIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VUCIGOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That came from absolutely nowhere. Long ball from Mancini, Mirko runs onto it and flicks it past Mirante with the outside of his boot after beating two defenders. Phenomenal.

70′ This is the type of Mancini who shouldn’t be sold at any cost.

And here comes a Smp counter….

Cassano is yelling at the ref. Oh glory days….

72′ Rough challenge by Cassano on Tonetto.

Max is going after Antonio. Being restrained by Panucci.

Cassano drama? NEVER!

73′ Yeah, I’m not sure that challenge was worth Max’s hissy fit, but Max don’t play that shit.

75′ Matteo Brighi about to come on. King? It would seem like a pre-determined sub.

Yeah, it’s Berto. 75 solid minutes.

77′ That looked like a Ziegler handball in the box. No intention so it wasn’t called. (YOU LISTENING TO THIS INTER???)

78′ Cassano off for Carraciolo. One baby for another.

Not vintage Antonio, but it wasn’t a poor performance.

80′ Roma controlling possession in Samp’s half. It’s like that goal just deflated the ringed ones.

81′ Nice save from Gilu on a volley.

82′ Nice sot from Bellucchi, I believe, but Curci had it all the way.

Mirko’s down. (Coughprofessionaltimewastingcough.)

83′ Cicinho lacing them up. Sounds like a Mancini sub.

Nope, Mirko. He looks a little shaken up.

A vintagee striker’s performance from Mirko. 84:55 of rubbish. 5 seconds of awesome.

(Alright, maybe not “rubbish”, but I’ve seen much, much better.)

88′ Whoa, shot in the box stifled byCassetti. Maggio takes a terrible shot. Goal kick.

90′ Curci fires one to mancini, who tries to chip the keeper. STOP TRYING TO CHIP THE KEEPER.

That could’ve been two.

Damn. 2 away goals would have pretty much sent Roma through barring a disaster.

92′ Mancini misses goal #3.

Christ.

Give him credit, he’s basically playing the attack all by his lonesome, but damn, those were the final nails in the coffin. No one to beat but the keeper.

94′ That’s the final whistle.

Great job by the team holding Samp to a single goal, and a great job by Mancini and Vuci on that goal. All it takes is one. And now they go into the return fixture standing on very solid ground. Of course, I’m not sure they’ll have enough bodies to put in front of Curci/Doni. So we’re now accepting applications for Roma’s central defense….

(Go away, Kuffour)