Good v Evil Liveblog

By: chris | April 11th, 2009

Roma 2 – Morganti 4

I genuinely cannot wait to hear the explanation as to why Roma were reduced to 9 men after this one. Cannot wait, because from everything that transpired on the field, there’s no indication. None whatsoever.

And I’d equally like to hear why Brocchi wasn’t sent off for his second yellow card. That should also be a beaut.

GAME

Tonetto wins a corner…someone pushed down from behind, no peno of course.

Now probably isn’t a good time to bring this up but both Panucci and Mexes got what looked to be straight reds – that’s more than a one game suspension. It’s like someone is trying to take the legs out from Roma.

5 minutes of stoppage.

Pizarro down hurt and Taddei comes on.

Menez fouled from behind…no card. Baptista with a fantastic shot saved. That was a chance. Counter. 4-2. Doni has to go. Has to go.

Of course it wouldn’t have been so easy if Morganti hadn’t sent off both central defenders for no goddamn reason whatsoever. (Let’s not forget Spalletti, either.)

84′ Baptista called for a nonexistent foul over the top. Seriously, nothing there.

83′ Lazio trying to run out the clock. Why? Because they’re the inferior team and they can’t stop Roma even when hiding behind Morganti.

GOOOOOAL DDR!!!! This thing ain’t over!

Header on the free kick. Beautifully lofted. Let’s go boys, let’s go.

Brocchi gets his second yellow, correct? And no sending off. Wow.

78′ DDR’s shot goes wide and the pitch, obviously, is looking much more open. Perhaps this is the only way to salvage something.

So Mexes was sent off for….looking at Matuzalem dirtily after he’d been slapped. That’s nice.

So that’s a coach and both central defenders. Chop out the legs whydontcha.

74′ MEXES SENT OFF.

Just walk off the pitch. Seriously. Just walk off the pitch.

Matuzalem sent off as well.

71′ I’m genuinely trying to figure out why Panucci was sent off. The Lazio player had words but Panucci was sent off and the other only a yellow. How does that work? Were Panucci’s insults that much more insulting? Should that even factor in?

70′ Free kick in range here, 28-30 yards or so…Riise on it….blocked twice.

68′ Pizarro low gopher hunter saved easily again before Totti is found offside.

67′ Mexes given a yellow because…who knows. This is Serie A.

Tonetto on for Brighi – no Taddei. So the back line will be Motta, Mexes, Riise, Tonetto.

And Zarate off for that bald fuck.

62′ This feels like playing Inter, quite honestly. I still have no idea what Panucci was sent off for. The foul was relatively tame, particularly for a derby, and there were some words had but Lichtenwhatthefuckever only got a yellow and Panucci was sent off. How is that fair?

PANUCCI SENT OFF!

Fucking Morganti has screwed this game from the beginning. Seriously, fuck this.

Taddei to come on.

59′ Attack goes forward but Menez’s shot deflects and is easily saved. All too easily.

And your 2009-2010 AS Roma goalkeeper….Gianluca Curci. Carve it in marble if you’d like.

And Doni loses the plot, gives Lazio the third on an easy header in front of the net.

57′ Menez defending…Zarate. Surprisingly, it didn’t end up poorly.

DONI YOU LEGEND. Saves the 1v1 on the counter.

The defense was hung out to dry after a no-call on a Piza foul and Doni stonewalls the sure 3rd.

55′ Roma corner…Menez in for Perrotta. I suppose this means…

Baptista – Brighi – Menez

…or some such.

Menez lining up to sub in. Come on you boy wonder.

53′ Another foul on Baptista, another set piece from 30 yards out on the left…whipped in…caught easily.

DDR with some cheeky moves to avoid baby blues before, again, being fouled. The boy’s world class.

Breaking: Spalletti was sent off at the half for spatting with a Lazio suit. I suppose it’s not a proper derby without at least one sending off, eh?

50′ Matuzalem elbows DDR in the face, no card? Come on.

Ledesma molests Julio, falls down, foul on Julio. Typical.

48′ Another sloppy start to the half from Roma. They simply do not start out well from the whistle – particularly in second halves. Too many instructions from Spalletti ringing around in their heads? Maybe.

47′ The linesman finally gets it right and awards a goalkick rather than a corner in a tight situation.

Julio’s touch appears to be leaving him. That’s fine – all he needs is one rocketed right foot.

46′ Weak shot by Zarate and…..Doni makes his first save on the day.

SECOND HALF KICKOFF

Everybody is returning from the tunnel.

Outside of the first five minutes, this game has been completely dominated by Roma – clearly the far superior team. The goals will come.

HALFTIME

Ledesma’s free kick goes wide.

45′ Two minutes of added time. Kolarov does the stop, drop and roll – wins a free kick from 35.

43′ Pandev stuffed yet again by Riise after trying to walk through the back. Who does he think he is?

DDR is offside during open play. Yes – offside.

42′ Pizarro with more disregard for physical health, wins a foul to disrupt a Lazy attack.

41′ David Pizarro wins a header….Totti bvolley across the box and it’s another corner…cleared off the line! My oh my. They’re annihilating Lazyo here and they just can’t put it in the net.

Cheeky cross by Brighi to an onrushing Totti but it’s put out for a corner….cleared out and the counter amounts, again, in nothing.

Someone on Lazyo whiffs on the ball in the baby blue box, typically. Nothing amounts, unfortunately.

38′ Perrotta with Totti-esque touch to save possession. Pandev tries to run at the backline, gets nowhere, of course.

Motta wins a free kick within whipping distance….Piza on it again…..towering header off the post! Another fucking brilliant move by Baptista. The man is possessed.

36′ Baptista with…again…and brilliant through ball but Francesco is just offside.

35′ Brilliant diving tackle by Piza to stuff Pandev’s shot. Absolutely phenomenal disregard for health and well-being.

33′ Liveblogging a game isn’t the proper time to make any sort of tactical assessment but…I genuinely forgot Brighi is on the pitch. Not quite used to that.

31′ Julio with his first mistouch of the game and Panucci snuffs out the counter.

Perrotta looks to have what might be a dead leg – hopefully it’s not more serious. Yep, he’s walking off under his own power and without a hobble.

30′ DDR with some cheeky work to avoid baby blues but play is stopped for Rozenhal who jumped on Totti’s back and wound up with a boo boo.

28′ Baptista wins another foul. Is Julio a left-winger? He might be. (He’s not, but you know.)

Pandev, typically, passes to the invisible man. Roman throw.

26′ Beautiful work in the box to work a shot for Pizarro at the top but it goes wide. This game has been all Roma for the last 20 minutes (obviously).

25′ Baptista with another run filled with touch to win a foul. Who is this masked man?

Riise’s shot saved as well. One of these – if not more – will be going in shortly. Patience.

23′ DDR piledriver saved as it was right at that Uruguayan seal clubber. If these shots are a little to the left or right, the goals will be raining in.

22′ Lazyo actually manage to get another attack down the Roman end and it ends up in precisely nothing because they’re really rubbish and the opening minutes were the exception to the rule.

21′ Baptista on the left is showing better form than we’ve seen since the turn of the year in 2009. Who knew?

18′ I know it’s been discussed before, but the opening 15 minutes for this Roma team can and often does dictate the game – just not in the way we’d think. They’ve started out the world’s greatest team for 15 mins so often, only to fall flat on their face. And on those days, like today, when it starts out shakily, they right the ship and become the better team over the 90 minutes. Perhaps that early Lazio barrage isn’t the worst thing in the world in the long run.
Baptista with a beautiful cut inside and his power shot saved by Muslera. He’s having a nice game here.

Totti shot well high.

17′ Third free kick from the same spot and Pizarro booms it over Motta’s head on the far side, but Roma back with possession.

15′ Motta loses then wins back possession…..genius touch by Totti to Brighi who plays it back…cross….skims off Perrotta’s head for a throw. Some real fight back here.

14′ Unfortunately my internet is acting up. I suppose it’s because the earth has tilted off his access with Lazyo productivity.

Fucking Morganti tackles Totti in the box. Lazyo have stuffed his wallet, no doubt.

The second corner comes in and the ball is put down at the feet of Philou who can’t miss from that range.

This game isn’t over by any stretch.

Panucci’s header saved off the line. A goal, surely. GOOOOOOOOOOOAL MEXES.

9′ Baptista’s at least looking lively, which is surely no small feat….Julio’s cross deflected out for a corner.

And another free kick from 30 or so….punched out…Baptista header saved on the line.

6′ Free kick on the Roman end amounts to little more than confusion in the box and the counter hits back the other way. Time to slow down the tempo and leave the ‘blackout’.

Worst start to any game in Roma history? It must be up there.

2-0. Zarate.

Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Massive protests for gifting Lazyo a corner which never was. I suppose they couldn’t put one in without a little assistance, eh.

2′ Oh dear god. 1-0 Baby Slappers on the corner.

Zarate runs down the touchline and passes to Pandev down the box but, as expected, it amounts in positively jackshit.

And Zarate stonewalled by Mexes in the box again.

1′ Totti fouled after about three seconds. I see Lazyo are taking the classy route to this one.

KICKOFF

And here we go…

They’re on the pitch now, Roma with the confident swagger of a competent football team, Lazyo with something else entirely. Maybe visions of sheep dancing in their heads.

Both teams down in the tunnel now. Still no luck with the Atdhe stream but channel 22947 is still running strong.

Watching the pre-game feed on Sopcast channel 22947 and the stadium looks packed but the atmosphere, as expected, very un-derby-like…though the flags may outnumber the people at the game, which is always a good sign.

LINEUP(S)

ROMA (4-2-3-1): Doni; Motta, Mexes, Panucci, Riise; De Rossi, Pizarro; Brighi, Perrotta, Baptista; Totti. A disp.: Artur, Taddei, Menez, Tonetto, Loria, Cassetti, Diamoutene. All. Spalletti.

Looks an awful lot more like a 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-1-2.

ORPHANED BABY SLAPPERS (4-4-2): Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Siviglia, Rozenhal, Kolarov; Brocchi, Ledesma, Matuzalem, Foggia; Pandev, Zarate. A disp: Carrizo, De Silvestri, Mauri, Dabo, Diakité, Rocchi, Meghni. All. Rossi.

Still no word on lineups but I’m not too worried as of the 22 players on the pitch today, the 11 best will clearly be wearing Kappa. The names are just details.

Let’s get business out of the way:

MyP2P streaming.
Atdhe.net.

With the betting sites running this one I’d have to say Atdhe should be the choice on the day.

Welcome to Francesco Totti’s day.

Pre-game tunage: