Roma v Chelsea Olympic Swimming Competition LiveblogConf

By: chris | November 4th, 2008

Roma 3 – Chelsea 1

How absolutely wonderful.

93′ Just waiting for the final whistle…………….GAME

92′ Roma working in possession….long ball headed out by the back…..Cech gets dicey, Brighi tripped. That was asking for number 4.

91′ Goal kick Roma….Chelssea slowed down….break……..too farr for Cicinho.

90′ Anelka shot goes wide….waitin for the clock here….3 minutes.

89′ Cicinho…shot deflected….Baptista….nothin’.

And Cech just saved his hat trick. Mirko now coming off for Riiiiiiiise.

87′ Vucinic has put on a very Ibra-esque performance today: lots of loafing around before two moments of brilliance.

86′ This nice little 3-0 cgame has turned on its head here….Taddei….Cicinho…..crosss to DDR just hit wide…Baptista stopped in the box. Mexes foul on Drogba.

84′ I’ve stumbled into a rugby match somehow. Riise looks like he’ll be pulling off his shirt soon. Chelsea asking for a counter at the moment.

83′ Luciano having words with the ref….Rma trying to break, Chelsea trying to bludgeon Roma here. No more pretty football for them.

82′ Chelsea with the kick still…off the wallll…..trying to break, back to Dogba…another corner for Chelsea.

Deco’s off…finally. Quick free kick before the whistle had gone for the second, but he’s been asking for this all game.

80′ High foot on Deco, no call..he should be off by now.

79′ Confusion between Juan and Doni causes trouble…throw….Lampard’s eventual shot way high.

77′ Let’s add that one to the bullshit no-call penalty on the list of “what the fuck?” today.

75′ Chelsea in the box, win a corner. Headed out easily…Lampard slips…out to Deco on the left….shot in, Terry scores offside by about a fucking nautical mile after trapping it with his hand. I’m still waitin for them to call that back. Nopee, 3-1.

Other game: 2-1 Bordeaux.

73′ Mirko offside primed for another 1v1….

72′ Taddei coming in for Simone. Where’s that UEFA meters run stat…..no dice today.

71′ Drogba sent in 1v1 with Doni but well off.

70′ Roma getting some more space now.. brilliant turn by DR….Piza…..Cicinho’s cross sent out for a throw. This is looking like the Roma we’re used to. of course, being up 3-0 helps.

68′ Brilliant ball control in the box by Beast and David, Cicinho eventually firres it high…Chelsea down the other en. Headed out for a Blue throw.

Free kick saved easily by Doni. Lose possession, gettting a bit sloppy in the back now, foul on Drogba going the other way. Someone got a yellow back there. Simone, maybe?

66′ Poor clearance by DDR…..Bridge’s shot deflects out for a corner. Perrotta and Drogbacite getting a stern talking to. Didier it at least two Pizarro’s.

Cheelsea revitalized now, Belletti half punches Panucci. Should be at least a yellow.

Francesco rubbing some ice on the knee. SOP.

63′ Maloudacris off for Kalou…. Anelka’s shot deflects for a corner.

61′ Here comes La Bestia for Francesco. Another bonus: he’s not leaving on a stretcher.

The Olimpico has erupted. This is just what the doctor ordered.

What a run by Mirko. He’s just shredding Chelsea right now.

57′ Vuci breaks…..beats Obi….GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL

LEGEND. FUCKING LEGEND>

56′ Mexes foul on Anelka which was actually a dive. Free kick Chelsea….very dangerous spot, 25m or so….off the wall, thankfully.

55′ Cicinho to Simone, whose ball is off, Chlsea back on it…Bosingwa…..someone just took a knee in the back, free kick Roma. Piss poor by Doni.

53′ Long ball too Mirko finds his shoulder, another real opportunity there…Drogba muscled off the ball. Totti…Simone….ball back to Simone from Vuci too strong. Once they find their timing,this is going to be something….Terry muscles Vuci out. Some real vision here.

52′ Vuci….Piza…..nearly finds Simone.

51′ Throw in…Mexes…Cicinho….Perrotta…..a real goddamn sense of fight, finally.

49′ I have no clue what’s goin on. Drogba’s on too.

What a beauty. What a fucking beauty. From 25 just a hammered drive into the back of the net.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL MIIIIIIIIIIIIRKKKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

46′ Net issues, be back in a jiff.

KICKOFF

Belletti on for…someone.

That was…welcome.

HALFTIME

45′ Nothing is bouncing Rome’s way this year, eh? Vuci on the break…lots of space……shot saved by Cech fairly easily.

44′ Foul on Mirko….Anelka taken off th ball easily….Piza…GOMR….GOMR running….down the left…..back to Piza….tripped in the box, no call. He wanted that. Wow, that was a peno. God.

43′ Bosingwa cross cleared….Bridge takees a shot well wide.

42′ Back in possession…Chelsea’ passing getting a little sloppy here….Vuci…Perrottaa….Mirko……Totti….Perrotta….cross to no one chested to Cech by Bosingwa.

41′ Working possession…..Mexes long, just ahead of Mirko, picked up by Cech.

40′ Chelsea with a clean break, Malouda’s shot goes just wide. Lots of space for him, should’ve done better.

39′ Cicinho on it….Vucinic bundled in the box, cross was a bit high anyway.

38′ Foul on Brighi from 35 or so….Vucinic over it…..not a bad shot, but saved easily by Cech.

37′ Games gettin heated now…a renewed sense of life in Rome.

Somebody get that man a goddamn lifetime contract….beats Terry to the ball and we have a goddamn goal from play ladies and gentleman.

34′ Yellow for Deco for a trip on Totti. Free kick from 35+…Piza…..Cicinho…cros..s…GOMMRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR 1-0 GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

32′ Chelsea back with possession…tough tackle by Pizarro….Cheelsea back witth it…Bridge…Malouda..Mikel….Bosingwa…Pizarro on i…Roma breaking…..Vucinic offsides yet again. The new Pippo.

30′ Chelsea working it around again…Lampard shot saved by Doni….good shot, good save. Corner….another corner…foul in the box. Roma kick. Strong fould by Terry on Mexes, full on shove.

29′ Roma again…Totti moment of genius too strong for Vuci. What a flick.

28′ Roma with space….Vuci on the break, stopped by Alex in the box….Totti’s ball to Vuci goes unused as he winds up on the floor. Good chances there, nothing comes of them.

26′ Maloudacris horsecollars Cicinho, goal kick anyway.

25′ Cheeky work in the box by DDR to clear danger. Totti’s being hounded by 2 men every time he gets near the ball. Unfortunately, in his state that’ll do it.

23′ Cicinho’s ball to Vuci just too strong, winds up with Cech…Roma win possession again. Panucci tries to beat Cech from 45. Poor call there. I think Christian’s incapable of sending a ball less than 25 yards.

22′ Bridge fires a cross of Cicinho’s ass for a throw…Lampard’s shot saved by Doni…corner…short…Vuci on the break, loses it….Vuci one man away again……DDR’s ball to a steaming GOMR too strong. Good opportunity wasted there.

20′ Chelsea ujst working it around, Cicinho’s long wall ends up with Mikel.

19′ Corner in…short….Malouda’s shot deflected out also. Another corner. Out for a goal kick. Too much mustard.

18′ Deco with a late challenge on Brighi, probably could’ve been yellow. Nothing. Malouda down the left, sets it up for Deco, deflects out for a corner.

Piza with a beaut to Vuci, put out for a throw by Alex…Totti…cross from GOMR taken by The Helmet.

17′ Totti’s running around, but looking far from 100% at this point. As much was to be expeected, but he doesn’t look even close to ready for 90.

15′ Pizaman on it…over to GOMR….his long pass on the floor taken away, obviously. Shorten it up.

13′ Vuci wins it….work it around….tries another volley a la Genoa but too high this time. Good thought there.

12′ Chelsea back to working it around, the boys happy to sit back and defed for counters….Vuci wiith it…Perrotta with the foul…Maloudacris down the left, put out for a throw, Roma gain possession.

10′ Roma break….GOMR…Totti…taken off. Now Chelsea breaks….Bosingwa cross through the box.

9′ Joe Cole cross lodted into Alex’s waiting arms. Bacck to Chelsea possession. Pretty much the same as last game…Doni made what looked to be an unnecessarily difficult save on a Deco shot. Corner….short…cross deflected back.

8′ Shot by Deco deflected…back to Malouda….Chelsea working it in possession…cleared out by Philou to Cech. Malouda offside on the other end.

7; Roma get some possession, lofted ball to strong and easily gobbled by The Helmet.

5′ Chelsea basically worrking it around at this point…corner conceded after a Boswinga cross. Surely to be the first of many. (Crosses and corners.) Corner in….headed out to His Francesconess, back to Doni who clears.

3′ GOMR is on the left tonight, as expected. Cicinho don’t do that versatility shit…pitch isn’t too much of a swamp, either.

2′ Chelsea sitting back, playing it slow…finally broken up by a short Deco pass. Panucci’s first of 1,782 long balls eventually winds up in Blues possession, of course.

1′ Already a patented Roman attack into the box and it’s saved by Cech. The first 15 aren’t the worry, it’s after that. So anything now is merely basic expectation.

KICKOFF

Team pictures are wrapped, and we’re all good to go. GOMR’s sitting on a yellow, so his inevitable card will rule him out for the next match (Bordeaux at home, I believe?).

Mirko gives a little wink to the camera. Awesome.

Lads are coming out of the tunnel, led by His Holiness. No rain, just a slick pitch to worry about for the moment.

Curva Sud’s rockin’, must be gametime.

LINEUPS

Roma:

I’m just going to list who is playing today because I haven’t a goddamn clue what Spalletti’s doing:

Doni, Cicinho, GOMR, Mexes, Juan, Brighi, DDR, Pizarro, Perrotta, Vucinic, Totti.

a. What the fuck is Francesco doing on the pitch?
b. Probably a 4-2-3-1 with GOMR at LB, Brighi at treq (woo), Simone on the right and Vuci on the left. But let’s just say there appear to be a lot of square pegs being thrust into round holes.
c. Or, as mentioned, a 4-3-1-2.
d. Strong feeling much of this lineup has to do with Boswinga, who was everywhere last time around. Panucci & (presumably) Perrotta to cut down his runs while still allowing everyone to stifle the middle should add to their defensive approach last time. Then again, the pitch has yet to have its say.

Chelsea:

Cech;
Boswinga, Terry, Alex, Bridge;
Deco, Mikel Obi, Lampard;
J. Cole, Anelka, Maloudacris.

Game’s a go because this week they’ve been digging holes in the pitch to drain the water, even though it’s probably look like a diving pool anyway, which means three things:

i. We won’t see any of the quasi-fit superduperstars (read: Totti, Drogba) – at least, we shouldn’t. I don’t care if Francesco’s due to score a baker’s dozen, he should be handcuffed to a lazyboy in the lockeroom.
ii. I’m setting the over/under of broken ankles at +/-4.5.
iii. Ever the cunning bastard, Abramovich might try to surreptitiously sub in one of his superyachts at some point.

Streaming links. Also believe this one’s going to be shown at ESPN360.com. Premiership participant and all that.