© EuroFootball.com
On Sunday, the remaining 27 matches of the Italian championship were played. "Roma" celebrated victory in the capital derby, and all three championship favorites also secured three points each.
In the highly anticipated Rome derby, the "Roma" club triumphed, defeating the "Lazio" team 2-0 in the "away" match. This was the eleventh consecutive victory for "Roma" - making the club the all-time record holder in "Serie A."
The first dangerous moment of the match occurred near the "Roma" goal, when "Lazio" forward Tommaso Rocchi's shot from six meters hit the goalpost. However, half an hour into the game, it was their opponents who scored - lifting a corner, "Roma" defender Rodrigo Taddei headed the ball into the net, leaving "Lazio" goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi helpless. Towards the end of the half, "Lazio" stepped up their attack, but they failed to equalize the score.
At the start of the second half, "Lazio" dictated the pace of the game, but they struggled to find the back of the net. Taking advantage of this, "Roma" players launched a successful counterattack in the 63rd minute, finished off by Alberto Aquilani - bringing the score to 2-0. After this goal, "Lazio" pushed hard for a comeback, completely dominating the "Roma" team on their half of the field, but despite all their efforts, the score remained unchanged.
The league leader, Turin's "Juventus" team, managed to secure a 3-1 victory at home against bottom-ranked "Lecce" after a tough battle. Just ten minutes into the game, the visitors unexpectedly took the lead when unmarked defender Gennaro Del Vecchio put the ball in the "Juventus" net. However, eight minutes later, Emerson equalized with a great goal, and towards the end of the first half, a header from "Juventus" defender Robert Kovac put the Turin team in the lead.
As has become customary in recent matches, at the end of the game against their Turin opponents, "Juventus" was awarded a penalty kick, which the team captain Alessandro Del Piero successfully converted.
Milan's "Inter" managed to end their streak of failures with a 3-1 victory at home against the struggling "Udinese" team. Just 17 minutes into the game, "Inter" forward Obafemi Martins was brought down in the "Udinese" penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick which was converted by Julio Ricardo Cruz.
The Argentine later scored his second goal of the game with a header to send a cross from Davido Pizarro into the "Udinese" net. Shortly after, D. Pizarro's penalty kick was saved by the "Udinese" goalkeeper, but "Inter" forward Obafemi Martins was first to the rebound, scoring his team's third goal. Towards the end of the match, "Udinese" managed to score a consolation goal, with the referee also sending off two players.
"Milan" also claimed victory, defeating the "Palermo" team 2-0 away. The victory for the Milan team was secured by a goal from veteran Filippo Inzaghi and a penalty kick from Andrey Shevchenko. "Milan" had to finish the match with ten men, as with four minutes left until the end of the game, Dutch defender Jaap Stam received his second yellow card.
In this round, "Ascoli" and "Siena" teams also secured three points each, defeating "Messina" and "Sampdoria," respectively. In the other two matches between "Cagliari" and "Chievo," as well as "Empoli" and "Treviso," draws were recorded.
Sunday's match statistics:
...
Top scorers of the championship:
1. Luca Toni ("Fiorentina") - 22;
2. David Trezeguet ("Juventus") - 18;
3-4. Francesco Totti ("Roma") - 15;
Andriy Shevchenko ("Milan") - 15;
5-6. Alberto Gilardino ("Milan") - 14;
Cristiano Lucarelli ("Livorno") - 14;
7-8. Francesco Tavano ("Empoli") - 13;
David Suazo ("Cagliari") - 13;
9. Adriano ("Inter") - 12.
League table:
