24th round: "Inter" defeated in Florence

2006-02-09 03:50 © EuroFootball.com

On Wednesday, in the Italian championship, there were 24 matchday games played, with no shortage of surprises and goals - Championship leader Turin's "Juventus" failed to secure a victory, while Milan's "Inter" pursuing the latter team suffered a defeat, "Milan" crushed their opponents, and "Roma" snatched a dramatic victory.

In one of the most intriguing matches of the round, "Fiorentina" defeated "Inter" at home with a score of 2-1 and secured three important points in the fight for a place in next year's Champions League. Although the pace of the match was dictated by the visitors for the most part, two defensive mistakes by these teams proved to be decisive.

Just ten minutes into the match, "Fiorentina" defender Cristiano Brocchi scored with a long-range shot, beating "Inter" goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who only saw the flying ball at the last moment as his view was blocked by players gathering in front of the goal. After this episode, the visitors actively tried to equalize, but shots from Luis Figo and Julio Cruz did not find their target. Later, Adriano missed a great chance, sending the ball over the goal instead of passing it to his teammate in a better position. "Inter" dominated the field, but excellent game by "Fiorentina" goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont saved his team twice.

However, "Fiorentina" managed not only to defend but also to score a second goal. "Inter" defender Walter Samuel allowed "Fiorentina" midfielder Luis Jimenez to strike the ball into the goal after a pass from Stefano Fiore. "Inter" striker Alvaro Recoba finally equalized the match in the 83rd minute with a great penalty shot, giving hope to the Milan club, but this was the last goal of the match.

"Milan" club secured a stunning victory at home, defeating the underdog "Treviso" 5-0. The rout began in the 14th minute when the hosts' goalkeeper Kaka precisely struck the ball into the net. At the beginning of the second half, the Brazilian made a pass to Andriy Shevchenko, who scored a goal. Ten minutes later, Alberto Gilardino scored the third goal into the "Treviso" net after a pass from Clarence Seedorf. "Treviso" completely collapsed, and two minutes later Andriy Shevchenko scored his second goal with a long-range shot. The rout was completed in the 74th minute by long-time "Milan" player Filippo Inzaghi.

Turin's "Juventus" played a 1-1 draw at home with "Parma", causing another scandal in the match. Unexpectedly, the visitors controlled the pace of the match in the first half and took the lead in the 39th minute when Marco Bresciano sent the ball into the "Juventus" net. However, the hosts equalized just five minutes later, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in the 44th minute. It is worth mentioning that "Juventus" defender Fabio Cannavaro was at fault for "Parma"'s goal, as he failed to stop the opponent due to slipping. This mistake allowed "Parma" player Paolo Cannavaro, Fabio's younger brother, to score the goal as if to justify his error by slipping on the grass.

In the second half, the visitors had chances again. In the 63rd minute, "Parma" forward Bernardo Corradi missed a great opportunity, as he only had to aim for the empty goal, but he shot wide. At the end of the half, a controversial episode occurred - a penalty was awarded to the "Juventus" opponents for a very disputed foul in the penalty area for the second consecutive match. However, this time Alessandro Del Piero missed the penalty by hitting the post. A few minutes later, another "Juventus" penalty was awarded after a rough foul on Bernardo Corradi, but this time the referee remained silent.

An intense match took place at the neutral Rieti stadium, where the home team "Roma" managed to win their eighth consecutive victory, defeating "Cagliari" 4-3 right at the end of the match. The match began with two away goals, but the hosts leveled the score by the end of the first half, where "Cagliari" player Joe Bizera received a red card. So, the score was 2-2 at the beginning of the second half, and the visitors had to play with ten men.

Nevertheless, this did not stop them from taking the lead again thanks to a superb penalty by Daniele Conti. Things looked bleak for "Roma" by the 76th minute, as a red card was shown to Roma's player Cesare Bovo, but two minutes later, the referee awarded a penalty to the visitors' goal, which was successfully converted by the team's captain Francesco Totti. In extra time, the same situation occurred again - F. Totti scored another goal from the penalty spot, and "Roma" celebrated an incredible victory.

The "Palermo" coach Giuseppe Papadopulo achieved victory against his former employers. The team led by this coach defeated the "Lazio" team at home with a score of 3-1. The hosts, under the guidance of the new coach, are slowly returning to the path of victories after a disappointing first half of the season when the team was led by Luigi Del Neri, while "Lazio" continued their unsuccessful streak of away games.

The match in Verona between the local team "Chievo" and their table neighbors, Genoa's "Sampdoria", ended in a 1-1 draw. The game took place on the 50th birthday of "Chievo" coach Beppi Pillon. After this match, these teams are still separated by just one point. "Livorno", which is in sixth place, allowing them to play in the UEFA Cup next year, is five points ahead of "Chievo", while "Sampdoria" is six points ahead.

Under the guidance of the new coach Carlo Mazzone, who watched the match from the stands due to a suspension received from the previous season, "Livorno" played a goalless draw away with the "Ascoli" team. However, the debut did not go as planned, as the "Ascoli" team had more opportunities to score, but their players failed to capitalize on their chances.

The match between "Messina" and "Siena" also ended in a goalless draw. However, the draw was not favorable to either team, as "Messina" is being chased by three teams with just three points less, while "Siena" also has enough competitors in the tournament table, slowly conceding their positions.

One of the clubs chasing the "Messina" team, "Empoli", defeated the "Lecce" team away with a score of 2-1 and secured their first victory in 11 matches. The guests ensured victory in the first half. Just two minutes after the start of the match, "Empoli" took the lead, while with five minutes left until the end of the first half, one of the most effective players in the championship, Francesco Tavano, doubled the lead. "Lecce" reduced the deficit with ten minutes left in the match, but that's all the club managed to do.

"Udinese" continues their series of poor results. This time, the club was defeated by "Reggina" at their own stadium. After this match, reports intensified that "Udinese" coach Serse Cosmi will be dismissed, as this was the sixth match without a victory for the team, currently occupying the twelfth place in the "Serie A" championship.

Matchday 24 statistics: