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This weekend, 32 matches were played in the Italian championship. The match for the fourth place between "Fiorentina" and "Roma" ended in a draw, while "Juventus" and "Milan" unexpectedly dropped points against the bottom teams.
The match in Florence between the two teams fighting for a spot in next year's Champions League ended in a 1-1 draw. "Fiorentina" took the lead in the second minute of the match. Luca Toni beat the visitors' offside trap and found himself alone against the goalkeeper, putting his team ahead. This was a historic goal for the Italian as he became the first "Fiorentina" player to score 26 goals in a season.
However, this Italian's joy was overshadowed by an injury in the second half, when he slipped and hurt his shin. To make matters worse, with twenty minutes left in the match, "Roma" managed to equalize. Cristiano Panucci headed a crossed ball into the goal, and even though the home goalkeeper saved the shot, the player ran to the ball and sent it into the net. This was the first goal in the "Serie A" championship for the Argentine player.
Meanwhile, Turin's "Juventus" players missed several good opportunities to score and played out a goalless draw against "Treviso" away from home. This match was marked by a conflict between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and "Juventus" coach Fabio Capello. In the second half, their disagreement ended with Z.Ibrahimovic being substituted, and he then expressed his anger towards the Turin team's manager. This incident will likely result in a financial penalty for the Swede.
"AC Milan" also decided to save their key players for the Champions League match against "Lyon". However, this decision significantly affected the team's performance, and "AC Milan" lost away to "Lecce" with a score of 0-1. In the 54th minute, "Lecce" star Mirko Vucinic passed the ball to his teammate Axel Konan during a counterattack, and he scored the winning goal.
"Chievo Verona" secured a very important victory in the fight for a place in the UEFA Cup, defeating "Livorno" 2-1 at home, which was "Livorno's" fifth consecutive defeat. In the 14th minute, the home team's player Amauri's shot hit the crossbar and the ball was cleared by the "Livorno" goalkeeper, but the referee counted the goal as he saw the ball cross the goal line.
"Livorno" managed to equalize in the 40th minute, when Cristiano Lucarelli passed the ball over the "Chievo" goalkeeper. However, the hosts took the lead again in the 61st minute. The visitors' defenders brought down the opponents' forward in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty kick, which was converted by the Nigerian Victor Obinna.
In Rome, "Lazio" managed to waste a two-goal lead against "Empoli" in a thrilling 3-3 draw. The hosts led 2-0 in the eighth minute, but the visitors, mostly through Francesco Tavano's efforts, equalized. However, "Lazio" managed to take the lead again after Paolo Di Canio's goal, but the Rome club gifted a point to their opponents in the 93rd minute when the team's defender Massimo Oddo sent the ball into his own net.
"Palermo" missed the chance to extend their lead over "Lazio" and played out a 1-1 draw with "Ascoli" at home. The hosts dominated a large part of the match and firmly held the reins, but in the 66th minute, the team's player Paul Codrea received a red card, and "Palermo," unable to withstand the visitors' attack with ten men, conceded the equalizing goal.
Finally, Genua's "Sampdoria" ended their losing streak by playing out a 1-1 draw with "Cagliari" at home. "Sampdoria" had not scored a goal against their opponents in the last five matches, so this result was a significant step in ending the club's crisis.
"Udinese," after a three-month break, managed to secure a victory and slightly distance themselves from the relegation zone. The club defeated "Parma" 2-0 at home. In this match, the league debut of the new team's coach Giovanni Galeone took place, whose innovations seem to be helping the team recover.
Meanwhile, the match between "Reggina" and "Siena" ended in a 1-1 draw. This result allowed both teams to slightly distance themselves from "Messina," who is the closest team in the relegation zone.
Matchday 32 results:
1 - 1
2` [1 - 0] Luca Toni
72` [1 - 1] Leandro Damian Cufre
3 - 0
15` [1 - 0] Santiago Solari
19` [2 - 0] Obafemi Martins
26` [3 - 0] Santiago Solari
0 - 0
1 - 0
54` [1 - 0] Axel Cedric Konan
2 - 1
14` [1 - 0] Amauri
40` [1 - 1] Cristiano Lucarelli
61` [2 - 1] Victor Obinna (Pen.)
83` Luciano Siqueira sent off ("Chievo")
3 - 3
6` [1 - 0] Goran Pandev
7` [2 - 0] Valon Behrami
25` [2 - 1] Vittorio Tosto
64` [2 - 2] Francesco Tavano
80` [3 - 2] Paolo Di Canio
90` [3 - 3] Massimo Oddo (Own Goal)
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35` [1 - 0] Andrea Caracciolo
71` [1 - 1] Pasquale Foggia
66` Paul Constantin Codrea sent off ("Palermo")
1 - 1
13` [1 - 0] Luca Castellazzi
67` [1 - 1] David Suazo
2 - 0
20` [1 - 0] Antonio Di Natale
52` [2 - 0] Felipe
1 - 1
21` [0 - 1] Erjon Bogdani
51` [1 - 1] Nicola Amoruso
Top scorers of the championship:
1. Luca Toni ("Fiorentina") - 26 goals
2. David Trezeguet ("Juventus") - 20 goals
3. Andriy Shevchenko ("Milan") - 19 goals
4. Francesco Tavano ("Empoli") - 17 goals
5-7. Alberto Gilardino ("Milan") - 16 goals
Cristiano Lucarelli ("Livorno") - 16 goals
David Suazo ("Cagliari") - 16 goals
8. Francesco Totti ("Roma") - 15 goals
9. Adriano ("Inter") - 13 goals
10. Arturo Di Napoli ("Messina") - 12 goals
League table:
