© EuroFootball.com
On Sunday, after the tragic events in Catania, the Italian championship was continued and all 23 round matches were played. The favorites of the championship, "Inter" and "Roma", managed to secure victories, earning important three points in the fight for a place in next year's Champions League. "Milan" and "Fiorentina" also won important matches, while "Empoli" unexpectedly defeated "Palermo" and climbed to fourth place.
"Chievo", playing at their home stadium without spectators, faced the championship leaders "Inter" and lost with a score of 0-2. This was the fifteenth consecutive victory for "Inter" in the Serie A championship.
The guests took the lead from the beginning of the match. Dejan Stankovic passed the ball to his teammate Adriano, who managed to score from a narrow angle with a left foot strike. The ball ended up in the net after bouncing off the post.
The second goal was scored in the second half - in the 51st minute. Hernan Crespo stopped the ball while running with his left foot and struck into the net with his right. The goalkeeper of "Chievo" reacted too slowly and the ball went into the goal.
"Roma" did not allow the "Inter" club to extend their lead further and secured a 3-0 victory at home against the "Parma" team.
Francesco Totti scored the first goal for the capital club in the 51st minute. The most productive player of this year's Serie A, Davide Pizarro, sent a header into the goal from a cross. After 15 minutes, the hosts doubled the difference between the teams. The "Roma" club demonstrated excellent teamwork. Several players exchanged passes in one touch and Simone Perrotta scored a goal after receiving the ball.
As the match approached the end, "Parma" was left with ten men, as their defender Fernando Couto received a red card for disputes with the referees. Taking advantage of the numerical superiority, the hosts managed to send the ball into the opponents' goal for the third time. Rodrigo Taddei did it.
"Milan", with their new acquisition Ronaldo in the lineup, defeated the "Livorno" team at home in a tough match with a score of 2-1.
In the 29th minute, Ricardo Oliveira crossed the ball into the penalty area and Gennaro Gattuso, who was there, slid and sent the ball into the goal, leading the Milan team. However, just two minutes later, the visitors equalized. The "Milan" goalkeeper deflected a shot by Dario Passoni, but it ended up at Cristiano Lucarelli, whose shot left the opponent's goalkeeper helpless.
In the 63rd minute, the new Milan signing Ronaldo entered the field instead of Ricardo Oliveira. The Milan supporters in the stadium warmly welcomed the new member of the team. Five minutes later, Milan managed to advance again. Czech national team player Marek Jankulovski scored the second goal for his team with a strong and accurate shot from the penalty area.
The season started well for "Palermo", but they unexpectedly lost at home to the "Empoli" team with a score of 0-1.
In a little over a minute from the start of the second half, the ball reached Vittorio Tosto of the visitors, who passed it to Sergio Almiron. He got rid of the opponent Andrea Barzagli and led his team forward.
In the 78th minute, "Palermo" had a great opportunity to equalize, but Davide Di Michele's shot hit the post. Shortly after, luck smiled at the "Empoli" team. Davide Matteini's shot was touched by the opponent's goalkeeper with his fingertips, and it hit the crossbar.
"Fiorentina" was also forced to play without supporters. However, a few hundred of them gathered outside the stadium to support the team and held a picnic. Perhaps sensing the support of these loyal fans, the "Fiorentina" players managed to defeat "Udinese" 2-0.
The Florence club did all the work in the first half. In the 16th minute, Reginaldo stopped a pass from his teammate Manuele Blasi with his right foot, and with the same foot struck along the ground, leading the team forward. Meanwhile, in the 44th minute, Manuel Pasqualis passed the ball to Giampaolo Pazzini, and the Italian scored the second goal for his team.
The "Sampdoria" team defeated the league's underdogs "Ascoli" 2-0 at home.
Right at the beginning of the match, "Sampdoria" managed to earn a penalty. However, Francesco Flachi's shot was saved by the "Ascoli" goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca, who had played for the Genoa club for seven seasons in the past. Yet, this did not break the "Sampdoria" players, and in the 48th minute Christian Maggio sent a cross to Daniele Franceschini, who scored a goal with his head.
In the 70th minute, the visitors' defender Matteo Melara committed a foul against his opponent Giulio Falcone and was sent off the field. Five minutes later, "Sampdoria" secured their victory when Francesco Flachi passed the ball to a free D. Franceschini, who scored a goal with a precise shot.
The crisis continues for "Torino". This time, the club lost 1-2 at home to the "Reggina" team which climbed out of the relegation zone. The victory for the visitors was determined by two goals from Rolando Bianchi. The striker has already scored 12 goals this season and is second in scoring among all Serie A players.
One match was played without spectators, where "Atalanta" and "Lazio" met, ending in a goalless draw 0-0. Interestingly, the ban on entering the stadium did not prevent "Atalanta" fans from throwing smoke bombs over the wall onto the stands.
In a substitute match played at home,"Cagliari" played a 2-2 draw with the "Siena" team, while "Messina" and "Catania" also shared points in a rain-delayed match that ended 1-1.
23rd round match results:
0 – 2
1' [0 – 1] Adriano
51' [0 – 2] Hernan Crespo
3 – 0
51' [1 – 0] Francesco Totti
66' [2 – 0] Simone Perrotta
90' [3 – 0] Rodrigo Taddei
89' Fernando Couto ("Parma") was sent off
2 – 1
29' [1 – 0] Gennaro Gattuso
31' [1 – 1] Cristiano Lucarelli
68' [2 – 1] Marek Jankulovski
0 – 1
47' [0 – 1] Sergio Almiron
2 – 0
16' [1 – 0] Reginaldo
44' [2 – 0] Giampaolo Pazzini
2 – 0
48' [1 – 0] Christian Maggio
75' [2 – 0] Daniele Franceschini
70' Matteo Melara ("Ascoli") was sent off
1 – 2
48' [0 – 1] Rolando Bianchi
50' [1 – 1] Gianluca Comotto
58' [1 – 2] Rolando Bianchi
0 – 0
2 – 2
29' [0 – 1] Daniele Corvia
38' [1 – 1] Andrea Capone
66' [2 – 1] David Suazo
82' [2 – 2] Paul Constantin Codrea
1 – 1
36' [1 – 0] Marco Zanchi
61' [1 – 1] Giuseppe Mascara
Top scorers of the championship:
1. Francesco Totti ("Roma") – 14 goals;
2. Rolando Bianchi ("Reggina") – 12 goals;
3-4. Gionathan Spinesi ("Catania") – 11 goals;
Luca Toni ("Fiorentina") – 11 goals;
5-7. Adrian Mutu ("Fiorentina") – 10 goals;
Cristiano Doni ("Atalanta") – 10 goals;
Zlatan Ibrahimovic ("Inter") – 10 goals;
8-12. Fabio Quagliarella ("Sampdoria") – 9 goals;
Christian Rigano ("Messina") – 9 goals;
Vincenzo Iaquinta ("Udinese") – 9 goals;
Tommaso Rocchi ("Lazio") – 9 goals;
Cristiano Lucarelli ("Livorno") – 9 goals;
13-15. Amauri ("Palermo") – 8 goals;
Igor Budan ("Parma") – 8 goals;
Hernan Crespo ("Inter") – 8 goals.
League standings:
