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On Saturday, in the Italian league, there were 22 matches of the 22nd round, which were postponed from February 3 due to the death of a policeman caused by fans after the match between "Catania" and "Palermo." In these round matches, the first defeat in this "Serie A" season was experienced by the "Inter" team, losing at home to the "Roma" team. "Milan" got even closer to the "Lazio" club, while "Reggina" scored a very important victory in the fight for survival.
In the leaders' match of "Serie A" in Milan, an unexpected victory against the championship leader "Inter" was secured by the "Roma" team, winning the match with a score of 3-1.
In the 20th minute, the visitors had a great opportunity to take the lead. Julio Cesar saved Francesco Totti's shot, which ended up with Simone Perrotta. The Italian hit the ball into the empty net, but "Inter" defender Maicon headed the ball out at the last moment. In the 37th minute, at the other end of the field, a powerful shot from Dejan Stankovic from 20 meters hit the crossbar. However, just before the end of the first half, "Roma" managed to take the lead. Daniele De Rossi's excellent pass set up Christian Chivu near the goal, and the Romanian passed the ball to his free teammate Simone Perrotta, who only had to send the ball into the empty net.
In the 51st minute, the hosts managed to equalize. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's accurate pass reached Adriano, but his path was blocked by "Roma" goalkeeper Alexander Doni and the Brazilian fell. The referee awarded a penalty to "Inter" for this controversial incident. Marco Materazzi, who stepped up to take the penalty, did not disappoint the "Inter" fans and equalized the score. Within seven minutes, "Inter" almost took the lead. Adriano's header was deflected by the "Roma" goalkeeper's fingertips, and in the follow-up shot, Esteban Cambiasso's attempt hit the opponent’s defender.
The "Inter" club started to dominate the field more prominently and another dangerous long-range shot from Dejan Stankovic was once again excellently saved by the "Roma" goalkeeper. A little later, a dangerous shot from Maicon hit the crossbar. However, luck was not on the hosts' side that evening. In the 89th minute, "Roma" captain Francesco Totti decided to take a shot from the penalty area and his shot deflected off Luis Figo's shoulder into the "Inter" goal. "Inter" soon tried to equalize, but Julio Cruz's header flew over the crossbar. The visitors had the last word in the match. Daniele De Rossi made another successful pass and the ball found Marco Cassetti, who scored with a precise shot past the "Inter" goalkeeper.
The other Milan club fared much better - "Milan" crushed the bottom team "Ascoli" 5-2 away and moved even closer to their rivals "Lazio." Alberto Gilardino and Kaka each scored two goals for Milan, while Ronaldo also had a useful contribution with an assist and a penalty earned. The referee also disallowed two of the Brazilian's goals due to offside.
The "Empoli" team celebrated a 2-0 home win against "Atalanta" and gained points to catch up with the "Palermo" club, which had already played their 22nd round match. The hosts were led by the usual players who have been driving their team forward all season. Luca Saudati scored the opening goal, while Sergio Almiron secured the victory.
The "Lazio" team suffered their second consecutive draw, playing 0-0 at home against the "Chievo" club. This allowed "Milan" to reduce the gap from the capital club to 4 points. "Lazio" finished the match with nine players, as Valon Behrami and Luciano Zauri received red cards. However, the Verona team also had losses - Paolo Sammarco was sent off the field.
In the neighborly clash on the table, "Udinese" secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against "Sampdoria." Vincenzo Iaquinto's penalty kick brought three points to the Udinese team. Meanwhile, in the direct battle for survival in "Serie A," "Reggina" scored a very important 3-1 victory against the "Messina" team. This allowed the "Reggina" club to break away from their Sicilian rivals by six points.
Results of the 22nd round:
- 1-3
- 2-5
- 2-0
- 0-0
- 1-0
- 3-1
- 2-1
- 1-0
- 2-0
Most goals scored in the championship:
- Francesco Totti ("Roma") - 21 goals
- Rolando Bianchi ("Reggina") - 17 goals
- Cristiano Lucarelli ("Livorno") - 17 goals
- Luca Toni ("Fiorentina") - 16 goals
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic ("Inter") - 15 goals
League table:
Note: due to a corruption scandal, "Fiorentina" had 15 points deducted, "Reggina" - 11 points, "Milan" - 8 points, "Lazio" - 3 points. Due to financial reasons, "Siena" had 1 point deducted.
