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Late Sunday evening in the central Italy "Serie A" championship Matchday 16 match for second place in the table, Rome and Palermo clubs clashed. Rome won with a resounding four-goal advantage and extended their lead over the opponent by the same number of points.
4 - 0 44' [1 - 0] Amantino Mancini 56' [2 - 0] Francesco Totti (penalty) 82' [3 - 0] Amantino Mancini 90' [4 - 0] Francesco Totti
87' Fabio Simplicio (Palermo) sent off the field
Last weekend, Rome was defeated in the capital derby, while Palermo was eliminated from the UEFA Cup this week, so for both clubs, who were separated by just one point, it was a chance to recover from setbacks and secure second place.
In the first half, the hosts had the initiative and had several opportunities to score, but either missed the goal, or were saved by Palermo's veteran goalkeeper Alberto Fontana. Philippe Mexes came closest to scoring, hitting the crossbar with a header, while both Christiano Panucci and visiting striker Amauri had accurate shots that were disallowed due to fouls.
Just before the break, however, Rome broke through - after a pass from Francesco Totti, Brazilian Mancini sent the ball into the net with a powerful shot past the opponent's legs blocking the view for goalkeeper A. Fontana. Shortly thereafter, "Palermo" managed to respond with a dangerous attack, but Amauri's header was parried by the hosts' goalkeeper Doni.
After the break, Amauri was once again close to scoring, but his shot missed the goal narrowly, and on the other side of the field, after a shot by C. Panucci, the visitors from Sicily were saved by the crossbar. However, the game continued - after a corner kick, Marco Pisano fouled Rodrigo Taddei, and the referee awarded a penalty which F. Totti converted.
The match remained open and the teams exchanged unused opportunities to score until Mancini secured the home team's victory with a second goal. The Brazilian legionnaire played a "one-two" with his compatriot R. Taddei, evaded Cristiano Zaccardo's defense, and sent the ball into the net from the cross.
As the match approached the end, Palermo defender Fabio Simplicio received a second yellow card, and in the fourth minute of stoppage time, F. Totti scored the fourth goal for Roma in bizarre circumstances, as the ball ricocheted off Fabrizio Biava's head and passed over goalkeeper A. Fontana into the net.
Roma won 4-0 and moved up to the second position, reducing the gap from the leading Inter to 7 points. The next round of the Italian championship will take place on Wednesday.
