© EuroFootball.com
Three meetings on Saturday to play in the Italian "Serie A" championship, and a fierce battle took place for the fourth place, allowing to participate in the next season's Champions League. This position was taken by "Sampdoria", who won in a dramatic duel against direct competitor "Palermo" and took advantage of "Udinese" failure, while "Roma" suffered another defeat.
Udinese played away against "Messina", who was in the middle of the tournament table and had previously defeated clubs like "Roma", "Milan" and "Lazio" at home. This time the guests dominated the match, but they failed to capitalize on opportunities, and victory for the Sicilians came after a defender's mistake and a goal by I. Iliev in the 60th minute.
After Udinese's failure to seize the opportunity to rise to fourth place, "Sampdoria" and "Palermo" fought for it. The rain in Genoa made the game difficult for both teams, but in such conditions, the Sicilians created dangerous opportunities one after another.
Still, "Palermo" failed to score, and already in extra time after F. Flachi's shot, the ball hit F. Grosso's hand. Although it didn't seem intentional, the referee awarded a penalty kick, which F. Flachi himself converted. "Sampdoria" snatched an undeserved victory, leaving "Palermo" with their disappointment to vent on the referees.
For two months now, "Roma" cannot win, losing at home to the "Reggina" team and further complicating their position in the fight for a ticket to the European tournament. The hosts took the lead after a powerful shot by C. Chivu in the 24th minute, but in the second half, they conceded two goals and were booed even by their fans.
