Palermo Stun Roma In Four Goal Thriller
Palermo 3-1 RomaA Fabrizio Miccoli brace and an Edison Cavani strike saw the Sicilian's mount an excellent comeback after going a goal down to Julio Baptista's early opener.

Palermo started slowly but then they turned up the heat as they ran out comfortable winners over a Roma side who seemed to have their minds elsewhere. Stunning goals and nonstop action were the order of the day and Davide Ballardini's arrival seems to have set the Sicilians on their way. The Rosanero impressed their new boss in style and picked up some much needed points.
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti started with Julio Baptista up front, preferring to keep Mirko Vucinic on the bench, perhaps with the Champions League against Cluj next week in mind. Palermo came into the game eager to impress new boss Davide Ballardini and the pressure was on to perform.

First Half

The game got off to a frantic start as both teams tried to take an early lead. Cicinho was doing all the early running for the Giallorossi down on the flank. The Brazilian’s crossing however was not up to scratch as he fluffed consecutive passing during the first few minutes.

Marco Amelia was in for a busy afternoon in the Palermo goal as a rampant Roma side showed no signs of letting up. The Italian number two had to make a smart save from a Cicinho drive as Roma kept on edging closer to goal. Maurizio Zamparini must have been nervous early on and his new coach Ballardini even more so as the away team took the game by the scruff of the neck.
John Arne Riise won a free kick and Julio Baptista stepped up. The former Real Madrid hit-man smashed his fierce shot towards goal and, once again, it was Amelia who stopper the ball from hitting the back of the net as his arm appeared from nowhere to tip the ball onto the post.

Alberto Aquilani followed up with a superb effort but Amelia saved. The Giallorossi didn’t have to wait long for the opener however and it was Baptista who gave his side the lead. Alberto Aquilani fed Okaka who touched the ball on for the Brazilian who finished off from close range.
Antonio Nocerino thought he had levelled but his goal was disallowed for offside after Simplicio put him through. Roma’s lead lasted 12 minutes as Fabrizio Miccoli fired his team level with a trademark strike. The pint-sized striker hit a sublime effort from the edge of the box and into the top-corner, leaving Doni with no chance.

The goal was of the highest class and it was just what the game needed. The Rosanero sprang into life as Ballardini continued to scream instructions from the bench. Simplicio should have doubled the lead when he was clean through on goal but the Brazilan was thwarted by Doni, who injured his hand in the process, but he was able to continue.
Daniele De Rossi’s game ended early however as he came off with a neck problem and was replaced by Matteo Brighi.

Second Half

The second period seemed to have lost its rhythm slightly as both teams began cautiously. Baptista was once again on the hunt and he took advantage from Balzaretti’s mistake but the Brazilian couldn’t beat Amelia in goal. Palermo began to raise their game and it was Miccoli who popped up with his second 11 minutes into the second half with another well taken goal.
Simplicio won possession and he released the striker who ran in on goal and beat Doni with a razor sharp diagonal strike.The Sicilians were playing some superb football and they kept coming forward as they tried to further their advantage.
The goal prompted Luciano Spalletti into action as he threw on Jeremy Menez in place of Rodrigo Taddei to give the Giallorossi more weight up front. Davide Ballardini reacted and he introduced Davide Lannzafame to the fray in place of Miccoli as he tried to defend the team’s lead. Roma began coming forwards as Palermo stepped off the gas.
Riise and Aquilani both had some superb efforts but it was Amelia who rescued his side with consecutive saves. The Sicilian’s changed strategy and they sat back to soak up the pressure and hit their opponents on the break.

The change in tactics worked as Simplicio fed Cavani through with a perfect through ball. The striker stayed on-side, rounded Doni and slid the ball home as his sent went on the rampage. It was turning out to be a real nightmare for Roma as they just didn’t have a reply.
The home side were outstanding and the crowd was going wild every time their team came forward. Roma tried to reply but the team seemed down and out following the third goal. Montella came on for Okaka who hadn’t done much but he wasn’t really able to produce any magic as the clock ticked on.

Teams
Palermo 4-3-1-2: Amelia; Cassani, Carozzieri, Bovo, Balzaretti; Bresciano, Liverani(Guana), Nocerino, Simplico; Cavani, Miccoli(Lanzafame). Subs: Fontana, Raggi, Dellafiore, Tedesco, Guana, Lanzafame, Succi.

Roma 4-2-3-1: Doni; Cicinho, Panucci, Loria, Riise; De Rossi(Brighi), Pizzaro, Taddei(Menez), Aqulani, Okaka(Montella); Baptista. Subs: Arthur, Cassetti, Brighi, Menez, Vucinic, Tonetto, Montella.
Goals: Baptista(Roma), Miccoli x 2(Palermo), Cavani(Palermo).
Cards:Taddei(Yellow/Roma), Bresciano(Yellow/Palermo)
Referee: Saccani

Player Ratings: Palermo 3-1 Roma

Roma

Doni- 6.5: The Brazilian was let down by his defence on a number of occasions and he couldn’t do much about the goals either. Made a few decent saves however to prevent his side from being embarrassed further.

Cicinho- 5.5: The Brazilian kept on coming forwards but it back fired as the Rosanero took full advantage on the counter attack. Was a little greedy too by choosing to shoot rather than pass.

Panucci- 5.0: Panucci drifted in and out of the game and at times he looked a little lost at the back. He didn’t seem interested in the match and he should have done better.

Loria- 4.5: The stopper failed to live up to expectation on the night. He kept on giving the ball away and he looked out of place. Not a good performance at all.

Riise- 5.5: The former Liverpool man moved the ball around well and he had a few strikes from distance. His wing play was what you expect from him but he didn’t do anything to wow the crowd.

De Rossi- N/A: The Italian had to come off in the first half after injuring his neck. Up to that point his game was decent but nothing too special to make him stand out.

Pizzaro- 5.0: The midfielder was hardly involved in the match. He kept on going AWOL and he didn’t do much to help his side out when they were on the back foot.

Taddei- 5.5: Taddei had a quiet game. He did well in the first half with some excellent runs and passing but he let his game slip in the second period. Not one of his better performances at all.

Aquilani- 6.0: His mind seemed on the hype surrounding his new contract as he drifted in and out of the game but he was always on hand to fight. He never gave up until the end and he supported his colleagues well. Distribution was good.

Okaka- 4.5: The only good thing the striker did was touch the ball on for Baptista’s goal. Apart from that he hardly made an impact in the game. He was substituted by Montella late on.

Baptista-5.5: The Beast scored a well taken goal and he showed his prowess in the first half but then his head dropped and he didn’t offer much attacking threat up front. He decided to stay trapped high up the pitch rather than come back and help out.

Subs: Menez 5.0, Montella 5.5, Brighi 5.5

De Rossi To Miss CL Opener
Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi will miss the club's opening Champions League encounter with CFR Cluj on Tuesday…

The Giallorossi continue to receive more bad news as it has been revealed that Daniele De Rossi will be out of the Champions League match with CFR Cluj at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday.
Roma lost their Serie A match to Palermo 3-1 on Saturday and also lost their midfield general after he had to be substituted during the match at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
De Rossi jumped up to head the ball, but asked to be subbed immediately after and it was later revealed he had pulled a muscle in his neck, although club doctors are hoping the midfielder will be available next weekend for the Serie A tie with Reggina.
Roma are already without Philippe Mexes and Juan in defence and De Rossi's presence in front of the back four would have eased the nerves of the Roma fans. The 25 year old himself has been in fine form, scoring two goals for Italy on Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier against Georgia.
Roma have had a poor start to the season. After losing the Italian Supercoppa to Inter on penalties, the Giallorossi have only picked up one point in Serie A, after they started their Serie A season drawing Napoli 1-1 at the Olimpico.
If there is any form of good news for the club, it is that captain Francesco Totti could be ready for Tuesday's encounter with Cluj, but that is not yet a certainty.

2 Gol De Rossi untuk Italia

Daniele De Rossi membawa Italia ke puncak klasemen sementara Grup 8 kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2010 zona Eropa. Gelandang AS Roma tersebut memborong gol kemenangan Italia saat menaklukkan Georgia 2-0, Kamis (11/9) dini hari WIB, di Stadion Friuli.

Dengan donasi tiga angka dari lagai ini, Azzurri sudah mengumpulkan total enam angka sehingga berhak berada di posisi teratas. Pasalnya, pada saat bersamaan Republik Irlandia yang menjadi rival terdekatnya, hanya bisa menambah satu poin menyusul hasil imbang tanpa gol melawan Montenegro.

Sedangkan bagi Georgia, kekalahan tersebut semakin menenggelamkan mereka ke dasar klasemen. Karena pada laga perdananya akhir pekan lalu, Kakha Kaladze dan kawan-kawan menyerah 1-2 dari Republik Irlandia.

Menghadapi laga ini, Italia yang akhir pekan lalu harus bekerja ekstra keras sebelum menaklukkan tuan rumah Siprus dengan skor 2-1, tak diperkuat tiga pemain pilar. Dua pemain belakang, Alessandro Gamberini dan Fabio Grosso, serta gelandang Gennaro Gattuso harus istirahat karena sedang dibekap cedera.

Meskipun demikian, pelatih Marcello Lippi tampaknya tetap tenang. Pria berambut putih yang dua tahun lalu membawa Italia menjadi juara Piala Dunia 2006 tersebut sangat yakin dengan kekuatan pasukannya, apalagi lawan yang dihadapi memiliki level di bawahnya.

Benar saja, dalam pertandingan tersebut Italia mendominasi. Tetapi, Andrea Pirlo dkk tetap kesulitan untuk mencari celah mencetak gol.

Namun kebuntuan itu terpecahkan pada menit ke-17, ketika De Rossi melepaskan tembakan keras dari luar kotak penalti. Bola eksekusi gelandang Roma itu sempat membentur mistar gawang, namun memantul ke dalam sehingga penjaga gawang Georgia, Loria, tak bisa berbuat apa-apa.

Terciptanya gol itu semakin membangkitkan semangat para pemain Italia. Sayang, performa para pemain depan tim biru itu tak terlalu bagus sehingga sampai dengan babak pertama usai, skor tetap 1-0.

Di babak kedua, Georgia berusaha bangkit. Namun keinginan mereka untuk mencetak gol balasan tak pernah terwujud karena kesulitan menembus tembok pertahanan tuan rumah yang dibangun sangat kokoh oleh Fabio Cannavaro dkk.

Sebaliknya, Italia juga tak kunjung meraih gol tambahan lagi. Luca Toni yang penampilannya belum membaik terpaksa ditarik keluar pada menit ke-70 dan digantikan oleh Vincenzo Iaquinta. Meskipun demikian, gol tambahan urung juga tercipta.

Akhirnya, De Rossi lagi-lagi menjadi penghapus dahaga publik tuan rumah. Menjelang pertandingan usai, dia melakukan penetrasi ke dalam daerah pertahanan lawan, dan tanpa ragu melesakkan bola dengan kaki kanannya, sehingga si kulit bundar bersarang di pojok kiri bawah gawang Georgia. Skor akhir pun menjadi 2-0. (CH4/LOU)

- Susunan pemain

Italia: Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Legrottaglie, Dossena; Pirlo (Palombo 46), De Rossi, Aquilani; Camoranesi, Toni (Iaquinta 70), Di Natale (Del Piero 56)

Georgia: Loria; Lobjanidze, Salukvadze, Kaladze, Eliava (Kvaskvhvadze 46); Kenia, Khmaladze, Kobiashvili, Menteshashvili (Odikadze 68); Iashvili, Mchelidze (Siradze 54)

De Rossi: Gol Ini untuk Ayah Mertuaku

Danielle De Rossi mungkin menjadi pemain paling berbahagia di Italia. Gelandang AS Roma itu menjadi pemain terbaik dalam pertandingan lawan Georgia setelah mencetak dua gol dalam laga tersebut. Meski senang, ia mendedikasikan gol itu kepada ayah mertuanya dalam suasana duka.

De Rossi baru saja kehilangan ayah mertuanya, Massimiliano Pisnoli, bulan lalu. Pisnoli menjadi korban penembakan oleh orang tak dikenal di jalan dekat Stasiun Campoleone, wilayah Latina, dekat Roma, Rabu (13/8). Karena itulah, keluarga De Rossi menjalani masa-masa liburan musim panas lalu dalam suasana berkabung.

"Aku dedikasikan gol ini untuk ayah mertuaku, yang sangat kami rindukan dan selalu menjadi pikiranku. menjadi hari-hari terberat, tapi kapan pun aku kembali ke lapangan aku melupakan kehidupanku dan fokus pada pekerjaanku. Ini sangat berat bagiku, tapi terutama bagi istriku dan keluarganya," ungkap De Rossi.

Mengenai pertandingan itu sendiri, De Rossi mengakui bahwa permainan Georgia tak kalah bagus dibanding Siprus pekan lalu. De Rossi yang bermain selama 90 menit penuh, berbeda dari Andrea Pirlo yang hanya bermain selama paruh pertama. Banyak yang mengira keduanya tidak cocok dimainkan bersama, tapi De Rossi membantah hal tersebut.

"Aku tidak melihat ada masalah bermain bersama Pirlo. Dia teman terbaikku dalam skuad dan gelandang terbaik di dunia, jadi sebuah kehormatan bagiku bermain bersama dia," katanya.

Runner-up Serie A musim lalu, AS Roma mengawali musim ini tanpa diperkuat il capitano Francesco Totti. Target mendulang poin penuh gagal diraup setelah ditahan imbang 1-1 Napoli di Stadio Olimpico, Roma, Minggu (31/8).

Totti bermain sebagai pemain pengganti saat Roma meraih Piala Super Italia dan terus berkutat dengan cedera. Walau kondisinya berangsur pulih, Totti tetap tidak akan merumput saat Giallorossi bertandang ke Palermo, Sabtu, 13 September.

“Dia (Totti) dalam kondisi baik,” kata dokter tim Franco Brozzi kepada Radio Incontro, sebagaimana dikutip Football Italia. “Untuk kali pertama dalam sejarah medis olahraga pemain yang menjalani operasi ligamen lutut kemungkinan besar bisa kembali bermain dalam empat bulan.”

Karena tidak mau mengambil resiko, Roma lebih baik menunggu saat yang tepat menurunkan Totti. Er Purpone lebih disiapkan untuk pertandingan perdana penyisihan grup Liga Champions menghadapi Cluj, Selasa (16/9). “Kami berusaha membantu mengembalikan elastisitas ototnya dan kami akan menurunkannya jika kondisinya sudah pulih benar,” papar Brozzi.

Sementara itu penyerang anyar Roma yang dibeli dari AS Monaco musim panas ini, Jeremy Menez diharapkan sudah siap memulai debutnya akhir pekan ini juga. Menez, 21 tahun, yang mengenakan seragam bernomor punggung 24 di Roma dililit cedera punggung, sampai harus menjalani operasi. Terbuka kemungkinan bintang muda Prancis itu beraksi di Stadio Renzo Barbera—markas Palermo.

“Dia (Menez) dioperasi tiga bulan lalu di bagian punggung. Selama bergelut di bidang medis saya menganggap tindakan (operasi) itu perlu. Dia seharusnya bisa berlaga menghadapi Palermo—dia hanya membutuhkan latihan,” kata Brozzi. “Kondisi fisik Menez sempurna dan hanya mengalami sedikit masalah kecil, yang sepatutnya bisa diselesaikan sebelum akhir pekan.”

Faktanya, menurut Brozzi, “Menez sudah bermain saat Monaco menjalani partai paro musim”. Dengan tampilnya Menez maka Luciano Spalletti memiliki kans menurunkan trequartista—trio lini depan. Menez dan Julio Baptista akan menyokong Mirko Vucinic yang bertindak selaku ujung tombak.

Dokter: Totti Buat Rekor Baru di Dunia Medis

Dokter klub AS Roma, Mario Brozzi, sangat terpana dengan perkembangan kondisi Francesco Totti yang nyaris pulih 100 persen dari cedera. Bahkan Brozzi mengatakan, Er Pupone telah membuat sebuah rekor baru di dalam dunia medis karena kondisinya tersebut.

Sepekan sebelum musim lalu berakhir, Totti dibekap cedera yang parah. Il Capitano mengalami kerusakan serius pada ligamen di lutut kanannya sehingga dia harus menjalani operasi untuk penyembuhan dan diharuskan untuk istirahat panjang.

Namun seiring perjalanan waktu, ternyata proses penyembuhan berjalan sangat cepat. Brozzi tidak menutup kemungkinan, pangeran Olimpico tersebut akan bermain pada akhir pekan ini ketika Giallorossi tandang ke markas Palermo. Ini yang membuat sang dokter terkejut dan nyaris tak percaya.

"Totti berada di dalam kondisi yang sangat bagus dan kami akan mengizinkannya untuk kembali ke lapangan ketika dia sudah pulih 100 persen," ungkap Brozzi kepada Radio Incontro, Selasa (9/9).

"Untuk pertama kalinya di dalam sejarah medis, seorang pemain sudah kembali ke lapangan dalam kurun waktu empat bulan setelah menjalani operasi untuk membetulkan kerusakan pada ligamen. Ini adalah sebuah rekor baru. Sekarang kami akan bekerja keras untuk membenarkan ototnya," ungkap sang dokter.

Sebenarnya, tanda-tanda Totti bakal pulih sudah terlihat sejak persiapan pra-musim. Kapten Giallorossi itu sempat bermain, tetapi dia tak diizinkan merumput selama 90 menit karena tim khawatir cedera akan membekapnya lagi.