Perrotta and Pizarro sign new deal with Roma

October 29, 2009

Roma midfielder Simone Perrotta has signed a one year extended deal and will continue to be a part of the club till 2011.

The 32-year-old Italian international’s has been a key player for giallorossi and with his previous deal ending next summer the club in agreement with the midfielder extended the contract to one more year.

A statement from the club read: ”AS Roma and Simone Perrotta have reached an agreement to extend the player’s contract until June 30, 2011. The player will receive 3.1 million euros for the 2010-11 campaign, besides the extras upon reaching the aims fixed for that season.”

David Pizarro also signed an agreement extending his association with the club till June 2013 and his reward is similar to that of Perrotta.

It’s a positive move by the romans following their inconsistency in the last few Serie A games. Roma will next host Bologna on november 1st at Stadio Olimpico.

Anurada Bhat

Tags: 1 million, aims, Bologna, david pizarro, giallorossi, inconsistency, midfielder, new deal, november 1st, Roma, romans, Simone Perrotta

Milan defeat hands Inter fourth straight Italian title

May 17, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Inter Milan won a fourth straight Serie A title on Saturday despite not playing when nearest challengers AC Milan lost 2-1 at Udinese.

Second-placed Milan trail Inter, who host Siena on Sunday, by seven points but the Rossonero have only two matches left to play.

Milan’s defeat meant that Inter boss Jose Mourinho has won the scudetto in his first season in Italian football after joining in June last year.

It is Mourinho’s fifth title in seven years in three different countries having claimed the Portuguese crown with Porto in 2003 and 2004 and the English Premier League trophy in 2005 and 2006 with Chelsea.

Milan went into the game in Udine knowing that they had to get a result to stop their bitter city rivals claiming the title, but they put in one of their worst performances of the season in what could be one of coach Carlo Ancleotti’s final matches in charge with rumours growing that he will join Chelsea next season.

The first half was a drab affair with few notable scoring chances until Udinese opened their account from the penalty spot.

Antonio Floro Flores burst into the Milan box behind the backline to latch on to Geatano D’Agostino’s through ball, but veteran defender Paolo Maldini leaned on him just enough to knock him off balance as he tried to take the ball around goalkeeper Dida.

Maldini, who will play only two more games for Milan this season before retiring, was perhaps lucky to escape with only a booking.

However, the visitors were punished when D’Agostino fired the ball into the net from the spot-kick, high to Dida’s right.

That was the only clear chance of the first half although Andrea Pirlo did clip a free-kick just wide for the visitors, with Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic seemingly having it well covered.

Ancelotti reacted quickly by throwing on striker Filippo Inzaghi for defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini at the break, but four minutes later Udinese had doubled their advantage.

Milan’s defence went to sleep at a corner and Christian Zapata was left alone at the back post to fire home a dropping ball from barely two yards out.

Ancelotti threw on Ronaldinho and Andrei Shevchenko but it wasn’t until injury time that Milan came alive.

Inzaghi hit the outside of the post before Massimo Ambrosini headed home a consolation but things could have been worse as Fabio Quagliarella crashed a shot against the upright for the hosts with virtually the last kick of the match.

In Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, Christian Panucci scored an injury time winner as AS Roma beat Catania 4-3 to close in on a Europa League place next season.

The hosts had looked likely to be frustrated by their mid-table opponents, who had battled back from a 3-1 half-time deficit to level at 3-3 with 17 minutes to play after Japanese striker Takayuki Morimoto’s equaliser.

But Roma kept pushing and Panucci headed home a David Pizarro cross from close range to snatch the three points.

The game exploded into life on 13 minutes with a spell of three goals in four minutes.

Simone Perrotta gave Roma the lead before Giacomo Tedesco equalised, only for Mirko Vucinic to put the hosts straight back in front.

Just past the half hour mark Perrotta scored his second with a wickedly deflected strike.

But Giuseppe Mascara pulled a goal back for the Sicilians two minutes into the second half and when Morimoto beat the offside trap and fired past Brazilian goalkeeper Artur, Catania looked likely to steal a point.

With the match in injury time, Panucci struck to put sixth-placed Roma five points clear of the competition in the race for the last European qualification position.

Tags: ac milan, andrea pirlo, andrei shevchenko, Antonio Floro, antonio floro flores, Artur, backline, Carlo Ancleotti, catania, challengers, CHELSEA, Christian Panucci, Christian Zapata, city rivals, d agostino, david pizarro, English Premier League, Fabio Quagliarella, filippo inzaghi, flores, free kick, Giacomo Tedesco, Giuseppe Mascara, inter milan, italian football, jose mourinho, league trophy, Mathieu Flamini, Milan, Mirko Vucinic, paolo maldini, PORTO, portuguese crown, premier league, Roma, ROME, rossonero, Samir Handanovic, scudetto, Serie A, seven points, Simone Perrotta, takayuki morimoto, zapa

Fiorentina boost Champions League hopes

April 25, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Fiorentina eased past Roma 4-1 on Saturday to take another confident step closer to Champions League qualification.

Victory moved them into fourth place in the table – the last qualifying spot for Europe’s premier club competition – on 58 points although they could be displaced by Genoa, who are a point behind and tackle struggling Bologna on Sunday.

For Roma, however, their Champions League hopes are fading fast with defeat leaving them in sixth place, six points behind Fiorentina with just five games left.

“It’s going to be very hard for us,” admitted Roma coach Luciano Spalletti whose side faded badly in the second half.

Fiorentina were in front after just six minutes through Juan Manuel Vargas who fired in a 30-yard, left-foot screamer after escaping Roma defender Marco Motta.

The home side added a second just two minutes after the break when Alberto Gilardino headed in a cross from Franco Semioli.

Roma’s misery was compounded when midfielder David Pizarro was sent-off for a second yellow card on the hour with Gilardino taking full advantage by scoring his second and his team’s third after 67 minutes.

Massimo Gobbi made it 4-0 in the 73rd minute before Julio Baptista scored a consolation for Roma, four minutes from the end.

Tags: alberto gilardino, Bologna, champions league, club competition, consolation, david pizarro, Europe, fiorentina, five games, four minutes, franco semioli, genoa, Juan Manuel Vargas, julio baptista, luciano spalletti, Marco Motta, massimo gobbi, misery, premier club, Roma, ROME, screamer, Serie A, six minutes, six points, yellow card

Striker injuries hampering Roma and Arsenal

March 11, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Both AS Roma and Arsenal have been hit by striker concerns ahead of their Champions League second round, second leg clash at the Stadio Olimpico here on Wednesday.

Arsenal’s Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor has been ruled out already while Roma are sweating on the fitness of their emblematic striker Francesco Totti.

But while Roma are scrimping around to try to find fit attacking players, Arsenal are set to welcome back two young guns from the treatment table.

Brazilian-born Croatia striker Eduardo proved his fitness on Sunday following a hamstring problem by scoring a cracker in Arsenal’s FA Cup victory over Burnley while Theo Walcott made his first appearance since shoulder surgery in November in a 20-minute cameo.

It has all left Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feeling buoyed despite the absence of Adebayor, sidelined for a month with a hamstring problem.

"I haven’t made the team yet but Walcott and Eduardo will certainly be in the squad. The more resources you have the better it is and they are two guys who can score goals," Wenger said.

"We slowly have all our players coming back. That can be decisive because we are going into the final sprint."

Walcott himself admits he is not yet fit enough to start but he hopes to make an impact from the substitutes bench.

"I need a few more training sessions, a few more games coming off the bench and hopefully if I am doing well the boss will put me in," he said.

"I am just looking forward to another experience in Italy. In Arsenal training, you obviously donut want to injure your own players so you tend to be a little softer but matchdays are totally different.

"I still haven’t experienced getting clattered yet so that’s the next test."

Arsenal have a 1-0 lead to defend from the first leg two weeks ago, a game they largely dominated and could have won by a greater margin.

"We are going into this game with belief and extreme desire to qualify," added Wenger.

"The positive is we didn’t concede in the first leg but we know we cannot only go there and defend. We want at every opportunity to attack and try to score."

Scoring is something Roma have to do to have any chance of avoiding elimination.

And they are desperately hoping Totti will overcome the knee problem he has been suffering from all season.

"The test Francesco underwent (Monday) came up with a negative, and that’s a good thing," said the club’s physiotherapist Vito Scala.

"(Tuesday) he will try to train with the team, even if he feels pain. That would not be something to worry about because testing pain at this stage (of recuperation) is perfectly normal.

"I’m hopeful because I know Francesco and I know he will pull out all the stops to try to line up on Wednesday night."

Roma’s problems are not just confined to Totti, though, as there is also a fitness doubt over his usual replacement Mirko Vucinic while attacking midfielder Simone Perrotta is definitely out and midfield enforcer Daniele De Rossi is suspended.

There are also doubts surrounding goalkeeper Doni and midfielders Jeremy Menez, Alberto Aquilani and David Pizarro while Brazilian full-back Cicinho is out for the season with knee ligament damage.

It all points to an uphill battle for Roma, who must score, but France centre-back Philippe Mexes insists they must stay calm.

"It’s important not to rush things because we would risk conceding a goal on the counter-attack," he said.

"We need to play as we know how and the goal will take care of itself, everything depends on us."

Roma have been knocked out of the competition by English opposition in each of the last two seasons, although both times Manchester United were their conquerors.

Written by: AFP

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Italian sides suffer injury blows ahead of Euro ties

March 9, 2009

ROME (AFP) – Italy’s three Champions League representatives have all been hit by costly injury blows ahead of next week’s crucial Champions League second leg matches.

All three sides face English teams in the second round of Europe’s premier competition in midweek and will have to do so without key players.

Inter have lost centre-backs Nicolas Burdisso and Marco Materazzi while they already have a fitness doubt over Walter Samuel, leaving them with a defensive headache ahead of their trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United with the tie balanced at 0-0 from the first leg.

Burdisso will miss two months with a knee problem while Materazzi is out for three weeks with a leg strain.

Juventus host Chelsea but have lost combative Mali midfielder Momo Sissoko to a metatarsal injury that will see him spend two months on the sidelines.

They have to overturn a 1-0 deficit and will desperately miss Sissoko’s industry in central midfield.

And things get no better for AS Roma, trailing Arsenal by 1-0 from the first leg in London, as they have lost Brazilian full-back Cicinho to a season-ending knee injury.

They already have terrible injury problems that saw them deprived of Francesco Totti, Simone Perrotta and Marco Cassetti while David Pizarro left the field injured.

Written by: AFP