Roma’s pre-season friendlies are as follows. All matches were played away from home.

    Riscone Brunico 1 Roma 13
    July 18th (Vucinic 3, Riise 3, Okaka 2, Totti, Adriano, Greco, Brighi, Loria)

    FC Südtirol-Alto Adige 1 Roma 4
    July 24th (Totti, Adriano, Menez, Okaka)

    Al Saad 1 Roma 2
    July 28th (Menez, Okaka)

    Bordeaux 1 Roma 1
    July 31st (Brighi)

    Paris Saint-Germain 1 Roma 1
    August 1st (Greco)

    Levante 0 Roma 0
    August 5th (5-4 pens: Riise, Taddei, Simplicio, Mexes, Juan)

    Pescara 0 Roma 1
    August 8th (Totti)

    Grosseto 1 Roma 1
    August 11th (Pit / 2-3 pens: Baptista, Cicinho)

    Olympiakos 5 Roma 1
    August 13th (Menez)

August 21st SuperCoppa and Rafa’s curtain call in the Meazza. 3-1 to Inter. Lobont in nets, Adriano booed on, Riise’s potshot undone by Pandev and an Eto’o brace. All rather predictable. Lorian defensive howlers and bad behaviour by Roma fans in an exciting match replete with incident. Inter play Roma again in the Olimpico on September 25th.

On your marks, get set, go! Er, no. An untidy, disjointed Giallorossi turned up and when the going got tough, they resorted to bickering. Cesena on the other hand were a breath of fresh air. Organised in defence and quick on the counter. Italian under-21 midfield star Ezequiel Schelotto impressed as did former employee 40 year old Francesco Antonioli. DDR is still off colour. A pale shade of pitch black since, well, 2009. Not much of a Curva for the first half. No goals. Nothing. Next up Cagliari (A) and Giornata 2 is already a must win. Roma found themselves on the end of a severe kicking in Cagliari and it’s been coming. Hammered. Humiliated. A drubbing at the hands of a good Serie A team, like Blackpool are a good Premiership team. It was a bestial performance by the Giallorossi and Baptista didn’t even start. Bayern Munich away looms large and Roma need to buck their ideas up. Daniele Conti has always scored spectacular goals for Cagliari against his dad’s team. His name on the scoresheet early doors with yet another missile was no surprise, but to concede four more? Nicolas Burdisso’s deliberate laceration of Conti’s leg, costing his team a penalty and earning himself a red card in the process was the last thing Roma needed. Castellini didn’t even last that long and was replaced by midfielder Aleandro Rosi, who had to switch flanks with Marco Cassetti. It was the Burdisso show on 25 minutes when younger gun Guillermo jogged on for Totti, to complete a very new look defence already on the back foot. Simone Loria was conspicuous by his absence. No Mexes, Riise, Vucinic or Taddei. No excuses. Despite Bayern’s equally poor domestic form, expect nothing on Wednesday night. Roma v Inter (September 25th, Giornata 5) has been postponed due to strike action by the players (yes, you read that correctly) and will be rescheduled. Next up in Serie A, Bologna (H), until which time Roma will stay second from bottom. Make no mistake about it, Roma are in trouble. Lazio fan and former youth star Marco Di Vaio scored a last minute equalizer in front of the Curva Sud, set up by former Lazio midfielder Mudingayi. Rosi was at fault for both goals, the returning loan midfielder who played at right back was no match for Di Vaio’s pace, nor Roma’s tactics anywhere near good enough to shackle Malesani’s 4-1-4-1 formation. DDR was nowhere, again. It’s surely only a matter of time before Brighi replaces De Rossi alongside Pizarro and Perrotta. Totti clattered the bar with a fierce 30 metre drive, while younger gun Guillermo Burdisso’s clumsy header from a corner cannoned back off the upright. However, the Rossoblu always posed the greater threat. Roma travel to high flying Brescia on Wednesday in disarray, then face Inter (or not) and Cluj here in Rome. The knives are already out for Ranieri. His ‘catenaccio‘ rift with Francesco Totti hasn’t escalated since the inevitable two goals to nil defeat in Munich, but it hasn’t gone away either. The Tinkerman is teetering on the brink of an early exit and has less than a fortnight to save his job. Roma were on the receiving end of some outrageous decisions in Brescia and another dismissal, Mexes this time, was reward for an outstanding challenge well outside the box on Eder by the returning hothead. Caracciolo made it 2-0 from the spot. How come? At least two clear penalties were not awarded to Roma. Arbitro Russo aside, who should hang his head in shame for defrauding the spirit of the game, when the going gets tough, teams with strength of character pull through and take the points. Ranieri showered the officials with abuse and threats and his team lost. Roma being Roma may pull rabbits out of the hat on Saturday night and beat Inter, but a repeat of recent heavy defeats at home against their nemesis, bar last season, is a better bet. Julio Sergio damaged his ankle in Brescia. Ranieri will hand the gloves to one of the Romanian keepers, Pena or Lobont rather than Doni. Aleandro Rosi has become too much of a risk, caught out of position yet again for Brescia’s opener, a tap in for Hetemaj. Where is Marco Motta when you need him? Juventus. The only good news for Roma is that Marco Borriello is scoring, and Totti, Riise and Taddei should be available at the weekend. The Giallorossi are down and almost out in 19th place after Giornata 4. Roma 1 Inter 0. Crisis? What crisis? Christ alone knows why Vucinic was benched for a match of the magnitude of Roma v Inter, his 93rd minute winner a massive boon for the other side of the capital. Riise and Nicolas Burdisso returned while Bogdan Lobont proved to be just as reliable as Julio Sergio. The exchange of an old and tired Totti for the Montenegran hitman on 75 minutes was decisive, Vuci sent an incredible diving header into the corner from De Rossi’s sharp cross. The difference between top to bottom now just 5 points, ergo normal service will resume after Giornata 8 or thereabouts. Next up Cluj (H) tomorrow night. Ranieri 1 Totti 0. Marco Borriello is carrying Roma for now, his skillful volley just about enough to defeat CFR 1907 Cluj who hit the woodwork twice through Lacina Traoré. Aleandro Rosi has been a liability thus far and was replaced by Cicinho at right back. Mexes and Castellini started for Juan and Riise, rested ahead of Napoli in Ranieri’s 4-4-2. In a very open game, 35 attempts were made on goal over the 90 minutes, a third of which were on target. All the goals arrived in just over nine minutes. ASR took the lead when Mexes scored straight from a corner, his low drive taking a slight deflection, then Borriello volleyed a long De Rossi pass across Nuno Claro and into the corner. He was running into the box and marked by two defenders when he took his chance, another fantastic Roma goal after Vucinic’s incredible winner last weekend. Portuguese stopper Nuno Claro was outstanding, far and away man of the match. Adriano made his somewhat anonymous Stadio Olimpico debut from the bench. Next up Napoli (A). Lecce play Catania at home and if they better Roma’s result, Ranieri’s recoverers may drop to 19th. Roma drop one place to 19th courtesy of Marek Hamsik and an unfortunate bobbled own goal off Juan in Napoli, their third successive league defeat away from home and a rare win for the poor at the San Paolo v ASR. The sight of Hamsik rearranging his mohican after being mobbed by team mates the highlight of the occasion, in a frantic match dominated by Napoli who ran through Roma’s three man defence in the second half. Marco Borriello is at loggerheads with Ranieri about his substitution and the team lacks cohesion. Serie A takes a fortnight break and in that time, they must work out how to get out of the mess they are in and prepare to shackle Luca Toni. He scored a last ditch winner for Genoa v Bari yesterday, and will be desperate to stamp his authority in the Olimpico on October 17th, when Taddei and Perrotta will return for the Giallorossi. Anything less than a win will be the end of everything. Roma move up to 14th and are just a win away from UEL qualification places. Brighi and Borriello were on target but it was a very rough ride. Borriello did hit bar and post as well, but the problem of squandering one decent chance after another is not going away. A defeat against Basle tomorrow night will push the Tinkerman towards the exit, again. Anything less than a win against Lecce (H) on Hallowe’en, and at least a draw in the Lazio derby will send Roma, Rosella and Ranieri hurtling over the edge. Roma have already lost four times this season. Another deserved defeat. Roma travel to Parma for the Sunday early, after another round of crisis talks with Sensi did not go to plan. Rosella is very close to losing her rag with Roma, who must win away at Cluj and Basle to stand any chance of qualifying for the UCL knockout phase from Group E. Little to say about losing 3-1 at home to Basle, they hit the woodwork twice for the second time in four days and missed many decent scoring opportunities, in Ranieri’s predictable 4-4-2. Cabral’s brilliant slalom run through the home defence and precise finish the highlight of the round. ASR languish one point above the drop zone. Giornata 9 here on Saturday night (30th) is just as important if not more so than the upcoming Lazio derby. Taddei was injured in the warm up so Cicinho started. Totti was replaced with Fábio Simplicio at the break, Mirko Vucinic returned for another off day and his replacement, Julio Baptista, was inexplicably bad even by his own depraved standards. Atrocious finishing by both teams in the Stadio Tardini, only Mexes’ sneaky scissor kick which whistled wide of the post worth remembering. Next up Lecce (H) and it’s win or bust for half of the capital. The problem for Lazio is the return to form of Vucinic. The Montenegran hitman ran Lecce into the ground and scored a classic individual goal, running the length of the opposition half, cutting infield, and firing a low shot across Rosati into the far corner. Roma’s love for post and bar continues, three times this time. Romanista youth player Daniele Corvia was on fire, his dipping 30 metre strike came back off the post and he was unlucky to miss out on at least a brace. Totti was sent off again and will miss the Lazio derby, so Roma will no doubt play above themselves and win. The Giallorossi move up to 9th and are more or less three points away from the chasing pack, despite their wretched start. Roma won in Switzerland to fire their hopes of qualifying from Group E. Menez, Totti’s spot kick and sub Leandro Greco on target in a crucial 3-2 away win. Next up Lazio on Sunday afternoon. Seven points in seven days for Roma. The derby win was highly controversial, Fiorentina midweek less so and a tough point in Turin enough to lift the Giallorossi up to 6th. The curious tradition of early season charity is over / www.romalazio.co.uk / roma tickets

Top of the table and so close to the Scudetto, but Lazio have one hand on the trophy too which has made Romanisti sick with worry all week. Will they sit back and help Inter triumph, or fight for the right to play Serie A football next season this weekend? Anything other than a victory for Mourinho will keep the Tinkerman on top with just two rounds to play. The Biancocelesti need at least a point against Inter to distance themselves from the drop zone, and after Atalanta 1 Bologna 1 in Bergamo, their time is now. Totti’s lob and Taddei’s far post header secured the necessary win against Parma, who battled extremely hard with nothing but pride to play for. Most Italians will be hoping that Lazio prevail this evening, but Laziali in Rome are divided. Many tifosi would prefer to see their club go down than have to endure old Thumb Boy parading around Circo Massimo with the Scudetto – because of a Lazio show against Inter / Final score: Lazio 0 Inter 2 Impossible for Roma to win the TIM Cup after Lazio 0 Inter 2. So much hatred after what many people saw as match fixing of the worst kind, but in reality, Lazio were never going to be in a position to play to the best of their ability when the ‘supporters’ who attended were shouting for the opposition, threatening their own with violence if they broke sweat etc. Milito won the Coppa with an unstoppable shot on the run from 20 metres before half time. Totti earned a red card and four match ban just before the final whistle for a vicious assault on Mario Balotelli. Yet another pitiful brawl involving angry, frustrated Roma players erupted at the end, and one of their even angrier fans attacked Cambiasso. Bar a domestic miracle, Ranieri is still some way behind Mourinho. Next up Cagliari (H), which will be our final Live Match Report of the season. 2-1 and end of campaign run around for the players and their kids in an atmosphere of celebration (kids), resignation (fans and players) and recrimination (Rosella Sensi and her minions), in the knowledge that Inter won again (4-3 at home v Chievo) and only relegated Tuscan minnows Siena stand between them and a fifth successive Scudetto. Totti scored a brace, next up Chievo (A) / romalazio / roma football tickets

Three points earned in Bari sets up Giornata 33 very nicely indeed. Roma entertain Atalanta at home while Fiorentina host Inter. 13,000 Romanisti made the trip to pack the Stadio San Nicola. Totti, Toni and Vucinic started and they combined in that order to manufacture the winning goal. The Montenegran fired a low drive into the corner after 19 minutes from Luca Toni’s assist. Former Roma player Alvarez and Barreto were inspirational in the second half, but UEL hopefuls Bari struggled without playmaker Sergio Almiron, Meggiorini and Donati. The Giallorossi have not been defeated in Serie A since Giornata 10 back in October. The ramifications of Inter’s failure to win in Florence despite using their entire strike force, and a huge slice of Olimpico luck, has handed the baton to Roma who lead Serie A until Friday evening’s Derby d’Italia in Milan. Roma have not led the table since early exchanges back in 2007. Atalanta outplayed their hosts for long periods, the brilliance of Valdes, Ferreira Pinto and Rome born Tiribocchi tormented Riise and Burdisso, while Mexes and scorer Marco Cassetti stood firm under sustained pressure. Consigli contrived to let Vucinic’s unremarkable shot cross the line with an unforgivable fumble under the circumstances. Atalanta were on a winning run and look too good to go down, but they’re fighting a losing battle with some very tough fixtures ahead. Next up for Roma, Lazio / www.romalazio.co.uk How to win the Scudetto? You can disregard Ranieri’s tinkering, his Totti & De Rossi for Taddei & Menez gamble no part of the new and insidious script which ASR have been instructed to stick to from now until the end of the World. PLAY LIKE INTER. The pace of substitutes Taddei and Menez rattled Lazio into conceding a brace of quick goals, but whenever the Biancocelesti tried to play with flair and skill, the Giallorossi resorted to studded violence, deception and gamesmanship the likes of which are never seen in Rome unless Inter park up. Luca Toni tried to break Stendardo’s nose and the defender had to be stretchered off, Burdisso cropped Rocchi for a clear penalty after the Lazio hitman had already skinned his marker for 1-0. Flock hit a woeful penalty straight at Julio Sergio in front of a baying Curva Nord, Rodrigo Taddei’s comical flailing collapse after the slightest contact with Alexsandar Kolarov earned Roma a spot kick from which they equalized and Vucinic, despite having hair, became Johnny Metgod for a few seconds to blast his second, an unstoppable free kick past a statuesque Muslera. Fighting, baiting and flare hurling by Laziali towards small groups of Roma Ultras hiding out in the Tevere Laterale Sud, ground to a halt when the human tanks employed by the Guardia di Finanza (tear gas, tasers, batons, guns) waded in. Punches were exchanged between players and staff at the whistle and at least three Roma fans were stabbed by Lazio Ultras outside the Stadio Olimpico, one of whom is in critical condition having received a serious knife wound to the throat. Fascist Roma fans set fire to a car knowing that the occupants, a young woman and her two children, were not Italians. Passing Lazio fans did everything possible to release the terrified Tunisian family who managed to escape unhurt. Next up Sampdoria (H) on Sunday night, near top of the table clash and possible Scudetto decider. Public disorder will ensue if a Roma win follows more points dropped by Inter at home to recovering Atalanta. 2-0 up after the First Leg, which was played so long ago that one could be forgiven for forgetting that the TIM Cup / Coppa Italia is still in existence, Roma were defeated 1-0 in the Semi Final return this evening against Udinese, surviving late dramas by the skin of their teeth to reach the Final v Inter on 05/05 in the Stadio Olimpico, Rome. It’s Sampdoria (H) on Sunday night (20:45). Luigi Del Neri has guided his team to the brink of UEFA Champions League qualification so a ding-dong battle is assured. Parma (A), Cagliari (H) and Chievo (A). If Roma win the Scudetto, they’ll celebrate in Verona. Daniele Conti has a habit of upsetting the apple cart, and is the man most likely to derail his hometown club for the umpteenth time on May 2nd. Sergio Pellissier will have his say on May 16th. A Pazzoooooo! Totti and Toni or Cassano and Pazzini. Who would you rather see representing Italia in South Africa? Roma owned the first half but were dragged back and kicked down to defeat by a superbly organised Sampdoria. The Scudetto will be decided by Lazio. If Roma can win their final three matches, and Lazio manage to win or draw against Inter on Sunday, then the Scudetto will be back with the Tinkerman. Sensi was inconsolable, so very sure that former Lazio captain Luciano Zauri handled in the box, but after last week’s favourable decisions, what comes around does tend to go around, Rosella. Menez, brilliant. Devastating result for Roma, but it’s not over till it’s over. Next up Parma (A) / as roma soccer tickets / roma tickets

Pit has joined popular dumping ground Triestina on loan, while backheel hero Okaka follows in the footsteps of Vincenzo Montella to the Premiership and Roy Hodgson’s Fulham. Two second string players who persevered to the absolute end against Siena, to secure three priceless points for Roma after 88 minutes of trouble, strife and the wall that is Gianluca Curci. A brilliant, impudent flick into the Siena net by Okaka carries Roma up to joint second place with Milan, held 1-1 at home by Livorno. Pit and Okaka sprinted towards the Curva Sud, who could be forgiven to a man for thinking ‘who the hell are you two?’ Without Totti, Toni and Vucinic it became a battle royal to reach the finishing line ahead of the Tuscan minnows, but Okaka’s moment will live long in the memory. Julio Sergio was almost as impressive as Curci, and John Arne Riise skimmed a low long ranger into the corner. Loan deals concluded quietly with Della Penna to Gallipoli, Ghanaian star Ahmed Barusso to Torino from Brescia and Kulenthiran Panushanth in from Bellinzona. Roma have one foot in the Coppa Italia Final against either Inter or Fiorentina here in the capital on May 5th., and meet the Viola -Mutu on Sunday night, a crunch fixture what with stuttering Milan set to drop more points away to improving Bologna. Colomba has turned over Fiorentina and Bari in recent weeks. Vucinic and Mexes on target against Udinese, only Julio Baptista frustrated the crowd with another ridiculously inept 25 minutes. The other toothless Brazilian replaced Francesco Totti, who managed an hour or so on his most recent return from injury. As predicted on Friday, Milan did indeed drop points at Bologna so Roma’s vital win in Florence puts them two points clear of the Rossoneri, eight behind Inter. Julio Sergio earned the victory under siege from a lively Fiorentina who like Sampdoria without Cassano, play with more freedom without Mutu. Ranieri is quick to dismiss any Scudetto talk, that is until Wednesday if Inter lose their game in hand at Parma, which really will set the cat amongst the pigeons. Baptista’s tap in won’t convince anyone, but Roma are edging ever closer to the summit of Serie A after another three points bagged against Delio Rossi’s Palermo in an end to end contest. Nine wins on the hoof should become eleven on Sunday after Giornata 25 and Mihajlovic – a match restricted by CASMS. It’s UEL action in Athens before then with a full squad to choose from and maybe even Fluker Toni, who will be champing at the bit ahead of dates with Milanese in March. No Mexes or Perrotta against Palermo but no one has any reason to doubt the recent excellent form of Burdisso and Matteo Brighi, who scored another decisive brace. His first strike was helped on its way past Sirigu by Bovo’s reckless header. Riise is in the form of his life and he hammered yet another late left foot rocket into the roof of the net from a tight angle – Kolarov take note – to make the scoreline look convincing when in fact, 4-1 was not a true reflection of the match. Palermo had more than enough good chances to cause an upset were it not for Julio Sergio. Four goals (two penalties) conceded in c. 840 minutes then two in four minutes in a packed and noisy OACA Spiros Louis stadium, means that next week’s Rome return for a place in the UEL Last 16 will be epic. Vucinic’s fine curling effort into the top corner and Pizarro’s penalty put Roma in command, but a superb comeback inspired by two substitutes and finished off by rebel striker Djibril Cissé hauled the Greek Super Leaguers back into the tie. Julio Sergio was stretchered off early and may be out for a month. His replacement Doni was not at fault for any of the goals. Early goal, foot off the gas, job done. Three points v Catania but not a penny more in a soulless encounter. That Inter have not scored in the league for three matches is exciting everyone. For now, Roma must focus on PAO and Napoli (A), but they’ve quietly gone about their business in February and whittled Inter’s one time unassailable lead down to five points. Victories in March will ensure a grandstand finish to the season. Inter host Chelsea then go to Udinese with top players banned and big girls blouse Mourinho out of control. Maureen is on the receiving end of another huge fine for bringing the game into disrepute. Excuse the Tinkerman a wry smile when Chelsea knock him half way out of Europe in the next 48 hours. Not good enough to emerge from the Round of 32 in UEFA’s second string competition. Roma made an unholy mess of recovering the 2-3 deficit earned in Athens last week, instead of celebrating what should have been a great occasion. 45,000 noisy locals and 6,000 noisier Athenians packed the Stadio Olimpico, all of whom expected the Giallorossi to prevail. Six minute suicide cost the capital European football for another season, but even the grimmest football reportage cannot convey the truly terrifying reality of Ranieri’s gobsmackingly naive approach to dealing with decent, but in no way difficult opponents. Both Milan and Inter will be eyeing up Roma’s achilles heel (which one?) ahead of make or break fixtures in March. Ranieri’s eleven scratched around to little effect despite dominating possession. Passing moves were blighted by incohesion and indecision all over the park. Simone Perrotta resorted to kicking lumps out of opposition players towards the end, Vucinic laid into Salpangidis and Riise lost the plot completely. True to form, no one in the Roma camp shook hands with or applauded a Panathinaikos player at the final whistle. At day’s end, Sotiris Ninis and Djibril Cissé, former Sunderland striker, were just too hot to handle. Lesson learned in Europe, but we’re still backing the Tinkerman to switch hit Lo Scudetto into the bosom of Rosella Sensi come May. The importance of Sunday’s match in Naples simply cannot be overstated. Doni: six goals conceded in 144 minutes played since Julio Sergio was injured. Roma can catch Milan on Saturday, but dropping two points at the death against Napoli by conceding a penalty can best be described as last minute suicide, the unwanted sequel to last Thursday’s six minute suicide v PAO. Recent late charity in Cagliari (2), v Panathinaikos (2) and Napoli (1) has left Roma seven points adrift of Inter instead of three (they go head to head here on the 28th.) and out of the UEL. That Pizarro, Toni and Totti are still absent is complicating squad selection. If the likes of MEXES can calm down, and the rest of whoever is picked to play by Ranieri keep their heads about them until May, Roma have every chance of winning the Scudetto. DONI: eight goals conceded in 239 minutes played since Julio Sergio was injured. Roma v Milan has been brought forward to Saturday, March 6th. and kicks off at 20:45. No change at the top and Roma have managed to get through Napoli (A) and Milan (H) more or less unscathed. As things stand, if Inter slip up before and on the afternoon of March 28th., and the Giallorossi take maximum points from Livorno (A) and Udinese (H), then Ranieri will only have Leonardo to worry about. 0-0 in a packed Olimpico v Milan, long rangers from Baptista and Riise tested Abbiati but AC Milan dominated. A constant barrage of crosses kept Burdisso and Juan busy, while Huntelaar and Borriello missed good chances to catch Inter. Luca Toni played for half an hour off the bench and Beckham had even less time to make an impact. Juan and Motta cost Roma two crucial points, two days after Inter crashed in Catania so where next? The deficit is back up to six and March 27th. will make Carlito’s day if the spoils are shared. Inter must navigate a far more difficult fixture list than that of Roma or Milan before May. Livorno won in Rome back in October when Tavano was on the mark and were on a terrible run, but hat trick hero Lucarelli tormented Ranieri all afternoon to peg the Giallorossi back twice. Toni returned but even his goal was probably offside. Next up Coppa Italia opponents Udinese, which dwarfs in importance the dour Roma Milan stalemate. Tight. With Inter drawing in Palermo and Milan held 1-1 at home to Napoli, Roma had to win and they battered Udinese without De Rossi, Pizarro and Taddei. Di Natale led the fightback to 2-2, but it was Menez who earned man of the match with some mercurial play. A similar perfomance against stuttering Inter on Saturday will reduce the deficit to one point – with eight to play. Vucinic’s hat trick won it and the Montenegran is looking very strong now Luca Toni is back. Riise’s toed deflection on De Rossi’s low ranger took the wind out of Bologna’s sails a few minutes after the restart, but the Rossoblu always struggled to keep pace and were under the cosh for the entire first 45. Substitutes Cerci and Baptista combined late on to seal the points which were never in doubt. Next up Inter (H) on Saturday evening. Those in the know will tell you that over half a million applications for Roma v Inter tickets were denied. Never before has demand for a Roma match been so astronomically high. Customers who paid us between £35 – £99 to get in, were carrying tickets worth at least £800 a few hours before kick off. Roma v Inter is a scheduled Live Match Report and will be online soon. Milan’s gritty draw at home with Lazio, and that the Giallorossi have marginally easier fixtures ahead than those of their title rivals, makes Roma Scudetto favourites this morning / roma football tickets / as roma tickets

Toni. Brace. Roma move up to 3rd. Genoa were never at the races and rarely troubled Julio Sergio. David Suazo didn’t turn up and Giuseppe Sculli was hauled off injured on the half hour mark. 3-0 the result last season in a match hailed by some as Spalletti’s finest hour (and a half), this 3-0 surely more important as it secures base camp from which Roma can challenge for a place in next year’s UEFA Champions League, and keep Leonardo and Mourinho on edge between now and May. With Totti and DDR in and out of action, Ranieri’s men are still managing to take full advantage of Juve’s indifferent form to bear down on Milan and Inter, both of whom visit Rome in March. Luca Toni earned the points against Chievo last Saturday and his goals put paid to Genoa this afternoon. Ranieri’s 4-2-3-1 system with Totti, Vucinic and Taddei creating chances for Toni earned in the deep by De Rossi and Pizarro, should go a long way towards healing 18 months of mediocrity. What a result for Ranieri and for Roma. Riise has already gone on record to say that his 92nd. minute header was the most important goal of his career. What a cross from Pizarro to create it too after he nailed a 50/50 tackle against Diego. Roma are on the rise and if they can maintain this kind of form with Luca Toni fit or even benchworthy, pick up wins at home against Milan and Inter in March, and rotate their squad well enough to meet the tough demands of midweek TIM Cup and UEFA Europa League fixtures, a challenge for the Scudetto is on. Toni was substituted after three minutes and is out for six weeks, Taddei won the spot kick from Grosso for Totti to equalize, Gigi Buffon was dismissed late on for barging into Riise a good 10 metres out of his area and inevitably, the Norwegian had the final word. A win v Catania here on Tuesday evening will pitch Roma against Milan or Udinese in the TIM Cup Semi Final, to be played on February 3rd. and 10th. Roma are in the Coppa Italia Semi Final v Milan or Udinese – they play this evening. The Semi Final will be contested over two legs on February 3rd. and 10th. D. De Rossi’s drive won it against nine man Catania who withstood heavy bombardment for the duration, but somehow emerged with an honourable defeat, on paper at least. Roma will be happy to meet the Sicilians again on February 21st. A repeat of the November 19th. 2006 result (7-0) on current form is not a bad call. Juan, Vucinic, Cassetti and Julio Sergio were all rested ahead of Siena Sunday. Totti is expected to start / roma soccer tickets / romalazio

You’ve just got to hand it to Daniele Conti, he continues to pour scorn on Roma almost every time the two clubs meet. It’s a decade since the capital club sold Conti and he’s been a thorn in the Giallorossi side for most of those intervening years. His equalizer on 93 minutes was beautifully timed. Luca Toni jogged on for a quarter of an hour perhaps half expectant to score Roma’s third, but incredibly, Cagliari scored twice in recupero, taking full advantage of shambolic defending in front of Julio Sergio. It remains to be seen if Toni and Totti will be of more benefit to Roma than their individual, international, South African agendas between now and May. Julio Sergio has taken his chance and is proving to be an outstanding keeper. Taddei’s fabulous dribbling masterclass to set up Simone Perrotta was reminiscent of Spalletti’s trump card, Amantino Mancini. A raid on Inter’s considerable war chest to bring the gifted wide man back to Rome would show the likes of Menez and Baptista what dribbling and goal scoring in the Stadio Olimpico is all about. Luca Toni’s home debut and the big striker had to tow a lonely line for 80 long minutes after Doni was dismissed for handling outside the box. Vucinic made way for Lobont who was rarely troubled by the Flying Donkeys. Chievo had most of the possession but could not get any joy out of Burdisso and Riise. De Rossi’s flicked header from a corner won it, his second minute strike sandwiched between two warning shots from Toni who took no time at all to warm to the task. Pizarro’s fierce penalty was saved but he and Daniele De Rossi were in imperious form. Roma move up a place to 4th. 3-1 v Triestina (Brighi, Vucinic, Baptista) in the TIM Cup Last 16 earns AS Roma a Quarter Final place from where they will meet Milan or Udinese in the Semi Final if Catania can be overcome on January 27th. The Serie A clubs face Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A leaders Novara and contenders Lumezzane respectively. Latest loan moves include Guberti to Sampdoria and Andrea Bertolacci to Lecce. Inter are chasing bench space taker Baptista / as roma tickets / roma tickets

Honour in defeat? Perhaps, but Lazio still aren’t scoring. While Delio Rossi will try his very best to recruit former favourites in January, including Cristian Ledesma, and Pandev heads up to one or other of the Milan clubs, Davide Ballardini can only hope and pray that Lotito makes that money available to sign Maxi Lopez. Anyone will do, anyone who can play alongside Zárate. Rocchi is redundant without Pandev and Il Jardinero, baggage. Eto’o's rebound reaction won it in the Stadio Meazza. Next up resurgent Livorno (H) on January 6th / ss lazio tickets / romalazio.co.uk

We are a fortnight away from this year’s AS Roma Derby. If you want to order tickets from us, we ask that you organize it sooner rather than later. Prices are likely to increase as the match draws closer and availability decreases / rome derby tickets

Lazio had just the better of an intriguing first half without creating much to get excited about, and Napoli more or less the same in the second. Julio Cruz attempted to bite a chunk out of Rinaudo’s wrist and the Biancocelesti finished with five petulant bookings. Whatever drives Ballardini’s training camps, discipline is clearly not a factor. One point earned grants Balla a seven day stay of execution, but no more. Bologna come here on Sunday and the result will be decisive in a managerial sense at least. Stendardo played at last in a 3-4-2-1 formation which is why Lazio move up to 15th / lazio tickets