by Renee Israel
Last Saturday in Rome, fans of two of Italy's strongest Serie A football
teams, Roma and AC Milan, were left disappointed when neither team could
make headway against the each resulting in a 0-0 draw. Despite more than a few
opportunities from both team, the back of the net alluded both.
With Stadio Olimpico packed to the rafters with fans hoping to see which team
would emerge the winner, and therefore the biggest threat to this season's Serie
A frontrunners, Inter Milan, in trepidation soon turned into frustration as
players from both teams failed to make their mark in the high-pressure game.
On paper AC Milan should have been the slightly stronger side as they are
currently lying second in Serie A with 55 points to Roma's 52 points for third.
Similarly, with the home field advantage, Roma was expected to kick things up a
notch, but as is often the case in professional sports, even the best laid
plans...
To their credit Roma started the match with slightly more vigour, as the likes
of Daniele De Rossi and Julio Baptista charged into AC Milan's half, coming
close to scoring. But it wasn't to be, and not long thereafter talented AC Milan
midfielder, Massimo Ambrosini, help send Roma's forwards back into their half.
A spirited effort by Roma's David Pizarro was successfully thwarted by the
Rossoneri, who started to gain more control of ball with the help of star
forward, Ronaldinho. However, even Ronaldinho's often times perfect set-ups
could not be converted by the team's strikers who struggled to find the net.
By the half-time whistle the score was still nil all and the stadium grew
restless as fans of both teams hoped that their respective pep talks would
enable them to go into the lead in the second half. And while the energy on the
field was 'amped up' in the second half, the game resembled more of a 'ping
ping' match.
Even though the ball spent time in both halves, chances at goal for Roma and AC
Milan came at a premium, and the few that presented themselves were scuppered or
missed. And despite a few player changes here and there, neither of the teams
managed to snatch a much-needed goal by the final whistle.
