A year after the collapse against Bologna I’m still tears. The protagonists change, the opponent changes, the stadium changes, but the result is the same: Inter lose the Scudetto in the final. And there are many regrets: because Mosconi, after the opening seal in the semi-final against Fiorentina, had given the Nerazzurri the lead again after just five minutes, but above all because in the two goals for Roma – scored respectively by Feola and Nardozi – the complicity of Mancuso and Re Cecconi is evident. Roma wins and the class of 2006 wins again, champions again 363 days after beating Milan in the final. For the Giallorossi it is the twenty-fifth Scudetto in its history, the ninth at Under 17 level (absolute record) which means leaving Inter at eight. For Ciaralli it is instead the very first Italian flag of his young careerdeserved in all respects: the number of victories (24) says it all, the number of defeats says it above all (one, against Lazio, which also dates back to 6 November), finally the strength of a group that is simply the strongest in Italy.
CLICK FOR REPORT CARDS (updating)
APPROACHES
The two approaches are identical to those of the semi-finals. Inter goes a thousand, closes Roma in the last thirty meters and immediately finds the advantage. Zanchetta makes the most of a corner kick and finds at the far post Mosconiwho after making Fiorentina cry does the same with Roma: he eludes Bah’s too feeble marking, kicks with his left foot and beats Bellucci despite Romano’s rescue attempt (5′). As happened against Milan, taking away an untapped opportunity by Mannini in the 4th minute, Roma struggled to take measures and suffered from Inter’s game, who can count on a Lavelli in great form – launched from the first minute with Mancuso replacing Spinaccè and Venturini – and more generally on a slap-dab offensive department. The action that is emblematic almost does not bring the double benefit: Tigani serves Mosconi, then takes the ball back after a touch by Lavelli but slips at the climax; the opportunity therefore fell to the pocho who faced an excellent Bellucci (16′). In the meantime Roma, which compared to the semi-final only insert Tumminelli for Levak, it comes out around the quarter of an hour and at the first jolt it does not forgive. An inactive ball is still decisive: Romano puts it on the far post and Feola punishes with a header, taking advantage of a nap from Mancuso and a slight deflection from the same class of 2007 (19′). Five minutes later the Giallorossi overturned it on the counterattack, but this time too there is the complicity of the Nerazzurri. The red-penned mistake is by Re Cecconi, who slips badly and throws Mannini into the open field, then the ten is a sentence: he puts in a splendid low cross and Nardozi, after last season’s goal against Milan, signs a ‘another final (25’).
IN VAIN
After the interval Polenghi immediately removes Mancuso and inserts Venturini. No precautions instead for Ciaralli, who for his part has something to be satisfied with having closed the first half ahead without shining. Roma’s management of the advantage is helped by the pace of the game, which collapsed dramatically also because Inter in the second half seems to have no ideas. The Nerazzurri always have the ball, but the problem is that Bellucci is not in any danger. Lavelli’s header from the side tries to shock after only four minutes, but is only followed by a weak right foot from Venturini (14′) and from a sterile ball possession devoid of ideas. The entry of Spinaccè for Lavelli it is dictated by the need to at least try something different up front, like Pinotti’s. In the meantime Rome is also redesigned, who guesses the substitutions and wins the game: Almaviva and Della Rocca give new life up front, the same does Levak in the midfield. Polenghi then tried his best by even deploying Maye as a centre-forward, but it was both a desperate and a late move. The only major episode sees protagonist De Pierithis time in the negative – like his performance both in the semi-final and in the final – because when time was practically up he got thrown out for a few words too many and paved the way for the Giallorossi flag.
THE TABLE
ROMA-INTER 2-1
NET: 5′ Mosconi (I), 19′ Feola (R), 25′ Nardozi (R).
ROMA (4-3-3): Renato Bellucci 7, Feola 9, Reale 9, Romano 8, Golic 7.5, Plaia 8 (46′ st Mirra sv), Tumminelli 7 (35′ st Levak sv), Bah 7.5, Mlakar 7 (26′ st Almaviva 7), Mannini 8.5 (35′ st Della Rocca sv), Nardozi 9. Available. De Franceschi, De Luca, Litti, Surricchio, Ragone. Herds Ciaralli 8.
INTER (4-3-1-2): Tommasi 6, Re Cecconi 6 (43′ st Della Mora sv), Cocchi 6.5 (35′ st Castegnaro sv), Zanchetta 7, Garonetti 7, Chiesa 6.5, Mancuso 6 (1′ st Venturini 6.5), Tigani 6.5 (35′ st Pinotti sv), Mosconi 7.5 (43′ st Fois sv), De Pieri 6, Lavelli 6.5 (25′ st Spinaccè 6.5). Available Castelnuovo, Maye, Ortelli. Herds Polenghi 6.
REFEREE: Tropiano of Bari 7.5.
ASSISTANTS: Miccoli of Bari and Grimaldi of Bari.
FOURTH MAN: From Loreto of Terni.
EXPELLED: 50′ st De Pieri (I).
ADMONITES: De Pieri (I), Tigani (I).