18

Allegri with the Scudetto

AS ROMA 0 AC MILAN 0

7 years ago, we won the title in Rome. 7 years later, we were going to seal the title in Rome. History has a funny way of repeating itself. The 18th Scudetto for AC Milan; a proud moment for any Rossoneri.

Ibra returned to the starting line-up. Destiny had it that the man responsible for Milan’s pole position in November would play the game that would clinch the title. A draw would confirm the obvious. Milan appeared to play accordingly; slow, boring tempo without any penetration. Roma had much more to play for. The glitter of Europe enamoured them and a promising future with an Italian-American beckoned them to give their best in this game. After failing to show up for the first half an hour, Milan turned the heat on the Romans. Possession stats began to shift in Milan’s favour and so did the chances. Bommel and Totti were having a private duel which kept the fire in the game. With the other players entirely disinterested in the match, the two veterans kept biting at each other to make the contest remotely entertaining. Just to emphasise the extent of indifference, Abate allowed Taddei and Totti to dribble past him throughout the first half. Admittedly, Taddei has some skill. But Abate’s pace is more than sufficient to counter mediocre skill.

Ambrosini replaced Gattuso at half time. Gattuso struggled with the pace of the opposition and his passing was appalling. His incompetence coupled with Abate’s indifference made Taddei look world-class. The tide shifted in the second half. Milan created several opportunities but failed to take them. Abate dramatically improved after the break and showed glimpses of his fantastic form. Vucinic’s injury forced Montella to introduce Borriello into the match. This change reduced Roma’s fluidity up front and made Totti drop deeper to collect the ball. The threat of Totti was therefore neutralized. Milan relentlessly attacked while Roma’s struggled to construct a single attack. Seedorf added to his tally of superb performances this season. Playing on the left of midfield, he covered ground effortlessly. All this at the age of 35. On the contrary, the very reliable Van Bommel had an off-day. He continually lost possession under pressure in dangerous positions only to be saved by Thiago Silva. The pain of watching this side play was finally put to an end by the referee. The party started right after. Much booze was spilled with half naked men running around the pitch like madmen. One of the more interesting sights was that of Oddo who covered 400m of the track around the Olimpico in less than one minute in the effort to earn a contract extension. Roma might reluctantly take the draw but they will gladly accept the prestigious tag of being the only team in the Serie A with two clean sheets over two legs against the new champions.