To be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure what happened in the last few minutes of the match between Udinese and Roma. The match slid calmly along, scoreless, for nearly an hour, when a Francesco Totti penalty conversion gave Roma the lead. It then looked as though the match would hinge on that goal, but Udinese apparently borrowed a bit of Zona Napoli (I hope they give it back by tomorrow), with Antonio Di Natale scoring in the 88th minute. Totti, however, was determined to play the hero, scoring the winner in the final play of the match.
Udinese Vs. AS Roma: Last Minute Shot From Francesco Totti Gives Roma 2-1 Win
Although the play was end-to-end in the first half, both teams were sloppy in both attack and defense -- although never in a corresponding manner, ergo, no goals. It’s easy to see, then, why Roma required a penalty to open the scoring. What wasn’t predictable was the manner of the penalty. Classic Totti, taking his trademark cucchiano shot, swirled the ball to the left before it curled over to drop behind Samir Handanović and into the back of the net.
Udinese were staring down their second straight defeat when their own captain Toto decided to engage in his own save the day mission. Substitute Bernardo Corradi headed the ball on to Di Natale, who finished from close range to even the scoreline. The fans in the Friuli went wild, knowing at least a point would help them hold on to fourth place for that much longer.
Alas, it was not to be so for Udinese. The home side held on through three minutes of added extra time and, just when it appeared as though they’d manage to come away with a point, a scramble occurred near Handanović, resulting in Totti poking the ball in from close range. That makes goals 202 and 203 for Francesco Totti, leaving him just two goals behind Roberto Baggio in Serie A goals.
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