With Totti’s goal he’s now the lone second top goalscorer in Serie A history, with his team moving back up into seventh place. Parma, meanwhile, stay 12th.
AS Roma vs. Parma, Final Score 0-2: Majestic Totti nets as Roma’s run goes on
Roma’s unbeaten run has extended to five matches after they beat Parma 2-0 in a chaotic match at the Olimpico, with a magnificent performance from Francesco Totti the highlight.
Paolo Bruno
Roma were rampant early on, and had their first real chance inside the opening minute. A low corner came out to Alessandro Florenzi on the edge of the area, though he smashed his first time rocket shot just wide of Antonio Mirante's goal.
It didn't take long before they had taken the lead. In the seventh minute a Marquinho cross was flicked on to Daniele De Rossi who was lurking on the edge of the box, volleying it low towards the far post. Getting the touch it needed off Erik Lamela, Mirante was powerless to do anything.
Parma were looking extremely shaky defensively to say the least, whilst simultaneously playing hot potato with the ball. The upshot was another amazing chance for Roma courtesy of Simone Perrotta in the box, though with acres of space, he smashed the ball against the bar.
As the half wore on the crociati went from looking embarrassingly incompetent to mildly competent. A Massimo Gobbi cross narrowly cleared the head of Marco Parolo, before Roma hit on the break. With Parma's offside trap woefully inadequate with the three centre-backs boasting an average top speed of four miles an hour, Perrotta and then Lamela failed to capitalise on one-on-ones.
Parolo's effort straight at Maarten Stekelenburg was Parma's only shot on target of the opening half, with Roberto Donadoni's side incredibly fortunate to only be a goal down at the break, even if they had gradually improved on the ball as the half went on.
Roma had really taken a liking to the woodwork, and Totti said hello to Mirante’s bar and post again just a couple of minutes after the restart from a powerful free-kick, as the ball continued to stubbornly refuse to cross the line.
Stekelenburg dropped a cross from the left soon after, though Amauri couldn't take advantage of the opportunity he was presented, reassuringly reaffirming that all's normal in the world after his hat-trick in Parma's demolishing of Torino last weekend.
Parma themselves had an encounter with the Roma crossbar as Gabriel Paletta smashed a header against the woodwork from the edge of the Roma box just past the hour, before Nicolás Burdisso made a goal-saving tackle to deny Marco Parolo from six yards. Parma could hardly begrudge the giallorossi their own slice of luck.
Marquinhos made an equally impressive challenge to deny Nicola Sansone, before the vital second goal finally game. Francesco Totti -- the unquestionable man of the match -- drilled a free-kick underneath the wall for 2-0, with Mirante unsighted.
Inside the final ten minutes it should have been three when Totti was sent through on goal, though Mirante denied him in the one-on-one, with the game ending 2-0.
Roma (3-4-2-1): Maarten Stekelenburg; Leandro Castán, Nicolás Burdisso, Marquinhos; Marquinho (Federico Balzaretti 82), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Michael Bradley 68), Daniele De Rossi, Alessandro Florenzi; Erik Lamela, Simone Perrotta (Rodrigo Taddei 87); Francesco Totti.
Parma (3-5-2): Antonio Mirante; Alessandro Lucarelli, Gabriel Paletta, Yohan Benalouane; Álvaro Ampuero (Jonathan Biabiany 58), Massimo Gobbi, Jaime Valdés, Marco Parolo (Daniele Galloppa 87), Aleandro Rosi; Nicola Sansone (Ishak Belfodil 76), Amauri.
Goals: Lamela 7 (R) Totti 70 (R)
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