Veteran Cesena goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli came back to haunt his former employers as he put in a man-of-the match display to frustrate AS Roma in a 0-0 draw at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
Antonioli was the first-choice goalkeeper in the capital when then-coach Fabio Capello led the Rome-based team to the Italian title in 2001, but the 40-year-old put an early dent in Roma’s current scudetto hopes as he kept last season’s runners-up at bay to give the Serie A new boys a dream start to life back among Italy’s elite.
Having earned successive promotions from the third tier of Italian soccer, Cesena are rank outsiders in the top flight this season, but they produced a spirited display to earn a point.
PHOTO: AFP
Roma coach Claudio Ranieri suggested his team might have paid for being over-eager.
“This wasn’t the start we were dreaming about, we wanted to win and start off on the right footing,” Ranieri said. “Who knows, maybe it was exactly that desire that prevented us from doing things better.”
“We’re satisfied with this draw because Cesena had two or three dangerous chances and we have to know how to accept a draw that gets us moving in the standings,” he said. “We’re working very hard, this was a clear step forward with respect to the Super Cup [a 3-1 defeat by Inter]. We did a lot, but we didn’t manage the next step.”
DOMINATION
While Roma predictably dominated the first period in terms of possession and territory, they were mostly restricted to some pot-shots and crosses from deep and they could have been made to pay on 20 minutes when Cesena broke at pace on the counterattack from a Roma corner.
Emanuele Giaccherini played a pass from right to left for Japan international Yuto Nagatomo, but his pass was slightly over-hit, giving Nagatomo a difficult angle to shoot, although he made the best of it and his effort fizzed just past the far post.
Roma came closest on 35 minutes when Daniele De Rossi’s fierce volley was beaten away by Antonioli, although TV replays showed the midfielder should have been flagged for offside.
Cesena came close again just before the hour mark, but Matias Schelotto blazed high over the bar on the turn.
Antonioli, the oldest goalkeeper in Serie A and just over two weeks away from his 41st birthday, came to Cesena’s rescue 19 minutes from time with a double save.
UNBEATABLE
First, he palmed out a dangerous cross from substitute Rodrigo Taddei and then sprung up to save Mirko Vucinic’s follow-up when a goal looked certain.
From the resulting corner, John-Arne Riise dragged a shot just wide and Vucinic later had another chance, but couldn’t keep his header down.
Antonioli was the hero again 11 minutes from the end when he parried a vicious effort from Francesco Totti and then sprang up to whip the ball off Stefano Okaka’s foot.
The game was opening up and after Erjon Bogdani had clipped an effort just wide at one end, Totti’s header from Taddei’s cross sailed narrowly over the corner of bar and post at the other.
Earlier, substitute Giandomenico Mesto scored the first goal of the new Serie A season as Genoa won 1-0 at Udinese.
Mesto had only been on the pitch for 10 minutes when he snatched an acrobatic winner nine minutes from time.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care