Well, i have to say, this was one result i did not expect. If anyone told me that newly promoted Cesena would snatch a point from the Giallorosso on opening day of the Serie A season at the Stadio Olimpico, i would not have believed it. However, in football anything is possible and Cesena proved that they truly deserve their place in Italian top flight football.
A barren draw for last season’s league runners up is not the perfect start we all expected from Roma. But if it is any comfort, the Giallorosso did not have the best of starts last season either. In fact, up until January, nobody even consider Roma a threat.
Roma were a full strength quad with new signing Adriano being the only notably Absentee. The Brazilian is still recuparating from an injury that will see him miss Roma’s opening league fixtures. It is not know when Adriano will return to full fitness, but Roma fans will be praying it happens sooner rather than later as they are in dire need of his scoring abilities.
In the day’s other fixture, Udinese lost by a solitary goal to Genoa despite having home advantage. Gian Piero Gasperini’s remarks that Genoa were scudetto contenders became reality when Giandomenico Mesto scored in the dying minutes of the game to steal all 3 points on offer.
Genoa might have gotten all the 3 points but it came at a cost. New signing Luca Toni picked up an injury that might keep him out of action for a lengthy period while Raffaele Palladino dislocated his shoulder with 10 minutes of the match left to play.
Genoa do have the manpower to challenge for the scudetto. With players like Rodrigo Palacio, Luca Toni, Marco Rossi, Rafinha and Veloso, the Rosoblu are a team not to be underestimated.
More league action continues today with 7 fixtures to be played across the country.
Photo credit: from & Golden Boy &