Fiorentina 2 vs AS Roma 1 (Stadio Artemio Franchi)
Rob's review: In the most anticipated fixture of Matchday 7, Fiorentina hosted Roma in a battle for first-place. Coach Garisto received a huge blow (hehe.. i said "received a blow") when finding out just before kickoff that his star Murgu would be unavailable for the matchup against Roma and for the rest of the season. This news seemed to rally Fiorentina in their quest to conquer the inaugural FIFA league as they were organized and determined throughout the afternoon. On the other hand, Roma had everything to play for as their dreams of taking over first place were in their sights.
Fiorentina started the game with a 4-5-1 formation while Roma started in a 4-3-3 with leader and star Franceso Totti in an unfamiliar wide role and Toni up front. The game started very cagey and physical. Fiorentina allowed Roma to take possession of the ball yet Roma could not breakthrough the tight Fiorentina defence. Around the 30th minute, Fiorentina won the ball in midfield and Gilardino was sent on a one-on-one battle with a Roma centre-back, as he shrugged off the defender he drifted right and waited for Doni to commit then calmly slid the ball in the ol' onion bag to give Fiorentina a 1-0 lead. For the remainder of the half, Fiorentina manufactured a couple of chances on the counter-attack but could not find the goal to go up by two. Half ends 1-0 Fiorentina.
Both managers decided to maintain the status quo at half-time by not making any changes. Again Fiorentina mounted some effective counter-attacks but could not score while Roma created some chances and was equally unsuccessful. Finally, near the 65th minute manager Campoli became frustrated with his striker Luca Toni and substituted him for Julio Baptista and slid Totti back into his familiar striker position. Totti responded by netting an equalizer on a blistering shot that Frey couldn't but should've handled, 1-1. Minutes later, Fiorentina gather possession of the ball, knock the ball down the field fluidly and find Stefan Jovetic who is sent in on a breakaway alone, he slips it home to make it 2-1. The Florentine crowd erupt as they sense that this is the moment that they may have captured the Maple FIFA League Championship. Roma develop a couple of chances but cannot find the equalizer, Fiorentina win 2-1.
Fiorentina are now in control of their own destiny. With a 4-point lead on second place they can only slip once throughout the remainder of the season. Garisto stated after the game, "That's a character victory. Players like Jovetic and Gilardino stepped up to fill the void left by Murgu. The trophy is in our hands, we feel it". Campoli stated, "We Suck".
Internazionale 1 vs Juventus 2(San Siro)
Juventus seems to be back on track after defeating Italian juggernauts Inter and leapfrogging them in the standings to take the over sole position of 3rd place. Gianluigi Buffon was very good late as the visitors managed to hold off a strong push led by Eto'o and Milito and pick up their first win in the league since late January.
(Old Trafford)
Dimitar Berbatov netted 3 goals in a dominating performance that lifts Manchester United even with Milan at 6 points. The home side took advantage of some questionable defending early when Berbatov stripped the Milan defense of the ball and walked in alone for an easy first goal. Milan was quick to respond as Pirlo leveled the game at 1-1 almost immediately only to fall behind again soon after on a Pirlo own-goal. That seemed to have broken the spirits of the Milan side who gave up 3 more goals in a match that will surely turn heads across the MFL.
Inter takes its revenge with a hard fought 3-2 victory over Manchester United. The win means Inter will face AC Milan in one semi-final while in the other the Sirianni brothers will battle it out when Juventus plays Manchester United.
Fiorentina avenged their week 9 loss with a controversial win that locked up the Pollo Memorial Trophy for most regular season points. In the 75th minute, with the visitors on top 2-1, the Playstation Network seems to have crashed leaving both players with nothing to stare at but a black screen. Milan Boss Davide Campolini, being the consummate professional he is, conceded the victory to Fiorentina manager Roberto Garisto, who greedily accepted. The win ensured that Roma was unable to catch Fiorentina for top spot in the league. League members will now be left to wonder what could have happened in the final 15 minutes that could have changed the course of the MFL FOREVER.
Roma beat Juventus for a second consecutive time in league play to end their season with a win that secures them second place in the league and a first round bye. Goals from Mirko Vucinic and Julio Baptista helped the away side take all 3 points. Vincenzo Iaquinta struck late on a breakaway to snap Roma's shutout streak but the home side could not overcome a 1st half red card that put them down to 10 men for the majority of the game. Juventus finish their patchy season as the 3rd place holders.
