Batistuta Scores as Roma Beat Fiorentina
November 28, 2000 - 0:0
ROME Gabriel Batistuta scored a superb late winner against his former paymasters Fiorentina to give AS Roma a 1-0 victory which took them three points clear at the top of the Italian first division.
The Argentine striker, who moved to Roma in the summer after nine turbulent but successful seasons at the Florence club, crashed home a crisp right foot volley from 25 meters in the 83rd minute to resolve a tense match at the Olympic Stadium.
The Argentine striker refused to celebrate his goal against the club for whom he scored 168 goals.
He ran over to the 3,000 visiting fans at the end of the match and applauded them before leaving the Olympic Stadium in tears at the end of an emotional night.
Batistuta's goal gave Roma their seventh win from eight league outings and took them on to 21 points, three clear of second-placed Atalanta Bergamo and six ahead of the Juventus, the next-best placed of the big guns in Serie A.
Juventus beat Verona 2-1 earlier courtesy of goals from French teammates David Trezeguet and Zinedine Zidane while reigning champions Lazio lost 2-0 at Parma.
Trezeguet, drafted in to replace out-of-form Alessandro del Piero, put Juventus ahead with a towering header from an Alessandro Birindelli cross from the right in the 37th minute.
Juve, whose defeat at Verona last season triggered the collapse of their title challenge, continued to control the match and Zidane sealed their victory with a trademark, curling free kick in the 74th minute.
Verona grabbed a consolation goal through Adailton two minutes from time but Juve never looked in danger of letting slip three points which lifted them to fifth in the table.
"I have four strikers and they're all very good. I'll decide who plays in the starting lineup on a week-by-week basis," Juventus Coach Carlo Ancelotti said when asked if the impressive Trezeguet would now replace Del Piero as his lead striker.
Lazio went down to their second defeat of the league season thanks to a goal from their former midfielder Sergio Conceicao in the 10th minute and a late second from Sabri Lamouchi.
The Rome side, who had a Fabrizio Ravanelli equalizer ruled out for offside in the second half, were reduced to 10 men in the 86th minute when Conceicao's Portuguese teammate Fernando Couto was sent off.
(Reuter)
The Argentine striker, who moved to Roma in the summer after nine turbulent but successful seasons at the Florence club, crashed home a crisp right foot volley from 25 meters in the 83rd minute to resolve a tense match at the Olympic Stadium.
The Argentine striker refused to celebrate his goal against the club for whom he scored 168 goals.
He ran over to the 3,000 visiting fans at the end of the match and applauded them before leaving the Olympic Stadium in tears at the end of an emotional night.
Batistuta's goal gave Roma their seventh win from eight league outings and took them on to 21 points, three clear of second-placed Atalanta Bergamo and six ahead of the Juventus, the next-best placed of the big guns in Serie A.
Juventus beat Verona 2-1 earlier courtesy of goals from French teammates David Trezeguet and Zinedine Zidane while reigning champions Lazio lost 2-0 at Parma.
Trezeguet, drafted in to replace out-of-form Alessandro del Piero, put Juventus ahead with a towering header from an Alessandro Birindelli cross from the right in the 37th minute.
Juve, whose defeat at Verona last season triggered the collapse of their title challenge, continued to control the match and Zidane sealed their victory with a trademark, curling free kick in the 74th minute.
Verona grabbed a consolation goal through Adailton two minutes from time but Juve never looked in danger of letting slip three points which lifted them to fifth in the table.
"I have four strikers and they're all very good. I'll decide who plays in the starting lineup on a week-by-week basis," Juventus Coach Carlo Ancelotti said when asked if the impressive Trezeguet would now replace Del Piero as his lead striker.
Lazio went down to their second defeat of the league season thanks to a goal from their former midfielder Sergio Conceicao in the 10th minute and a late second from Sabri Lamouchi.
The Rome side, who had a Fabrizio Ravanelli equalizer ruled out for offside in the second half, were reduced to 10 men in the 86th minute when Conceicao's Portuguese teammate Fernando Couto was sent off.
(Reuter)