Another Totti masterclass in Roma triumph
Reuters - Sunday 17 March 2013, 22:46
AS Roma stalwart Francesco Totti, 36, gave another masterclass, including a goal for the record books, an extraordinary free-kick and an almost unbelievable backheel pass, in their 2-0 Serie A win over Parma on Sunday.
One of the modern game's very few one-club players, Totti is in his 21st season with Roma and has found a new lease of after briefly falling out of favour with some of the club's recent coaches.
He crowned his performance with a low free-kick in the 70th minute to become Serie A's second highest scorer in his own right with 226 goals, one ahead of Sweden's Gunnar Nordahl who played for AC Milan and Roma in the 1950s.
But there were two other incidents that caught the eye, including his one-two with Simone Perrotta.
Breaking down the left touchline, Perotta clipped the ball to Totti who somehow turned his back to the ball and backheeled it perfectly inside a defender and into the path of his team-mate who was given a clear run on goal.
Early in the second half, Totti took a free-kick on the left hand side of the penalty area, around 10 metres from the goal-line, and struck a ferocious effort which hit the underside of the bar and the inside of the post.
"I'm happy to have overtaken Nordahl, I think it's been a wonderful evening, the sort we all wanted," he told reporters, adding that he would now aim for Silvio Piola's record of 274.
"But, most of all, qualifying for Europa is what counts. Roma can't just play in the Italian championship."