They may not have won their first Scudetto since 2001, but they did defeat Internazionale 7-4 on aggregate to take home their first Coppa Italia in 16 years. More important than actually being crowned as the Italian Cup Champions is the removal of that 800 pound gorilla they had surgically attached to their backs. Roma lost in the final to Inter the last two years, as well as losing the final to Milan in 02-03. Now they can finally reclaim their assault on Juve's Coppa Italia record(for those scoring at home: Juve - 9, Roma - 8 ).
It’s been six years since Roma have had the opportunity to bring a trophy back to la citta eterna. I’m not one to test the fates by proclaiming victory with footy left to play, but the trophy was won before the clock had struck the tenth minute in the first leg. The 6-2 spanking essentially closed the door on Inter's hopes of a pseudo-treble(Finals are played at the end of the year, not the beginning, as far as I'm concerned. Super Cup doesn't count unless Roma wins it next year.) and made yesterday's leg a "walk-through," if you will. No matter what happened, there was no way Inter were getting even a sniff of victory yesterday.
There’s only one way to describe the two-legged drubbing. Roma simply wanted it more. After last summer’s political debacle, Roma were supposed to at least compete for the title. Unfortunately, Inter had written their names in pencil on the Scudetto by the end of December. Quite simply, nobody in Italy currently has the depth of talent that Inter does, and they could possibly stake the same claim for the rest of European football. Roma’s victory at the San Siro in April and the Coppa Italia victory(3 game Inter aggregate: 10-5. Not counting Chelsea bound Crespo: 10-2) will hopefully knock Moratti’s Mercenaries off of their high horses. Let’s hope the last few games against them are a sign for the future.
Grazie Roma