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Batistuta crowns Roma's day of joy

Frances Kennedy
Monday 18 June 2001 00:00 BST
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The Italian capital exploded with joy yesterday afternoon as Roma took the scudetto ­ the Italian championship ­ for the first time in 18 years. Traffic in the city was paralysed for hours as fans took to the streets. Tens of thousands of fans were cruising in cars, on scooters or by foot, waving flags and chanting the team's anthem.

On a steamy, hot afternoon, Roma scored a 3-1 victory over Parma to take the title on the last day of the championship. The team's top three scorers of the season, Gabriel Batistuta (20) Francesco Totti (13) and Vincenzo Montella (13) each scored in the final game.

In the Olympic Stadium, a capacity crowd waving a sea of red and orange flags, erupted even before the final whistle blew. A group of fans invaded the field 20 minutes before time, holding up play for a brief period.

Players did not even have time to reach the changing-rooms as ecstatic fans charged the pitch, stripping the jubilant players of their shirts and shorts and leaving them standing in their underwear. In the changing-rooms, champagne flowed as the exhausted players exulted.

"I wanted to score so I could make my contribution to this match," said Batistuta ­ nicknamed "Batigol" ­ who scored in the 77th minute. "My heart is going to burst. I am so happy."

The Argentinian striker strived for nine years without success to win the title with Fiorentina, but has won it with Roma at the first attempt. Batistuta, who joined Fabio Capello's side a year ago, was an integral part of their title push, scoring 20 league goals to finish as their top scorer. It was fitting, then, that the Argentinian should have scored Roma's final goal of the season.

Roma's victory gave them only the third title of their 74-year history, their first since 1983 ­ and the first time under an Italian coach. Capello, once of Milan and Real Madrid, has won five previous Italian titles and one in Spain.

The celebrations were all the more heartfelt because they had been planned for last weekend ­ until Roma blew it with a 2-2 draw against lowly Napoli. Roma supporters flooded into the main squares, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Venezia and Piazza San Giovanni, as well as parks and bars.

"Dajje il lupo [Go the wolf]" screamed fans, in a reference to the mythical wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus and "Semmo i campioni [We are the champions]", in Rome dialect. In the working-class neighbourhood of Testaccio, renowned for its devotion to Roma, cars, walls and trees were painted red and orange or draped with flags.

A huge party is planned for next Sunday at the Circus Maximus. Sabrina Ferilli, an immensely popular and busty actress and devout Roma fan, once promised to do a striptease if Roma won the championship. She said yesterday she was ready to fulfil her promise.

As the Italian championship was decided on the final day for the third year running, Juventus, Roma's chief rivals for the title, also won 2-1 at home against Atalanta while the other outside contenders, last year's champions, Lazio, were defeated 2-1 by Lecce. Napoli, Bari and Vicenza have been relegated while Reggina and Verona face a play-off to decide who else goes down.

Two management changes were announced yesterday. The charismatic Turk Fatih Terim, who left Fiorentina in mid-season, has been signed up by Milan and will begin work next month, while Juventus have confirmed that they will be replacing Carlo Ancelotti with their former coach Marcello Lippi.

The Juventus striker Fillipo Inzaghi hinted broadly that he, too, will be on his way. "It's been a wonderful four years," he said yesterday. "Juve will remain in my heart."

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