CROCIATI HISTORY – ROMA VS. PARMA: A 1-1 DRAW IN 1991, IN OUR FIRST SEASON IN SERIE A
Parma, 20 November 2020 – Parma will play away at Roma on Sunday 22 November (kick-off at 15:00 CET), on matchday eight in Serie A TIM 2020/21.
In this league, at Stadio Olimpico, our side has won on only one occasion against the Giallorossi.
Hernan Crespo starred on this momentous day was in 1997, which has gone down in history. There have also been other times in Crociati History where the lads have defended our shirt, making their stand in the Capital against Roma.
The first time that this happened in Serie A, replicating the historic success in the Coppa Italia in 1985.
While we wait for the next chapter in this fixture, we remember the one written on Sunday 10 March 1991.
We therefore celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of our first participation in Italian football’s top flight.
This match ended in a 1-1 draw. It was might have been uneventful, but was a source of much solidity.
Newly promoted Parma, under coach Nevio Scala, soared to new heights, as the Crociati climbed to fourth place in the table behind Inter, AC Milan and Sampdoria.
It was a run that saw Parma qualify for European football, the UEFA Cup, two months later.
On that day, Roma (who had just beaten Belgian side Anderlecht, and was about to face AC Milan in the semi-finals of Coppa Italia) were not too aggressive and dangerous.
The Crociati, on the other hand, set up perfectly at the back, and even managed to take the lead in the 29th minute.
Captain Lorenzo Minotti drove home a powerful free-kick from the edge of the box.
The ball deflected off the wall and fooled goalkeeper Giovanni Cervone (0-1).
Some credited this decisive deflection to Roma midfielder Fabrizio Di Mauro, others to his teammate Antonio Tempestilli, while others still to our Swedish forward Tomas Brolin.
Thanks to Di Mauro, Roma equalised almost immediately.
The winger got to Stefano Pellegrini’s cross ahead of Claudio Taffarel and hit it on the volley. It merely skimmed the head of our defender, Luigi Apolloni, and, with another header by ‘Prince’ Giuseppe Giannini, the ball nestled in the back of the net.
There were no other real moments of note on that afternoon in the fizzing pre-spring atmosphere.
For the rest of the match, only a few and harmless offensive attempts were made on both fronts.
On the Giallorossi side, German world champion center forward Rudi Völler and the full-back Amedeo Carboni (another former Crociati man).
On the Gialloblù side was our prolific goal scorer Alessandro Melli, who tried to score on the volley but his attempt was wayward.
The last moment of excitement was in the 90th minute. It was all ours and could have given us a surprise win late on.
Cutting in from the right, Tarcisio Catanese put a very dangerous cross into the box. For a swift moment, Brolin was unable to get on the end of it and finish.
Header: Stefano Cuoghi confronted by Roma defenders Sebastiano Sebino Nela and Aldair. Photos: Apolloni’s header; Catanese faces Di Mauro; Minotti and Georges Grun mark Aldair and Carboni in the Crociati area; referee Tullio Lanese first admonishes Völler, then Daniele Zoratto and Giannini; Di Mauro and Völler's celebrating the equaliser; Carboni's attempt, which Taffarel would save; Völler covered by Apolloni and Minotti. Below: Crociati fans in the away end at the Stadio Olimpico.
