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http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/w37spotlight.html
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Week 37 Spotlight: Child’s play |
Monday 8 May, 2006 |
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Player of the Week: Okaka (Roma)
While the Giallorossi faithful who flocked to the Stadio Olimpico were disappointed not to see the return of Francesco Totti, one man will have been secretly delighted that Roma’s talisman is still on the sidelines.
For 16-year-old Stefano Chuka Okaka, Totti’s eleventh hour withdrawal from the squad with the flu represented the biggest moment of his young career. With a Champions League spot potentially at stake, the Perugia-born striker of Nigerian descent could’ve been forgiven for being a little overawed as he prepared to start a Serie A game for the first time. However, nothing could’ve looked further from the truth.
While his more experienced teammates struggled to find their rhythm against the bottom club, Okaka was a live-wire and had a hand in everything that Roma created. Having seen Samuel Kuffour and Rodrigo Taddei spurn guilt-edged chances of his making, Okaka finally got his deserved assist after 36 minutes. Receiving the ball from a free kick, he rolled it back for Damiano Tommasi to strike the game’s only goal from seven yards.
Luciano Spalletti may be keen to protect his young starlet but Roma’s injury woes have thrown him into the deep end a little sooner than expected. With first round UEFA Cup qualification against Greek side Aris Salonika assured, the Roma tactician wrote Okaka into the record books as the youngest Italian to play in a European competition - handing him a start instead of risking a half-fit Totti.
Fortunately, Okaka seems to thrive on the pressure of the big stage. Since his Serie A debut against Sampdoria in December, Okaka has only been called upon for a handful of substitute appearances but scored his first goal for the Giallorossi against Napoli in the Coppa Italia in December and has already shown enough promise to secure a new two-year deal at the Stadio Olimpico.
Although Okaka will have to settle for watching this summer’s proceedings on TV, by the time the 2010 World Cup Finals come around he may well be in the running for an Azzurri shirt – should he chose to represent Italy instead of Nigeria. One thing is certain – if Totti doesn’t make it back for the Giallorossi’s final game against Milan he’ll have a willing replacement. |
队长托蒂没能上场比赛，这让前去奥林匹克看球的罗马球迷多少有些失望，但在年轻的阵营中，还是有着令人欣喜之处。
对于年仅16岁的奥卡卡来说，托蒂在最后时刻落选大名单使得他第一次得以在意甲首发，这是这位出生于佩鲁贾的尼日利亚后裔一生中最重要的时刻之一。虽然球队进入欧冠的希望渐渐渺茫，但上场表现的事实胜于雄辩。
在对阵榜尾特雷维索的比赛中，奥卡卡身旁经验丰富的队友们均疲于找寻场上的节奏，相比而言，他的表演充满了活力，让人眼前一亮，每次机会的创造几乎都有他的一份功劳。在库福尔和塔代伊接连错过他创造的绝佳机会后，奥卡卡不懈的努力终于在第36分钟收到回报。在接到队友发出的任意球后，他回传托马西，并由后者一蹴而就，攻入全场比赛唯一入球。
斯帕莱蒂教练一直在保护这位年轻新秀，但罗马队内的伤病情况让他用兵捉襟见肘。在确保了联盟杯席位之后，他终于决定派奥卡卡首发，顶替尚在恢复期的队长托蒂---这也创造了意大利球员在欧洲赛场比赛的最小年龄纪录。
幸运的是，奥卡卡顶住了压力，发挥可圈可点。继去年12月在对桑普多利亚的比赛中上演意甲处子秀以来，他仅在为数不多的几场比赛中替补出场，但很快在12月意大利杯对阵那不勒斯的比赛中攻入首粒进球，还保证与球队续约两年。
虽然今年夏天的德国世界杯，奥卡卡注定只能在电视机前观战，但如果他将来选择为意大利而不是家乡尼日利亚征战的话，没准到了2010年，他就会成为蓝衣军团的一员。目前，至少有一点是可以肯定的：如果托蒂无法赶上本赛季与米兰的最后一役，奥卡卡将很有可能继续他的表演。
[em08] | 
发表于 2006-5-10 18:46:35
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