Mrs.Faradina Harumi Rossi

The agent of Giuseppe Rossi has ruled out a move away from Villarreal for the striker.

Federico Pastorello said: "The player is not on the market, there is no hope that the boy could return to Italy because Villarreal say he is not for sale.

"Rossi is happy with his decision, both personally and professionally. Villarreal is allowing him to grow as a player."

Roma have been eyeing Rossi as an alternative to Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu.

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Roma are weighing up a bid for Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi.

Gazzetta dello Sport says Roma management see Rossi as an ideal alternative to Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu.

If Viola continue to refuse to do business over Mutu, then Roma will make a bid for Rossi before the summer transfer window shuts.

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Giuseppe Rossi combined brilliantly with Sebastian Giovinco and scored in the Italian Olympic team's 1-1 friendly draw with Romania.

Italy continued their preparations for the Beijing tournament with this friendly match in Pistoia against the Under-21 Romanians, but were missing Riccardo Montolivo with a flu virus. Senior Azzurri Coach Marcello Lippi was in the stands to view the match.

Rossi went on a mazy run between five defenders and his penalty appeals were waved away for a last-ditch tackle in the box.

A dangerous long-range strike shook the side-netting for Romania, but the Azzurrini were in control with Sebastian Giovinco also slaloming through yellow shirts until he was brought down outside the box. He took the resulting free kick, which the goalkeeper fingertipped over the bar.

Lazio full-back Lorenzo De Silvestri's error prompted a scare, but Tommaso Rocchi - the only over-age player in Italy's Olympic squad - was halted clear on goal for an incorrect offside flag.

It was an all-Biancocelesti battle when De Silvestri trapped a brilliant Claudio Marchisio ball over the top to leave him one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Lazio teammate Stefan Radu came flying in with a decisive tackle.

Moments later Romania required a goalline clearance to deny Rossi's tap-in from a Giovinco assist, as the two pint-sized youngsters continued to combine.

The goal was in the air and it arrived with a stroke of luck, as Rossi's strike from just inside the box took a massive deflection off a defender to loop under the bar.

Juventus youngster Giovinco tested the Romanian shot-stopper with two left-foot efforts in close succession.

Rossi's absolute rocket from 20 metres stung the palms of Tatarusanu in first half stoppages.

Coach Pierluigi Casiraghi made three changes at the break, introducing Andrea Consigli, Marco Motta and Daniele Dessena. Rimini goalkeeper Consigli was tested immediately by a tricky free kick and Rocchi turned a header off target.

Giovinco and Rossi exchanged passes again to tear up the Romanian defence and the Juventus 'atomic ant' nearly scored from an in swinging corner kick.

By the 70th minute, Casiraghi had effectively transformed the line-up with Milan-owned Ignazio Abate, Cagliari hitman Robert Acquafresca, Genoa's Salvatore Bocchetti, Andrea Ranocchia of Bari, Udinese's Antonio Candreva and Andrea Russotto of Napoli coming off the bench.

Substitute Candreva was extremely unlucky not to make it 2-0, as he ran on to an inspired Abate through ball and went round the goalkeeper only to slide the ball inches past the base of the near post.

Paolo De Ceglie created another good opportunity let down by Abate's poor finishing. It proved costly, as in the final minutes Romania snatched an equaliser when Italy had taken their foot off the pedal. A cross from the byline found Stancu to turn in from six yards, leaving Consigli with no chance.

The Azzurrini should have won moments later, but a save denied Abate and De Ceglie's follow-up cracked against the crossbar! It ended 1-1, but the first team showed promising things for the Olympic Games, above all the rapport between Giovinco and Rossi.

Italy 1-1 Romania
Scorers: Rossi 39 (I), Stancu 88 (R)
Italy: Viviano (Consigli 46); De Silvestri (Ranocchia 70), Coda (Motta 46), Criscito (Bocchetti 59), De Ceglie; Marchisio (Dessena 46), Cigarini (Candreva 70), Nocerino; Rossi (Abate 59), Rocchi (Acquafresca 59), Giovinco (Russotto 70)
Romania: Tatarusanu; Ninu, Tudose, Mardare, Radu; Torje, Tanase, Bicfalvi, Chiacu; Deac, Stancu
Ref: Chapron

channel4

Romania's U-21 football team will play against Italy's Olympic team in a friendly game scheduled today at 10 PM in Pistoiese. While the team coached by Pierluigi Casiraghi prepares for the Olympic Games in Beijing, being set to leave for China on Friday, the Romanian national team coached by Emil Sandoi is doing the last checkup ahead of the preliminary games for the European Championship 2009.

Emil Sandoi, the coach of Romania's under-21 team, has stated in a press conference held at Mogosoaia that the friendly game against Italy's Olympic team is the hardest and the most important game for the current generation of players.

'I thank the clubs for allowing the players to come to the national team, although the date is not quite suitable, considering that there are 3 to 4 days left before the start of the championship. I am glad that we managed to schedule this game, it is a step forward in category, as in boxing, considering that we play against Italy's under-23 Olympic team. It is the hardest game that we will play with this generation, a very important test ahead of the official games scheduled this autumn,' Sandoi said.

The coach of Romania's under-21 team pointed out that he would have been very glad to have had Claudiu Keseru, Laszlo Sepri and Adrian Ropotan available for this game. 'They are three representative players, basically the three skippers we have had until now, but I am convinced that we will manage. I knew that Victor Piturca will come to see this game, he has always been interested in our games, and I hope that his presence will be an extra motivation for the players. I would be glad if all the players of the U-21 team would end up playing for the senior national team,' Sandoi pointed out.

Emil Sandoi pointed out that he can also count on fullback Stefan Radu for the games left to be played this autumn as part of Group 10 of the European under-21 Championship preliminaries. 'It is possible to use Radu Stefan for the under-21 team too, however it depends on what happens in the senior national team,' Sandoi said.

Emil Sandoi has chosen 18 players for the game in Italy: goalkeepers Costel Pantilimon (FC Timisoara) and Ciprian Tatarusanu (Gloria Bistrita); fullbacks Sergiu Homei (Dinamo), Emil Ducu Ninu, Alexandru Tudose (both from Gloria Buzau), Stefan Mardare (Rapid), Stefan Radu (Lazio Roma), Srdjan Luchin, Iasmin Latovlevici (both from FC Timisoara); midfielders Erik Bicfalvi (Gloria Buzau), Cristian Tanase (FC Arges), Florin Patrascu (FC Farul Constanta), Ciprian Deac (CFR Cluj), Gabriel Torje (Dinamo), Cosmin Gangioveanu (Univ. Craiova), Razvan Ochirosii (Gloria Buzau); strikers Bogdan Stancu (Steaua) and Hristu Chiacu (CS Otopeni).

Italy's team consist of the following players: goalkeepers Andrea Consigli (Atalanta Bergamo), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo), Emiliano Viviano (Brescia); fullbacks Salvatore Boccehtti (Genoa), Andrea Coda (Udinese), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Paolo De Ceglie (Juventus), Lorenzo De Silvestri (Lazio Roma), Marco Motta (Udinese), Andrea Ranocchi (Arezzo); midfielders Ignazio Abate (Milan), Antonio Candreva (Udinese), Luca Cigarini (Parma), Daniele Dessena (Parma), Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Antonio Nocerino (Palermo); strikers Robert Acquafresca (Cagliari), Tommaso Rocchi (Lazio), Giuseppe Rossi (Villareal) and Andrea Russotto (Treviso).
by Alex Elias

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola says Manchester United gaffed by selling Guiseppe Rossi to Villarreal last summer.

"He has class, knows where the goal is and makes a difference. Plus he's still young," Zola told La Gazzetta Sportiva.

"Giuseppe Rossi is a phenomenon and our (Lionel) Messi."

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