The Stadio Olimpico was supposed to be a fortress, but by the 60th minute, it felt like a sinking ship.
Stefano Pioli was losing his mind. On paper, his 5-man midfield should have swallowed Fiorentina's 3-man engine room whole. But football isn't played on paper.
Every time Biglia, Mauri, and Anderson converged on Renzo Uzumaki, they thought they had him trapped. They narrowed the circle, lungs burning, ready to feast on the 16-year-old's mistake. But Renzo didn't panic. With 99 Vision, he saw the "invisible" exit—a two-inch gap between Biglia's legs or a lofted dink over Anderson's head.
By the time the trio realized the ball was gone, they were out of position. Renzo's one-touch distribution turned their "numerical advantage" into a liability, leaving Aquilani and Badelj in wide-open space to dictate the tempo.
In the 61st minute, the legendary Miroslav Klose gave Rome a glimmer of hope. He rose like a hawk, meeting a Candreva cross with a trademark header that defied his 37 years.
1-2.
The Olimpico erupted. The Biancocelesti fans finally found their voices, sensing a comeback. But their joy lasted exactly 180 seconds.
Marcos Alonso won a crunching tackle on the wing and immediately fed Aquilani. The "Prince" didn't even look up. He knew where the "System" was. He fizzed a pass into the attacking third, finding Renzo.
Renzo didn't take a touch to settle. He didn't look for the sideline. He saw Mario Gómez making a run that reminded the world why he was once the most feared striker in the Bundesliga.
Renzo unleashed a Surgical Through-Ball—a pass with so much backspin it sat up perfectly for the striker.
What happened next was vintage. Gómez received the ball with his back to the goal, his 1.89-meter frame shielding it from the defender. In one fluid, velvet motion, he performed a Pirouette Turn.
It was a carbon copy of his legendary goal from Euro 2012.
Marchetti, the Lazio keeper, was a statue. The ball screamed into the side netting before he could even blink.
1-3.
"GOAL! HAT-TRICK FOR GÓMEZ!" the commentator shrieked. "The Torero has returned to Rome! But look at the provider! Look at Renzo!"
Gómez didn't celebrate with a slide. He ran straight to Renzo, pointing at the teenager with a face full of disbelief and joy. "You see this kid?!" he seemed to scream to the silent Lazio fans. "He's the one! He's the reason I'm 25 again!"
In the commentary box, a veteran Italian journalist whispered into his mic: "We came to see the legends Klose and Gómez. But we are leaving having seen the birth of a God. Renzo Uzumaki isn't just playing in Serie A; he is reinventing it."
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