Cicinho's (own) goal of the season and gaffes galore

Cicinho must have been taking some advice on defending from his AS Roma team-mate John Arne Riise if his last-gasp own goal on Saturday evening is anything to go by.

A flying header in the 93rd minute sent an admittedly excellent Marco Di Viao cross high into the roof of Roma's net to hand Bologna an unlikely 1-1 draw.

Had it been scored at the other goal, it would have been an early candidate for the goal of the season. But with Cicinho, that wasn't likely.

The little Brazilian is as gaffe-prone as the countryâÂÂs premier Silvio Berlusconi, especially when he finds himself inside his own area... and given that he's a full-back (albeit a Brazilian full-back) that does tend to happen at least a few times a game. 

Cicinho: Bollocksssssssssssssssssssssssssss 

But we can be thankful to Cicinho for two things:

1. The chance to laugh at his own own goal

2. A not-to-be-missed opportunity to look back at some of Serie Aaaaargh!'s favourite bloopers (with the shops already full of Christmas cheer, see it as a bit of early seasonal silliness).

So to kick off with, Marco Materazzi.

It's been a while since Mad Marco popped up in the blog, but it's time to put the boot into the Inter man once again - much as he did back in May 2006.

It was late into added time in an otherwise uneventful goalless encounter at Empoli when, without a thought for where his goalkeeper Julio Cesar might actually be, the big man stuck his laces through ball and hammered it all the way back from the halfway line... and over the head of his stranded team-mate.

Pity in the end that Calciopoli took the gloss of such a memorable occasion.

And Materazzi has also excelled at putting the ball into his own net at international level, once flummoxing Gigi Buffon with a sliding finish in a friendly against Turkey.

"Why do these things keep happening to little old me..."

Of course, Cristiano ZaccardoâÂÂs close-range effort at the 2006 World Cup could potentially have been more damaging.

But the Palermo full-back's reward for doing what no USA striker could achieve was a place on Marcello Lippi's bench for the rest of the tournament and the Azzurri went on to be crowned world champions.

InterâÂÂs luckless Nicolas Burdisso has also been sent to sit in the corner after his Champions League comedy of errors in Cyprus.

So desperate was Jose Mourinho to find a stable and rational central defender that he rushed Walter Samuel back to face Udinese this weekend - his first competitive game since December. And lo and behold, the Argentinian was named man of the match.

Meanwhile, itâÂÂs derby week in Rome, a week when Paolo Negro traditionally tries to keep a low profile.

Back in 2000, the Lazio defender somehow sliced home an innocent-looking loose ball at the back post to hand Roma a 1-0 win... and the gangly full-back infamy forever.

The following week, Giallorossi fans turned up wearing shirts with NegroâÂÂs name on the back. And even after he left the capital, he was the only opposing player who ever received a cheer at Roma when the team line-ups were announced.

Negro finally gained revenge of sorts when he scored one of the goals to give Siena a rare win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico a few seasons later.

Roma jeer and whoop after Negro sticks one in the wrong net 

But in the end, he will be remembered, just as Cicinho is now, as one of those hapless players who doesnâÂÂt know one end of the pitch from the other.

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