Claudio Ranieri won the hearts of the football world when he took Leicester City to the 2016 Premier League title, but six years earlier he came to within touching distance of an even more romantic achievement -- a league title with home town team Roma.
Ranieri, born and raised in Rome and a lifelong fan of the capital club, had taken over a side with no points in the early stages of the 2009-10 season, but after a slow start led the Giallorossi to a 24-match unbeaten run that left them at the summit in Italy with four matches left.
However 10 years ago on Saturday a tidal wave of emotion came crashing down in one of the most dramatic matches in recent Serie A history, a 2-1 home defeat to Sampdoria which all but handed Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan the title and the chance to complete a now famous league, cup and Champions League treble.
The loss, and Inter's 3-1 defeat of Atalanta the previous day, put Mourinho's team two points ahead with three games remaining, a lead that the future European champions would not relinquish.
The match was held at a balmy Stadio Olimpico in Rome and was the last real contest facing Ranieri's team, with an entertaining Samp side featuring Antonio Cassano chasing down a Champions League place.
- Traumatic - =============
"We had three or four chances to win the match that we wasted. Then those two goals whipped our legs out from under us."
- Salt in the wound - =====================
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