Rea instructed Hernanes to harass Aquilani, but the duel between these two "commanders" ended with Aquilani's complete victory. After the game, Juventus fans praised him, saying "You have won tonight's game with your midfield, especially commendable for neutralizing Hernanes." Since childhood, Aquilani has had a spirit of never giving up. There is no need to mention the "derby," once during a tackle, he even stepped off Mauri's right shoe. Slow Lens gave Aquilani a score of 6.5 after the game, second only to Klaasen (7), "For him, this was a derby, twice almost scoring, will gain more trust from Del Neri"; the Goal website gave Aquilani a score of 7.5, second only to Chiellini, "An elegant midfielder provided inspiration and quality in the center of the field, every opportunity attempted to push forward. Had several shots and used corner kicks to assist Chiellini's goal."
The stimulation of the "derby" made Aquilani extremely fit, even to the point of suspicion. At the 30th minute, Aquilani tried a one-two with Quagliarella, resulting in Matuzalem intercepting the ball, which angered the "Little Prince" immensely; a minute later, the referee became the "unfortunate egg", Aquilani's powerful shot from outside the box was barely tipped over the crossbar by Muslera's left hand, yet the referee turned a blind eye and awarded a goal kick, leaving Aquilani extremely angry.
Aquilani indeed needs extra stimulation. After the winter or perhaps due to concerns about injuries caused by cold weather, the former Roma midfielder's performance declined significantly. Fans were discussing the possibility of Pepe starting and Marchisio returning to the center, but Turin Sports clarified, "Alberto may need a little 'rest' after his comeback, but the former Roma player is too important for Juventus's balance, paired with Melo who is responsible for defending Lazio's gem Hernanes," one offensive and one defensive, they are currently Juventus's best partners.
"The Derby of One Man" had only one regret: towards the end of the match, there was suspicion of a slight pull in Aquilani's right leg muscle, forcing him to be substituted by Sissoko. As a medical professional, Aquilani's father had warned earlier, "Relax less, build up physical strength, look at Vieira's physique," but throughout his career, Aquilani has always been plagued by injuries, earning him the nickname "Swarovski."
On February 26, 2006, after scoring in the Rome derby, Aquilani celebrated shirtless in front of the South Stand, an act regarded by Italian media as "Rome's historic night." For the "Little Prince" of Rome, it was a promise made to his sister after watching the derby live in the 2002-03 season, also the 12-year dream of the Aquilani family. It was in 2006 that Aquilani completed the transformation from playmaker to holding midfielder. After joining Juventus, the "Little Prince's" responsibilities remained unchanged: rhythm, inspiration, and long-range shooting ability.
The media viewed this "vice-captain battle" as Aquilani's "one-man derby," but the former Rome "Little Prince" was very calm, "Playing against Lazio is not my derby, I am a Juventus player, the game against Torino is the derby," but he did not deny the game having extra energy, "If I go back in time, playing against Lazio would have been very exciting," it was indeed an exhilarating game with a quick goal and a last-minute strike, but it was also a game belonging to Aquilani: assists, nearly scoring goals, and unfortunately getting injured!
Seeing their old rival in top form, Lazio players brought out the atmosphere reserved for "derbies." Matuzalen fouled Quagliarella and then shoved Aquilani, while Lichtsteiner kicked Aquilani down and indicated Juventus midfielder diving first, Aquilani responded with a beautiful heel pass in front of Lazio's right-back. After coming out of the locker room, Aquilani had another chance to score, continuous lateral passes from Marchisio and Aquanta allowed Aquilani to find a powerful shot opportunity, unfortunately, this powerful shot was saved by Muslera.
With Piero and Pepe sitting on the bench, Aquilani took over the responsibility of taking set pieces. Just 87 seconds into the game, Aquilani's precise corner found Chiellini, allowing the Juventus defender to head home without jumping. Having provided the assist, Aquilani hoped to replicate the magic of the derby. In the 18th minute, Chiellini won a free kick, both Aquanta and Grosso stood before the ball, but neither could snatch the penalty rights. Grosso feinted, and Aquilani's right-footed curling shot hit Dias slightly rebounding, just hitting the crossbar and bouncing out.