Roma ascended to the top of the Serie A standings for a while following Lorenzo Pellegrini’s penalty and Zeki Celik’s decisive performance against Udinese, although Artem Dovbyk has now been added to the injury roster.
Manu Koné missed two opportunities to capitalize on the loose ball in the box, while Zeki Celik and Lorenzo Pellegrini directed their headers narrowly wide from crosses delivered by Wesley and Matias Soulé, respectively.
Udinese posed a threat on the counter-attack as Arthur Atta chased down a long ball from Jesper Karlstrom, only to send his shot wide of the far post. Meanwhile, Roma came close to scoring on the half-hour mark when Bryan Cristante’s deflected low drive from the edge of the area struck the upright.
Houssine Kamara’s long-range screamer was parried with considerable difficulty by Mile Svilar, but moments later, Kamara misjudged the situation at the other end, failing to kick the Gianluca Mancini cross and instead handling it with his arm. The VAR review revealed the incident, leading to Lorenzo Pellegrini successfully converting the ensuing penalty.
Dovbyk exited the match due to a hip injury, with Tommaso Baldanzi taking his place, while Adam Buksa challenged Svilar shortly after the restart.
Roma extended their advantage with a meticulously executed play, as Zeki Celik surged down the right flank to engage in a give and go with Mancini, finishing with a precise strike from eight yards using the inside of his right foot.
Zaniolo nearly received a goal on 72 minutes when Evan Ndicka inadvertently passed it directly to him within the area, but Roma goalkeeper Svilar quickly charged off his line for a crucial one-on-one save.
Svilar made a remarkable effort to fingertip the header from Vakoun Bayo away from a corner, while Arthur Atta’s shot was deflected onto the base of the upright in the final minute of normal time.
Read More;
Bologna 2-0 Napoli: Partenopei lost at Bologna
Genoa 2-2 Fiorentina: A thrilling stalemate for debut coaches