GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma's first home game of the season ended as a 3-3 draw against Atalanta on Monday night. Javier Pastore opened the scoring early on, before the away side put themselves 3-1 in front. Roma had to claw their way back into the game, scoring two second half goals to secure the draw. It means Roma are on four points from two games. Here is a detailed look at all six goals. Goal one: Pastore (1-0) Pastore scored his first goal for the club in quite some style. The move began on the right flank, as Alessandro Florenzi threaded it through to Cengiz Under. The Turkish winger cut back onto his favoured left foot to deliver a cross, easily beating the defender, whose momentum took him beyond Under. The cross was lightly weighted, meaning it was falling just in front of Pastore, who had run closer to the near post. With the ball dropping as it approached Pastore, the summer signing expertly backheeled it into the bottom corner. It showed excellent spatial awareness from Pastore and great technique. Goal two: Castagne (1-1) Atalanta found an equaliser just under 20 minutes in. Duvan Zapata dribbled down the right wing, unleashing a shot which smashed back off the post. Timothy Castagne arrived just in time to tap the ball into the net. The most striking thing about this goal from a Roma perspective was the positioning of Federico Fazio. 'Il Comandante' was caught too high up the pitch, and didn't have the sufficient pace to get back. Consequently, he couldn't keep up with Castagne as he jogged into the box. Yes, there was a hint of misfortune with the way the ball rebounded straight into Castagne's path, but Fazio could've done more to prevent him receiving the ball. Goal three: Rigoni (1-2) If the first Atalanta goal was bad, the second was even worse. Kostas Manolas stumbled over the ball with his back to goal in a right-back position, allowing Zapata to run at goal. Manolas was able to keep within touching distance of him as he sprinted back, but a clever chop from Zapata opened up new space and took Manolas out of the game. Fazio then failed to intercept Zapata's ball across, leading to a simple one-on-one finish for Emiliano Rigoni. Goal four: Rigoni (1-3) Roma's centre back partnership of Manolas and Fazio were put under the spotlight again for Atalanta's third goal. Fazio came out of position to try and dispossess Rigoni - which he wouldn't have had to do if one of the midfielders had stopped the simple ball into Rigoni's path. Daniele De Rossi in particular was too high up the pitch as he went to close down a defender, a job which could have - and should have - been done by Pastore. Rigoni quickly flicked the ball round Fazio as the Argentinian rushed on, carrying on his run so that Mario Pasalic could play him in. Manolas couldn't block the pass, leaving Rigoni one-one-one again. The midfielder pulled off a lethal finish, despite Florenzi's best efforts to recover ground, beating Robin Olsen at his near post to make it 3-1 at half time. Goal five: Florenzi (2-3) After being involved in the build up for Roma's first goal, Florenzi got on the scoresheet himself on the hour mark. The right-back clipped the ball forward to Edin Dzeko, who chested the ball down and held it up as Florenzi followed his pass. As Dzeko turned, Florenzi took the ball off him and dribbled towards goal. Space opened up for him as Atalanta's defence backed off, with the centre-back distracted by Pastore's movement towards the right. Florenzi then sidefooted the ball down the middle of the goal and under the keeper's body to set up a comeback. Goal six: Manolas (3-3) Now an expert in sealing late comebacks, Manolas scored the equaliser in the 82nd minute. Pastore's free kick was played at just the right height to catch out the Atalanta defence, sailing over Zapata's head as the striker attempted to clear it, with Manolas running to the far post. The timing of Manolas' run allowed him to meet the ball for a simple tap in. He managed to set his feet right so that he could cushion the ball into the goal with the inside of his foot, securing redemption for Roma. Final thoughts The goals conceded by Roma highlight clear areas for improvement in the defensive phase. The Giallorossi cannot afford to make such defensive mistakes against clinical opponents like Atalanta, and that requires hard work all over the pitch. However, at the other end, Pastore has importantly got off the mark in a Roma shirt, and two of the club's longest serving players ensured Roma earned a point. It's always satisfying when the team's most passionate players score, and they will be hoping to have opportunities to add to their tallies over the next few months. Highlights courtesy of Serie A YouTube
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samuel bannister
Founder and editor of Giallorossi Yorkshire, who is also a columnist for Roma's official website about the women's team. Categories
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October 2019
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