GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Bragging rights were maintained on Saturday afternoon as Roma earned a 3-1 victory over major rivals Lazio. Roma claimed their second win in the space of four days after the midweek win over the other side from the region, Frosinone. In a game which saw Alessandro Florenzi playing as a winger for the first time this season and Lorenzo Pellegrini finding his form in a Roma shirt, the Giallorossi continued the positive momentum after a poor start to the season. Goal one: Lorenzo Pellegrini (1-0) Brought on as a first half substitute for Javier Pastore, Pellegrini was thrown into a more advanced position than usual, but the decision paid off, as he scored within eight minutes of coming on. Edin Dzeko headed on a long ball forward from the back, and Stephan El Shaarawy got in behind the defence. Although Thomas Strakosha closed the winger down quickly enough to prevent him from shooting, the ball fell to Pellegrini as Martin Caceres missed it. Pellegrini showed intelligence to backheel the ball into an empty net, not panicking when the chance to open the scoring came his way. His movement to get into the box, a result of his more attacking position, enabled him to earn the chance to score in the first place. Pellegrini's knowledge of the space around him helped him to pick out the gap in the target for his first goal in the Rome Derby, a special moment for a Roma fan. Goal two: Ciro Immobile (1-1) Lazio got back on level terms midway through the second half through Italy striker Immobile, after a mistake by Federico Fazio. Lazio passed the ball down the middle of the pitch, with little intensity in the press from Roma. However, a Lazio midfielder misplaced his pass, with the ball falling to Fazio. The defender wasn't on his toes, and the ball bounced off him and into Aleksandar Kolarov's feet. Kolarov played the ball awkwardly back to Fazio, and the Argentinian got in a tangle, losing possession with his back to goal. For someone as slow as Fazio, that's never an ideal situation. Immobile managed to dispossess him, leaving him with space to move into. After controlling the ball, Immobile shot across goal, with the ball going under Robin Olsen's body and into the far corner of the net. This goal was problematic for four reasons: the ease with which Lazio played out from the back and bypassed Roma's midfield; Fazio's failure to anticipate the play; Kolarov's decision to play it back to Fazio rather than clearing it, and Olsen's inability to stop the shot. Immobile is a clever finisher but this goal was preventable. Goal three: Aleksandar Kolarov (2-1) Just four minutes later though, and Roma were back in front. Previously, only Arne Selmosson had scored in a Rome Derby for either side, but Kolarov wrote his name in the history books by scoring against his former club to restore the advantage. The left-back stepped up to take a free kick from the edge of the box in a fairly central position. His curled effort moved swiftly as it went past the wall and beyond the reach of Strakosha, nestling in the bottom corner. Strakosha's positioning will be questioned, but Kolarov did what he had to do by placing the ball as far away from the keeper's grasp as possible. And yes, of course he celebrated. Goal four: Federico Fazio (3-1) Fazio made amends for his mistake in Immobile's goal by extending Roma's lead late in the game. Pellegrini stood over a free kick on the right and whipped it in with the perfect height and power. As it was an outswinger, it was easier for the attackers to place the ball where they wanted it to go, and it was Fazio who reaped the rewards of such a good delivery as he towered above his opponents and guided it into the net with a powerful header. Fazio's effort powered into the top corner thanks to his neck motion and the timing of his run, putting the icing on the cake for an impressive Derby win. Highlights from 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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