GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma ensured they headed into the international break on a high with an emphatic 4-1 win over Sampdoria.
The result meant Roma won at home in Serie A for the first time since September, and lifts the Giallorossi up to sixth place in the table. Stephan El Shaarawy scored a brace to extend his lead as Roma's top scorer in domestic action this season, increasing his tally to five goals - three more than any other player. Here's how all the goals went in. Goal one: Juan Jesus (1-0) Roma's opening goal came in the first half from an unlikely source in Juan Jesus, who showed some attacking intent in his serious effort to finish the move off. Roma won a corner on the right-hand side, which Lorenzo Pellegrini took. The Italian midfielder's delivery has really improved this season, with his newfound set piece ability meaning he has recorded five assists in all competitions - already the same amount as he did in the entirety of last season. It was Bryan Cristante who reacted most effectively to Pellegrini's cross, rising above the defenders and aiming his header towards the far post. As the ball sailed past on-loan Juventus goalkeeper Emil Audero, Jesus raced to the ball to snatch the goal for himself, tapping it in to become Roma's 13th different scorer this season. Goal two: Patrik Schick (2-0) It's been a difficult first year-and-a-bit in Rome for Patrik Schick, but the Czech forward relished his rare opportunity to start as a centre-forward, marking the occasion with a goal against his previous club in the second half. Roma worked the move down the left wing, with Steven Nzonzi feeding it to Pellegrini, who quickly turned the ball round the corner to El Shaarawy. The winger was direct in his approach and started to drift inside before showing great awareness to spot the overlap of Aleksandar Kolarov. The left-back played the ball across the face of goal with pace and Schick showed the desire to get there first, sidefooting it across Audero for 2-0. Like Jesus, it was Schick's first goal of the season, meaning 14 players have now found the back of the net for Roma this term. Goal three: Stephan El Shaarawy (3-0) Kolarov was a key part of the next goal too, picking up the ball just inside the Sampdoria half and beating three opponents with a pass through to El Shaarawy. The 26-year-old controlled it well with a positive first touch, before Audero did enough to put him off. However, as the ball drifted out to the left-hand side of the box, El Shaarawy regained possession, cutting back onto his stronger right foot and noticing Audero off his line. The winger pulled off an exquisite curled chip, with the ball sailing over Audero's fingertips and into the far corner of the goal. It was a great demonstration El Shaarawy's attacking intent and ability to achieve the spectacular. Goal four: Gregoire Defrel (3-1) With Schick scoring against his former employers for Roma, it seemed almost inevitable that ex-forward Gregoire Defrel would come back to haunt the Giallorossi. Fortunately for Roma, the in-form French striker's goal was a mere consolation, rather than a game-changer that would have been a bitter pill to swallow. Nonetheless, the ease with which he made a chance and scored will have brought some distress to Eusebio Di Francesco. As a cross came in from Jacopo Sala on the right wing, with no defender trying to block it, Kostas Manolas mistimed his attempt at heading the ball away. It dropped into Defrel, and the striker executed a clever one-touch turn to bypass Alessandro Florenzi and leave him with just Robin Olsen to beat. Defrel quickly pulled the trigger before Olsen could tighten the angle, ensuring he marked his return to the Olimpico with a goal. Goal four: Stephan El Shaarawy (4-1) Roma sealed the victory with another impressive goal that highlighted their ability to create chances from tight areas. Edin Dzeko headed on Florenzi's throw in, with Cengiz Under bringing it under control. With two bodies marking him, Under fantastically backheeled the ball back to Dzeko on his right shoulder, giving the striker space to run into. As he reached the edge of the penalty area, Dzeko weighted a through ball into the path of El Shaarawy. Despite Audero getting a fingertip to it, he couldn't intercept the pass, and El Shaarawy touched it inside to leave himself with an easy sidefoot finish. It rounded out a comprehensive win that sees Roma get back on track with their first league win in four games. They remain unbeaten from three matches in November.
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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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