AS Roma on Sunday triumphed 2-0 against local rivals SS Lazio to give Claudio Ranieri his biggest win since the veteran coach took charge of his boyhood club for the third time.
Lorenzo Pellegrini and Alexis Saelemaekers netted in eight first-half minutes to give Roma the points in a fraught atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Ranieri’s team are up to 10th on 23 points, still 12 points behind Lazio, who sit in the final UEFA Champions League spot, but now have some breathing space between them and the relegation zone.
Photo: Reuters
Six points separate Roma from US Lecce, who sit just inside the bottom three and drew 0-0 with Genoa earlier on Sunday, as Ranieri slowly gets the capital club going back in the right direction.
“It’s so great to be able to make these fans happy,” said AS Roma defender Gianluca Mancini, who did his post-match interview in a long coat after giving his shorts and shirt to jubilant supporters. “Derbies are always a match apart, but we’re still only talking about three points, it’s not like we’ve won the league or anything.”
Roma were in such disarray when Ranieri became their third coach of the season in November last year that relegation was not beyond the realms of possibility, but after an encouraging draw at AC Milan the previous weekend, Sunday’s display was another sign that a talented squad is starting to express itself, as well as being the 73-year-old’s fifth win against Lazio in as many matches.
Roma did not have it all their own way, though, and were camped in their own half after halftime as Lazio pushed hard to get back into the match.
Valentin Castellanos and the impressive Nuno Tavares both went close to pulling a goal back, while Loum Tchaouna’s scuffed finish looped onto the crossbar just before the hour mark.
Castellanos was then sent off deep in stoppage-time as Lazio ended a painful defeat with a scuffle instigated by Roma defender Mats Hummels exaggerating contact with the Argentine striker.
Pellegrini’s opener came nine minutes into his surprise start in Roma’s attack alongside Paulo Dybala and Artem Dovbyk as the 28-year-old had been out of favor and often booed by fans despite being a local boy and club captain.
Roma fan Pellegrini had been accused by angry supporters of being among a clutch of players who pushed for Daniele de Rossi to be sacked in September last year, but he kissed the badge of his boyhood club after brilliantly whipping home his first league goal of the season following a lightning breakaway.
“On the bus to the ground he said he would score and he did. I’m really happy for him because he’s had a tough time, but he’s a big player for this team and we’re all behind him,” Saelemaekers said.
Eight minutes later Roma took a surprise early two-goal lead through Saelemaekers, who after being put through by Paulo Dybala forced a fine save from goalkeeper Ivan Provedel and then tapped home the rebound.
Pellegrini was given a standing ovation when he was replaced by Stephan El Shaarawy midway through the second half, a sign that he has won supporters back on side and that some normality is returning to Roma after largely awful opening half to the season.
Elsewhere, Cagliari won 2-1 at AC Monza, while Torino and Parma played out a 0-0 draw.
Additional reporting by staff writer
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
The Edmonton Oilers on Thursday defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 to book their place in the Stanley Cup Finals, setting up a repeat of last year’s NHL showpiece against reigning champions the Florida Panthers. The Oilers, bidding to become the first Canadian team to win the NHL’s championship series since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, head to Florida for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set for Wednesday. Florida, who are to play in the NHL showpiece for the third straight season, won last year’s title 4-3 to extend Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought. Connor McDavid led Edmonton back to the championship series on
RSS