ROMA VICTORIOUS IN FEISTY DERBY DELLA CAPITALE THANKS TO LORENZO PELLEGRINI GOAL
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side beat Lazio 1-0 in a hotly contested Derby della Capitale that saw two red cards brandished.
Lazio started the match well, looking to get forward and attack quickly, but the match struggled as a whole to get going due to a succession of fouls and stoppages.
Mattia Zaccagni had the first real chance in the derby, when he shifted the ball onto his right foot from just inside the 18-yard box before curling an effort looking for the top corner but Roma keeper Mile Svilar dived across to make the save.
For all the Lazio pressure, it was Roma who struck first at the Olimpico. Nuno Tavares lost the ball on the edge of his own box, Matias Soule was then able to lay it off to Pellegrini, who struck a smart effort past Ivan Provedel and into the back of the net.
Lazio had a golden opportunity to level the game up 10 minutes into the second half when Danilo Cataldi threaded a superb through ball through the middle of the pitch into the path of Boulaye Dia. Dia was able to race away from two Roma defenders to go one-v-one with Svilar but lost all composure at the crucial moment, blasting his effort high over the crossbar.
Maurizio Sarri’s side continued to push forward, with Valentin Castellanos also seeing a chance go narrowly wide, but their task got even harder when they were reduced to 10 men, with Reda Belahyane shown a straight red card for a disgraceful stamp on Manu Kone’s calf.
Sarri’s side did, however, have time for one more chance, and it was their best of the match, with Cataldi striking the woodwork from distance in stoppage time.
Lazio received a second red card, with this one going to Matteo Guendouzi after the final whistle. The former Arsenal man marched straight over to the official and presumably gave him an earful, with the referee brandishing a red card just seconds later.
That’s now three wins from four in Serie A for Roma, who sit just one point behind league leaders Juventus. For Lazio, their poor start continues with just one win and three points from their four league matches this term.
