AS Roma maintained their excellent start to the Serie A season with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, which saw the Giallorossi move to the top of the table.
After a cagey opening, the match suddenly kicked into life in spectacular fashion when Moise Kean gave the hosts the lead in the 14th minute with a stunning finish from over 20 yards out, marking his 20th Serie A goal for La Viola since joining in the summer of 2024.
The visitors responded well after conceding only their second league goal of the campaign, equalising at the midway stage of the first half thanks to a wonderful strike from Matias Soule from just outside the penalty area, securing the Argentinian’s third Serie A goal of the season.
Armed with the momentum, Roma took the lead for the first time in the game on the half-hour mark when Bryan Cristante’s excellent near-post header found the back of the net following a corner from Soule.
An entertaining first half almost took another twist when Kean’s outstanding 18-yard effort came desperately close to levelling the match for Fiorentina, but his shot smacked off the post to his disbelief. Despite the hosts’ resurgence, Roma held on to their one-goal lead at the interval.
The opening stages of the second half were in sharp contrast to the events of the first, with an overall xG of only 0.24 produced in the first 20 minutes after the interval.
With the game in danger of petering out completely for Stefano Pioli’s side, the hosts came within a whisker of a sensational equaliser from out of nowhere, when Roberto Piccoli’s rapid long-range effort rattled off the bar in the 74th minute.
Running out of time, Fiorentina failed to capitalise on a glorious opportunity when Robin Gosens somehow missed the target altogether from six yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Despite a patchy performance in the second half, which saw the visitors ride their luck, Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini can certainly be satisfied with five victories from their opening six Serie A games of the season.
However, Fiorentina’s struggles continue in what’s been a poor start to their campaign, with La Viola sitting just above the relegation zone and still searching for their first league win.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matias Soule (AS Roma)
