Roma 1 Bologna 0
Roma collected only their second home win since the beginning of September in Serie A, as they defeated an in-form Bologna side 1-0 thanks to Lorenzo Pellegrini’s first-half penalty. It was only the visitors second loss in their last seven games.
On a day when the Stadio Olimpico chose to remember former Bologna manager and Roma player Sinisa Mihajlovic who passed away recently, the game got off to an explosive start.
Within the first five minutes of the game, Roma’s FIFA World Cup winning Argentine Paulo Dybala was tripped inside the penalty box, allowing Giallorossi captain Pellegrini to coolly slot the penalty away for his fifth goal of the season in all competitions, four of which have come from the spot.
Long-range efforts from Gianluca Mancini and Nicolo Zaniolo tested Bologna’s defence, however neither could hit the target as the home side stamped their authority on the occasion.
The visitors had scored in eight consecutive games in all competitions, but were barely a threat in the first half, with Ricardo Orsolini missing the target after the half-hour mark despite being well-placed to level matters.
Lukasz Skorupski was called into immediate action after a mistake from defender Adama Soumaoro, but the Polish stopper managed to block Zaniolo’s flick as Roma looked to increase their lead at the start of the second half.
Against the run of play, the visitors then looked to equalise when Orsolini’s shot was saved by Rui Patricio. With Roma looking for only their fourth home league win this season, on occasions their defence seemed nervous as Bologna attacked more in the second period.
Frustration was at its maximum for Rossoblu coach Thiago Motta as he was shown a yellow card for his unsuccessful penalty appeals.
Bologna had barely threatened until stoppage time and in the end Roma’s resilience saw all three points go the way of Jose Mourinho’s men. Defeat marked the Rossoblu’s sixth away loss against sides in Serie A’s top eight. As for the Giallorossi, they registered their first clean sheet at home since August 30th.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Chris Smalling (Roma)
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Lecce 2 Lazio 1
Lecce stunned Lazio with a second half turnaround to win 2-1, extending their unbeaten run in Serie A to four matches. The win was just their second at home this season, putting them nine points clear of the drop zone.
Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio side were hoping to get their 2023 off to a flying start, and having talisman Ciro Immobile back to full fitness was only going to help in achieving that.
The visitors almost took the lead in the opening minutes, when Nicolo Casale found himself unmarked in the box, but he could only steer his header straight at Wladimiro Falcone.
But Casale redeemed himself just over 10 minutes later, when he split the Lecce defence with a through ball, sending Immobile through on goal.
Clearly showing no ill effects from his recent lack of Serie A action, the striker made no mistake clinically finishing from a tight angle.
The goal made Immobile the outright ninth-highest scorer in Serie A history, and he almost doubled his tally on the day moments later, but his volley flashed over the bar.
The home side struggled to contain Lazio, and would have been relieved to have gone into the break just one goal down after being completely dominated in the opening 45 minutes.
In complete contrast to their first half performance, Lecce came flying out for the second period, putting the Lazio backline under relentless pressure.
And it paid dividends in the 57th minute, as Ivan Provedel could only parry Federico Di Francesco’s shot into the path of Gabriel Strefezza to volley in.
Sensing blood, the home side did not stop there, and they took the lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Di Francesco was once again involved, as he volleyed a sublime ball across the face of goal for Colombo to tap in and seal the points.
Sarri’s side looked shocked, as no one saw a Lecce comeback coming based on their first-half performance.
On this evidence, a combination of post-break rustiness and complacency resulted in the Biancocelesti throwing away all three points, as they fell out of the top-four on goal difference with the now-fourth placed Inter hosting Napoli later tonight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Federico Di Francesco (Lecce)
