Cardiff accord Roma grand-occasion welcome with 10,000 fans and Totti tribute

Italian television personality Piero Chiambretti has criticised Torino goalkeeper Lucas Perri following the club's defeat to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Perri, a Brazilian goalkeeper who arrived during the summer transfer window, was at fault for decisive moments in the match against Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Chiambretti's post on Instagram reflected the frustration in the Turin camp over Perri's errors, which proved costly in Roma's victory. The goalkeeper's performance has become the focus of debate surrounding Torino's loss, with his mistakes deemed pivotal to the outcome. Chiambretti posted: "Torino pride: Roma's best player, our goalkeeper Perri." The remark underscored the displeasure among Torino supporters over the goalkeeper's contribution to the defeat.

Roma produced a commanding tactical display to defeat Torino, with Leonardo Balerdi marshalling the defence throughout a performance that saw Gasperini's side control proceedings from the opening exchanges. Four changes from Roma's midweek Champions League fixture—Balerdi, Pisilli, Lulli and Molina—maintained the team's standard, with Pisilli closing out the match in a critical moment despite one of his less polished displays, while Lulli and Molina remained creative and showed clear room for improvement. The victory came as Roma prepare for their next major test against the Serie A champions in the coming days. Roma's suffocating press set the tone immediately. Gasperini's team opened with an aggressive 3-4-2-1 that targeted Torino's attempts at possession-based build-up, with Cristante pressing Mandragora, Pisilli tracking Fitz-Jim, and the three centre-backs—Balerdi on Simeone, Mancini on Vlašić, and Hermoso dealing with Gineitis—marking tightly in advanced positions. The giallorossi dominated territory and possession early, disrupting Torino's passing rhythm through relentless pressure and recovering the ball high upfield for dangerous breaks. Although Roma failed to convert their early superiority into goals, a key moment came at the thirty-minute mark when Soulé and Dybala swapped positions; the fluency of Roma's football through the middle improved when these adjustments allowed Dybala to move closer to support Malen. The breakthrough arrived late in the first half when Mancini's recovery from Torino's loose build-up released Dybala, whose through-ball found Malen. The Dutch forward's lethal instinct from a low position gave Roma the lead. Torino emerged from half-time with tactical adjustments—Abate raised Mandragora and Vlašić wider alongside Simeone, introduced the excellent Bragança to midfield control in place of Gineitis, and switched Cacciamani for Belghali—but around the hour mark, Bragança began threading meaningful patterns that loosened Roma's pressing intensity. Gasperini countered by withdrawing Soulé and Malen for Mora and Castro, shifting Roma to a 5-3-2 shape with Koné and De Roon replacing Cristante and Dybala in a conservative but decisive adjustment. Torino's momentum faded as Balerdi, alongside De Roon—who dominated through recoveries, interceptions, dangerous passing line disruptions, and decisive individual pressure—ensured Roma's back line remained unbreakable. The match closed with Mancini orchestrating the final attacking phase, his calmness in possession setting up Pisilli's finishing touch. Gasperini later described the imminent big fixture against the defending champions as merely "an opportunity to measure ourselves," words the coach framed as releasing unnecessary tension and a reminder that a match played at the end of September cannot carry ultimate significance.

Roma have shown in their opening matches that they can succeed through multiple routes, not just dominant football, a development that signals genuine progress under Gasperini. The first fixtures against Fiorentina and Lecce showcased the coach's blueprint at its clearest: high pressure, aggressive recovery, swift combinations and visible superiority through possession. But subsequent challenges have revealed deeper qualities. Against Atalanta, Roma had to sustain belief when a draw seemed inevitable, winning in the final moments with lucidity intact. The trip to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce in the Champions League added another test: no dominance, a disrupted setup with Koné injured and Dybala cramping, yet the side maintained balance and found a point that could prove valuable in the European campaign. Torino then presented the least spectacular challenge—a messy affair played without the usual intensity after the Turkish journey—and Roma won that too. The consistent theme is adaptation without loss of identity. Roma have shown they can dominate through football but do not depend exclusively on it. They have won by controlling matches, by striking late, by enduring a difficult European night, and by grinding out results when energy and automatism were depleted. Each fixture posed a different problem; each time the squad found an answer. Gasperini appears to have added swiftly to his footballing philosophy something that belongs to mature teams: the capacity to read what a match demands and adjust without abandoning core principles. Character, stubbornness, experience and management can carry a side through nights when football alone falls short. That capacity, the article suggests, is often where good squads begin to become something greater.