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Cardiff City 1–0 Roma: Castro makes first appearance in pre-season friendly
·1 August 2026·90d ago

Cardiff City 1–0 Roma: Castro makes first appearance in pre-season friendly

Source: Il Romanista

Roma faced Cardiff City in their opening pre-season friendly of the summer, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side testing themselves further after earlier sessions at Trigoria and against Cannes. The match took place at Cardiff City Stadium as part of the club's Welsh training camp.

The Giallorossi lined up in a 3–4–2–1 formation with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and Wesley and Devyne Rensch operating as full-backs. Bryan Cristante anchored midfield alongside Wesley, with Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala deployed in attacking support of the centre-forward.

The standout feature of Roma's team sheet was the first appearance of Castro, who took the centre-forward berth in the starting XI. Gasperini continues to build match fitness across the squad ahead of the 2026–27 season.

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Story Coverage10 sources on this story

Roma began their pre-season campaign in Wales on August 1st with a friendly against Cardiff City, suffering a heavy 4–1 defeat at Cardiff City Stadium. The Giallorossi conceded three goals in a chaotic first half, with defensive errors from established players including Svilar, N'Dicka, Hermoso, Wesley, and Cristante contributing to the collapse. Paulo Dybala missed a penalty before atoning in the second half with a goal assisted by Matías Soulé, though Cardiff added a fourth goal. Il Romanista reports the match served as the competitive debut for Santiago Castro, operating as striker in an all-Argentine attacking triad under Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical system. Multiple outlets note that Wesley and Rensch appeared vulnerable defensively, while the centre-backs and midfield operated out of sync. Forza Roma reports tensions flaring late in the match when Castro was fouled without a whistle, leading to heated words and a physical exchange between Dybala and Cristante. The squad suffered a setback when Bah sustained a right-knee distortion and required stretcher assistance. Gasperini remained pragmatic, acknowledging the team's rustiness while noting the requirement for depth across all positions. Roma News reports that newly announced CEO John Galantic attended the fixture and will remain throughout the Welsh training camp.

AI synthesis of all sources below — always check the originals.

Testo Originale / Source Text

“La Roma torna in campo e lo fa nella prima amichevole del ritiro in Galles, quella contro il Cardiff City. I giallorossi di Gasperini scendono in campo al Cardiff City Stadium per mettersi ulteriormente alla prova dopo le prime uscite tra Trigoria e Cannes. Di seguito, le formazioni ufficiali e il…”

Read the full article in Italian at Il Romanista.

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