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Cristante ruled out of Italy duty with back injury after Roma-Inter clash
·20 September 2026·45d ago

Cristante ruled out of Italy duty with back injury after Roma-Inter clash

Source: GialloRossi.net

Bryan Cristante will not join Italy's national team camp after sustaining a lower back problem in Roma's Serie A match against Inter. The Italian Football Federation confirmed his withdrawal and called up Samuele Ricci of Como as his replacement. Roma identified the issue as lumbalgia, keeping the midfielder sidelined from international duty.

Cristante's absence leaves two Roma players in the squad: Gianluca Mancini and Daniele Ghilardi, both of whom remain available for selection. The Italian national team will gather this evening at the Coverciano Technical Centre to begin preparations for the opening four matches of the UEFA Nations League group phase, with the first training session scheduled for tomorrow.

The full Italia squad sees goalkeepers Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Massimo Pessina (Bologna) and Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus); a 11-player defence line including the two Roma representatives; midfielders Nicolò Barella (Inter), Issa Doumbia (Sporting CP), Nicolò Fagioli (Fiorentina), Davide Frattesi (Lazio), Rolando Mandragora (Torino), Ricci, Alessandro Romano (Cagliari) and Sandro Tonali (Tottenham); and ten forwards led by Nicolò Zaniolo (Udinese), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta) and Moise Kean (Como).

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Story Coverage3 sources on this story

AS Roma will be without two key players during the international break after both Bryan Cristante and Wesley were ruled out of national team duty through injury. Cristante, the club's midfielder, sustained lower back pain—identified as lumbalgia by Roma—during the recent Serie A match against Inter. The Italian Football Federation confirmed his withdrawal from Roberto Mancini's squad, with Como's Samuele Ricci called up as his replacement. Cristante will remain available to Roma during the break, though the club's medical staff must assess his condition closely.

Brazilian defender Wesley has also been sidelined, having suffered a right thigh muscle strain. The Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed his exclusion from Carlo Ancelotti's squad ahead of three friendly fixtures against Australia (twice) and India, with Monaco's Vanderson called up in his place. Wesley played the full 90 minutes against Inter without apparent concern, but the injury emerged in the days following the match. The setback marks his second muscle injury affecting Brazil in recent months, following a left thigh strain last June that forced him to leave the squad during the World Cup.

Roma will retain two players in international camps: defenders Gianluca Mancini and Daniele Ghilardi remain available for Italy's UEFA Nations League group phase preparations, which begin this evening at Coverciano.

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

Testo Originale / Source Text

“Bryan Cristante non raggiungerà il ritiro della Nazionale italiana. Il centrocampista della Roma, reduce dalla sfida di campionato contro l’Inter, è infatti risultato indisponibile a causa di un problema fisico e non potrà rispondere alla convocazione del ct Roberto Mancini. Ad annunciarlo…”

Read the full article in Italian at GialloRossi.net.

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Roma's comeback defeat at Manchester United has revived a pattern that has followed the club for several weeks: a side often bright in the first half but far more vulnerable after the interval. The numbers confirm the phenomenon, though with an important qualification. The problem lies less in attacking output than in the ability to defend, control and manage games in the second half. In Serie A, after ten matchdays Roma have scored 13 goals in the first halves and 15 in the second, so there is no scoring collapse; they actually score slightly more after the break. The picture changes completely at the other end. Roma have conceded just 2 goals in the first 45 minutes and 8 after the interval, four times as many. While across the league about 55% of goals are scored in the second half, in Roma's case 80% of the goals conceded arrive after the break. Broadening the analysis to the four Champions League matches played so far, the gap becomes even clearer. In their 14 official matches across league and cup, Roma have scored exactly the same number of goals in each half: 19 in the first and 19 in the second. But they have conceded only 3 before the interval and as many as 15 after it. That means 83% of the goals conceded this season have come in the second half. Their goal difference moves from an impressive +16 in first halves to just +4 in second halves. Treating each half as a small match of its own, Roma's first halves show 9 wins, 4 draws and one defeat. Their second halves produce 8 wins, one draw and 5 defeats. This does not mean Roma play badly in every second half: in Serie A they are third in the table built solely on second-half results. It does mean that Gasperini's side becomes much less stable after the 45th minute, especially when the game shifts momentum. The examples are mounting. Against Inter, Roma led 2-0 at half-time and lost the second half 0-2. In Istanbul against Fenerbahçe they led 1-0 and finished 1-1, suffering badly after the equaliser. Against Real Madrid the problem came even later: Roma led 3-1 in the 57th minute, then conceded three goals between the 83rd and 90th minutes and lost 4-3. In Udine, after a practically perfect first half that ended 4-0, the second half finished 2-1 to the hosts before Ghilardi's goal in stoppage time. The most dramatic case remains Old Trafford. Roma went into the break against Manchester United leading 2-0, after a first half of the highest level. In the second half they practically disappeared: zero shots for Roma, 10 for United, five of them on target, and 2.48 expected goals produced by the English side. The second-half result of 3-0 turned a possible shock into one of the most painful defeats of the season. Still, it would be wrong to turn the trend into an absolute rule. Against Genoa, Roma were goalless at half-time and won the second half 2-0; against Slovan Bratislava they scored two goals in each half; in Naples, after trailing 1-0 at the break, they won the second half 3-2 to snatch a 3-3 draw. There is therefore no systematic collapse in attack or in physical condition. There is, however, a figure that is hard to ignore: before the interval Roma concede very little, after it they become five times more vulnerable. That, more than the goals scored, is probably where Roma's real second-half problem lies.

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7h ago

Roma dominate first half at Manchester United but collapse after the break, losing to a controversial penalty and Cunha's winner

Roma were beaten 3-2 at Old Trafford after dominating the first half, with Manchester United winning the game after a controversial refereeing decision and a defensive error by Reportedly Balerdi. Roma's first-half display was built on an aggressive 3-4-2-1 press that left United's 4-2-3-1 struggling to cope. The visitors took control with a Soulé goal, assisted by a delicious pass from Mora, and then a penalty converted by Malen after Soulé was fouled. Roma came close to extending their lead in the first half: Soulé came close to scoring, and Malen wasted several chances through poor first touches, while Roma's pressing forced repeated turnovers. Rensch went off injured in the first half and was replaced by Lulli, a role unusual for him. Gasperini made changes at the break, bringing on Pisilli for Mora to seek more balance, and Tielemans replaced Baleba. Roma's control faded late in the match. Several loose passes and too many backpasses from Roma gave United a foothold, and Maguire and De Roon created the danger from corners. Referee Gil Manzano judged a foul by Cunha in the area, awarded a penalty and ordered it retaken, which changed the game. Roma's keeper Vásquez was denied the chance to be the hero, as the penalty was retaken and Vásquez was unable to stop it. Rensch's withdrawal and the switch to a back three of Ghilardi, N'Dicka and Castro for Hermoso, Mancini and Malen came after Roma's defeat to Napoli, Gasperini's team had already faced Real Madrid in a heavy defeat, and the match was another negative result for the club in a big game against a top-level opponent. The article notes that Gasperini remained calm after the match, saying he was learning from the errors without making a drama of it. Roma must now avoid any hangover in Serie A, where the club's ambitions appear more justified.

Roma flash round-up: Mora praises Wesley, Manchester United mock Roma, Rensch faces fitness test
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11h ago

Roma flash round-up: Mora praises Wesley, Manchester United mock Roma, Rensch faces fitness test

Rodrigo Mora has spoken warmly about team-mate Wesley after Roma's defeat at Manchester United, where Mora was among the Giallorossi's best players in the first half. Mora said: "Today he played another great match. He is a great player and he will reach the highest levels of football." The Portuguese midfielder also described their relationship: "We talk mostly about Brazil and Brazilian football. The language helps us a lot. He gave me a big hand when I joined Roma and I am really grateful to him." Mora's comments were reported by TNT Sports. Manchester United celebrated the win on social media with a post recalling their previous meetings with Roma, from a 7-1 result through to the comeback of last night. The caption, "Absolute cinema", referred to a contest in which Roma, under Gasperini, had dominated the first half and gone two goals ahead before the Red Devils turned the game around. Newspaper ratings favoured Soulé, who earned a 7.00 as Roma's best player thanks to a very strong first half that included a goal and a penalty won. Mora followed on 6.75, while Cristante and Wesley received generally positive marks of 6.25. At the bottom of the ratings, Balerdi scored 4.42, penalised for the error that started United's comeback. Pisilli (4.83) and Lulli (5.08) also struggled, while Vasquez and Ghilardi, both on 5.50, remained below the pass mark. Rensch left the Manchester United match early with a muscle problem in his right adductor and was replaced by Lulli. The Dutchman will undergo further assessments in the coming hours by the Roma medical staff to establish the extent of the problem. Rensch is a serious doubt for the Saturday fixture against Sassuolo.

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