Dybala signs new Roma deal and hails 'honour' to continue with the club

Pierluigi Gollini delivered a composed first response to Mile Svilar's month-long absence at Como, removing much of the initial anxiety that gripped Roma when their first-choice goalkeeper suffered injury on the eve of a demanding fixture run. After Donyell Malen's red card complicated the match, Gollini proved the quality of his understudy role through work outside the box—four interventions rooted in tactical positioning and timing, hallmarks of Svilar's own play. He did not need to be Svilar; he needed to ensure Roma did not feel his absence too acutely. He achieved that. Gollini arrives at the hardest test without having erased Svilar from memory but having quietened the doubts that surfaced when the injury news broke and observers began scanning the calendar. He spent the summer months waiting, training, and preparing for moments exactly like Como. "The years pass and with strong goalkeepers it happens that you stay on the bench," he said. The match itself proved instructive: "During the game I felt good, I managed to enter an optimal state and felt fairly fluid. Of course, mental state makes the difference." His readiness now carries weight beyond a single fixture. Wednesday brings the definitive examination: Real Madrid visit the Olimpico. Gollini takes that platform having done what was required—held the line while Svilar recovers, and reminded Roma that some contingencies are well in place.

Donyell Malen's straight red card in the 53rd minute at Como will force Roma to reshape their attack for the next fixture. Malen was sent off by referee Michael Fabbri after a sliding challenge on Kaiki; the Dutch forward touched the ball but the high foot and the dangerous nature of the tackle prompted the immediate dismissal. The VAR did not intervene. Under FIGC regulations, a direct red does not automatically mean two matches out. The sporting code establishes a minimum one-match ban, unless the Judge escalates the sanction based on the incident's nature and the referee's written report. In Malen's case, the most likely outcome is a one-match suspension. The challenge has been classified as a serious foul play within a contest for the ball, a crucial distinction from violent conduct, which would carry a minimum three-match ban. Serious unsporting behaviour carries a two-match minimum, but the circumstances at Como and subsequent analysis do not currently point in that direction. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini defended Malen in his post-match comments, emphasising the absence of intent and stressing that Malen was challenging for the ball. Gasperini criticised an evaluation based excessively on individual stills. The Sports Judge will issue the final ruling in an official statement. Barring surprises in Fabbri's report, Malen should receive only a one-match suspension, which would keep him out of Roma–Genoa on Saturday 17 October and free him for the subsequent away league fixture against Napoli. Losing one of the team's most important forwards at this stage of the season is a heavy blow for Gasperini, but the prospect of a longer ban appears reduced based on the incident's dynamics and the regulations.

Roma faced Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the Serie A sixth round. Paulo Dybala was central to the match, hitting a straightforward chance that went straight to goalkeeper Butez. After Donyell Malen's red card, Dybala took control of Roma's attack and earned Gasperini's confidence, though the coach later revealed he had nearly substituted the Argentine for Santiago Castro before changing his mind. Gasperini had already called Castro to warm up and remove his bib ahead of Malen's dismissal. Once Malen was sent off, the coach reconsidered and kept Dybala on the pitch. Speaking after the match, Gasperini explained: "I believe Dybala was extraordinary once we were down to ten in the second half, clearing difficult situations. He convinced me as we went along: he began to pull in several balls, giving us breathing room and chances to break out. He was the one most penalised because he had to operate between Como's two centre-backs, but he did it with great intelligence and quality as a true footballer." Dybala was substituted in the 88th minute, replaced by Emanuele Lulli to add greater compactness to the side in the closing stages.

Roma drew 0–0 at Como in a match defined by defensive solidity and late controversy. The result left Gasperini visibly satisfied, celebrating what he saw as exemplary rearguard work in a tense final phase at the Sinigaglia. The fixture marked Roma's first outing without Svilar; Gollini stepped in to keep a clean sheet. Dybala operated as both ball-carrier and offensive organiser, helping Roma nullify Como's threat. The match turned when Donyell Malen was sent off after being pulled back by Como's Ramon; that dismissal fundamentally reshaped the contest. Referee Fabbri was forced off injured at the 80th minute and replaced by Sozza, with ten minutes plus seven minutes of added time remaining. Roma's capacity to grind out a result away from home reflects progress under Gasperini's charge. The squad showed it could suffer and settle for a draw when circumstances demanded it. Exiting Sinigaglia unscathed holds weight in the current campaign. In the standings, Roma remain in contention but have ceded top place to Inter, who are attempting to pull clear; Lazio continue to surprise and stay within reach. Aleksandro Angeloni, writing in Il Messaggero, noted that Roma became monolithic in the final twenty minutes, with Como offering their most threatening play only during that same spell. The opening forty minutes proved less eventful. Gasperini displayed what was described as a spontaneous and almost cathartic display of joy at the final whistle. Wesley's red card in the previous season—also under referee Fabbri—had similarly influenced match dynamics. The parallel underscored how refereeing decisions and personnel shape outcomes when margins are narrow.

Roma drew 0–0 at Como on 12 October 2026 in a match that saw Donyell Malen sent off after only nine minutes of the second half for a hard challenge on Kaiki. The dismissal shaped the entire contest, forcing Roma into a defensive second half as Como pressed under Cesc Fabregas's increasingly aggressive setup. Pierluigi Gollini made the decisive saves to earn the point. The result was unexpected—La Gazzetta dello Sport noted that two attacking-minded coaches, Fabregas and Gasperini, produced the championship's first goalless draw of the season. Gasperini raised his fists at the final whistle, treating the away point like a victory on a ground that had cost Roma three consecutive defeats in recent league visits. The draw leaves Roma without a first-place finish, with SS Lazio now two positions ahead at the top. Roma's squad absorbed difficult news before the match: Mile Svilar's injury meant Gollini stepped in as the primary keeper, with the backup now ready for the Real Madrid fixture. Gasperini also recalled captain Lorenzo Pellegrini from injury—he marked his 350th appearance with a shot that hit the post. Marten de Roon, given up for lost elsewhere, covered the most ground in the side, running 11.6 km in place of the injured Bryan Cristante. Paulo Dybala played the entire match, performing with both technical grace and defensive work rate. Malen's suspension will rule him out of the upcoming visit to Napoli, adding to Roma's challenge ahead.

Roma returned from Como without a win but with a draw that carried greater significance than the single point on the surface. The 0-0 at the Sinigaglia reflected a squad showing greater depth, maturity and resilience than it had displayed months earlier, particularly after playing nearly forty minutes with ten men. The first half saw both sides play at high tempo, with Roma creating the clearest chances. Paulo Dybala had the most obvious opening at the sixth minute, receiving the ball on his left inside the box, but his shot was weak and central, handed straight to the goalkeeper. Lorenzo Pellegrini struck the post shortly after, and Donyell Malen enjoyed another promising position following excellent control in depth. Roma had played an authoritative first half despite arriving without two key regulars, Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante. Their replacements proved decisive: Pierluigi Gollini, back as a Serie A starter after more than two years, showed security, personality and sharp reactions, particularly on an early save from Nico Paz. Marten de Roon, making his first start for Roma, delivered a performance of substance, attention and tactical intelligence, playing his own game rather than attempting to replicate Cristante's role. The display demonstrated that Roma was developing squad depth capable of absorbing significant absences without losing immediate structure and competitiveness. The match transformed completely at the fifty-third minute when Malen was sent off for his intervention on Kaiki, leaving Roma to defend in numerical inferiority for nearly forty minutes. The red card appeared harsh: Malen arrived uncontrolled and the contact was dangerous, but he also touched the ball with no apparent intent to strike the opponent, and the move began after a clash for which Roma had appealed for a foul not given by referee Michael Fabbri. With the game changed, Roma's objective shifted from victory to avoiding defeat. Como dominated possession and pressed constantly, yet rarely converted control into clean chances. Roma dropped its defensive line, closed gaps, defended the area and accepted the burden of suffering. The contrast with the previous season stood out starkly: at this same venue in March, Roma had lost 2-1 in a comeback after Wesley's red card at the sixty-fourth minute. This time, facing identical adversity, the squad reacted entirely differently—maintaining cohesion, preserving distances and denying Como the emotional momentum to overwhelm them. Gollini and a focused defensive line completed the work. Como attacked at length but repeatedly struck a wall. Fabbri was forced to leave the field around the sixty-seventh minute through injury and was replaced by fourth official Simone Sozza. At the final whistle, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini celebrated on the bench—not the exultation of acceptance but the recognition of difficulty in extracting a point away from home while playing against one of the league's most organized teams in such circumstances. Roma had regrets: the chance to play the full match at equal strength, Dybala's opening opportunity after six minutes, Pellegrini's strike against the post. Yet the balance remained positive. After three weeks without league football and on the eve of a fixture run that could define the season, Roma showed character, depth and identity.