Lecce vs Roma: Serie A clash at Via del Mare

Roma defeated Lecce 4-0 in Serie A's second matchday, extending their perfect start to the season with a dominant display. Donyell Malen scored twice in the opening 23 minutes, capitalising on defensive lapses from the hosts to put the contest beyond doubt early on. Matías Soulé added a third before half-time, while Rodrigo Mora completed the rout in the second half with his first Serie A goal. The victory follows Roma's 4-0 win over Fiorentina in their opening fixture. Gasperini's side now sit level on points with Inter, Juventus, Milan and Lazio at the top of the table with perfect records, but lead the standings on goal difference with 8 goals scored and none conceded. Malen has now signed five goals across the opening two league matches. The midfielder's contribution has been central to Roma's attacking prowess in these opening fixtures, with the attacking unit functioning at a high level across both matches.

Eusebio Di Francesco, Lecce's manager, acknowledged his side's poor performance in their 2–0 defeat to Roma at the Via del Mare in the second round of Serie A on 31 August. Donyell Malen opened the scoring, and Lecce offered little resistance. Di Francesco said: "We didn't even get into the match, we fell short in every aspect, especially mentality. Today we gave the impression of an empty squad with no desire to react. I take responsibility for this poor first half. Beyond the choices I made, it's the players who need to show the ability to win duels and suffer. I didn't see the aggression of a team fighting for survival. We conceded too much — Roma could have done even more damage in the first half. The squad wasn't mentally in the match." Roma's attacking prowess exposed Lecce's defensive frailty throughout. Di Francesco had prepared his team in a 5–3–2 formation from the start of the week to arrive faster on Roma's attacking midfielders, but the system backfired. He explained: "We stayed too deep with a line of five. We should have pressed harder on Dybala and Soulé. This game plan didn't work, but the responsibility is the manager's. I didn't want to give them space, but the idea didn't bear fruit." The Lecce boss added: "Consider the quality of the opponent, but I didn't expect this performance. We could have gone down to Roma, but we were passive. I work intensely on this. Defensively, they attacked spaces we knew about well, but we always arrived late. This lack of unity bothered me."

Midfielder Rodrigo Mora spoke ahead of Roma's Serie A match against Lecce on matchday two, reflecting on his early adaptation to the club and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical instructions. Mora said the training sessions were demanding at first but that results are already showing. When asked what Gasperini has emphasized in recent weeks, Mora explained: "He asks me to open up, to play vertically, to play frontally and vertically as a first option." Mora acknowledged he has not yet had time to explore Rome properly, saying he is still completing his move. He expressed hope to meet Francesco Totti soon, noting that the club legend "was an idol for an entire generation." On his own performances, Mora said he was very pleased with both matches, describing the midfield position as one in which he finds himself "perfectly comfortable and settling in well." He added that his second appearance saw him play only the second half, following an impressive debut a week earlier.