Malen's red card at Como: what suspension is Roma facing?

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.

Real Madrid arrive at the Olimpico on Wednesday with José Mourinho in their ranks, setting up a heavyweight European fixture for Roma. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will resume training today with a full squad session, followed by a final workout tomorrow. Both Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante remain unavailable; Svilar will return after the international break, while Cristante is hopeful of facing Genoa on Saturday but recovery is uncertain. Gasperini will attempt to restore only Konstantinos Koulierakis to full fitness ahead of the Madrid match. In defence, Gianluca Mancini and Mario Hermoso are set, with a straight battle between Leonardo Balerdi and Evan N'Dicka for the centre. Donyell Malen will lead the attack alongside Paulo Dybala, though Malen is unavailable for Saturday's Genoa fixture through suspension. Matías Soulé, who played 45 minutes yesterday, is in line to return to the starting eleven in the attacking midfield role—an area that has remained unsettled. The midfield pairing will be Manu Koné and Marten de Roon. Wesley takes the left-back position, while Nahuel Molina and Emanuele Lulli will contest the right-back spot.

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.

Referee Michael Fabbri received a scathing assessment from major Italian newspapers following Como's 0–0 draw with Roma, with an average rating of just 4.5 across the publications reviewed. The focal point of criticism is Donyell Malen's straight red card in the second half for a challenge on Kaiki. While the sending-off itself is broadly deemed compatible with current directives on serious foul play, the consensus centres on what happened seconds before: Malen was repeatedly held by Ramon, and Fabbri allowed play to continue. After losing possession as a result, Malen's attempt to reclaim the ball prompted the intervention that cost him his place. Gazzetta dello Sport awarded Fabbri 5, judging the red card correct for the winger's dangerous tackle but emphasising the "clear tug on the Dutch player" by Ramon that should have been sanctioned and would have halted the sequence entirely. Corriere dello Sport was harsher, rating Fabbri 4, and stated: "If the referee had stopped play, none of the rest would have happened." Il Romanista graded him 4.5, describing Malen's challenge as "grey area"—forceful and unbalanced yet with contact on the ball and without a malicious entry—but again highlighting Ramon's prior hold as the source of the entire chain of events. A separate controversy emerged in first-half stoppage time when Diao broke toward goal and made contact with Wesley. Gazzetta and Corriere both flagged a missed whistle and absent yellow card for the Roma defender, though neither deemed it a red-card offence with N'Dicka positioned to intervene. Corriere noted the VAR could not have corrected it since only a caution would have applied. Il Romanista offered a different reading, suggesting Wesley attempted to avoid impact and the decision to let play continue was defensible under current refereeing standards. Overall, the newspapers' verdict is negative. Beyond the red card, the management of contact and incidents failed to convince, with the failure to whistle for the hold on Malen preceding his dismissal by seconds and heavily influencing the match outcome.

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.

Roma drew 0–0 with Como on a day overshadowed by injury to regular goalkeeper Svilar, forcing Pierluigi Gollini into an unexpectedly influential debut. The match turned decisively on a red card for Donyell Malen, which forced Roma to defend for 40 minutes with ten men. Gasperin's side held firm in the numerical disadvantage, and the defensive display drew widespread praise from Italian newspapers. Gollini was immediately thrust into the spotlight as an emergency replacement and delivered a commanding performance, while Evan N'Dicka proved imperious in his usual defensive role. Paulo Dybala squandered a straightforward chance that might have altered the outcome but compensated with tireless work off the ball and defensive support as Roma absorbed sustained pressure. Malen's dismissal came from a momentary lapse in judgment but drew criticism for its severity. Despite failing to score for the first time this season and securing only their first 0–0 draw of the campaign, Gasperini left satisfied with Roma's resilience under difficult circumstances. Across six leading Italian newspapers, Gollini earned ratings of 7 or 7.5, with La Gazzetta dello Sport awarding him 7.5 and Il Corriere della Sera both Gollini and Gasperini 7 each. N'Dicka received consistent marks of 6.5 to 7.5, Malen drew ratings between 4.5 and 5 for his overall display before dismissal, and Dybala scored between 6 and 7. Gasperini's management of the ten-man challenge earned him ratings between 6.5 and 7 from the publications, with La Gazzetta and Il Corriere della Sera both rating him at 7 and 6.5 respectively.