Real Madrid's Konaté injury doubt for Roma clash on 14 October

Rodrigo Mora's time has arrived, with the Portuguese teenager scoring in a third consecutive Serie A match against Sassuolo, following earlier goals against Cagliari and Udinese. In the past few hours he has also earned his first call-up to the Portugal senior national team, in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era. The Corriere della Sera's Simone Valdarchi writes that there is no crown to inherit and no blasphemous comparison to make; this is simply the story of a teenager who has handled the normal difficulties of arriving in Italian football with brilliance, in an important city like Rome and in a season when Gasperini wants to aim for the top of the league. For weeks, things were not going so well for Mora, but he has kept working and waiting for his moment. In recent weeks, with Dybala out and set to return after the international break in Parma, Mora has found space in the trequartista role, adding flair to matches with his touches in the final 30 metres. Alongside his three consecutive Serie A goals, he produced the assist for Soulé's opening goal for Roma against Manchester United at Old Trafford last Tuesday. It was his second assist of the season, after the one against Real Madrid for Malen. Those were not ordinary fixtures. With the goal against Sassuolo, the Portuguese now has four goals, making him the club's second-highest scorer alongside Pisilli and Soulé, behind Malen, who is on 12. Valdarchi's point is that Mora is a teenager, born in 2007, who is adjusting to a new league and a demanding city. Mora's first senior call-up with Portugal marks a further step in a rapid rise, and the youngster now combines international recognition with a growing role in Gasperini's attacking options.

Roma have scored 31 goals in their first 11 matches of the season, a total that puts Gian Piero Gasperini's side among the most prolific attacks in the club's history and in recent Serie A decades. The tally was completed by a hat-trick in the win over Sassuolo, which took Roma past the 1928-29 season, the second-best scoring campaign in the club's history. Il Romanista describes the figure as a historic landmark. To find similar numbers, one has to go back to Luciano Spalletti's Roma of 2016-17, which stopped at 26 goals, or to the Garcia and Fonseca sides, which managed no more than 24-25 in the same number of matches. The contrast with last season is even starker: Roma scored just 12 goals in their first 11 matchdays, relying more on defensive solidity than on attack. Under Gasperini, the team has adopted a total attacking mentality and is averaging almost three goals per game. The only match without a goal was the 0-0 draw at Como, played with a numerical disadvantage for almost half the game. Otherwise Roma have found the net in every fixture, often more than once. Over the last 65 years of Serie A, only Juventus under Allegri (33 goals) and Napoli under Sarri (32 goals) have scored more after 11 matchdays, while Roma have matched Lazio's total from that season. All of this has come despite the long absence of Paulo Dybala, a sign of how completely the collective is now built around attack and entertainment.

Roma beat Sassuolo 3-0 to move up to third place in Serie A, just two points behind the top of the table. With the league now pausing for international fixtures, Gian Piero Gasperini will use the break to recover injured players, starting with Mile Svilar and Paulo Dybala, who are expected to return against Parma when Serie A resumes. The break will also see 13 Giallorossi players leave Trigoria to join their respective national teams. The international fortnight comes at a time when Roma are looking to build on their strong start to the campaign and keep pace with the leaders. The Italian article also features a cartoon by longtime reader Michele from Oman, published alongside the match report to mark the departures of the national-team players.