Roma opened the 2026–27 Serie A season with a dominant 4–0 victory over Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico, with Donyell Malen scoring three goals and Niccolò Pisilli adding a fourth. Malen's treble was built on three assists from Paulo Dybala, who orchestrated Roma's attack throughout the match under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The first goal came in the 27th minute after Dybala broke from the right, centred the box and found Malen, who executed an elegant backheel finish past David de Gea. Malen doubled the lead in the 52nd minute following a Roma counterattack that saw Hermoso launch Dybala, who supplied the pass for Malen to fire past the goalkeeper. The Fiorentina defence was breached again in the 60th minute when Malen completed his hat-trick from another Dybala assist, with the Roma crowd at fever pitch. Pisilli sealed the rout in the 86th minute with a well-timed run into the box to beat De Gea.
Roma's performance was commanding from the start. The team pressed high with aggressive play on the flanks, where Wesley and other wide players sought early superiority. Dybala was involved in almost every threatening moment, shooting strongly from distance in the third minute—a De Gea save—and again in the fifth minute. In the 20th minute, De Gea made a crucial save to deny Mora after the Portuguese winger cut inside from the left. An offside flag denied Hermoso a goal from an N'Dicka header in the 20th minute when the Spanish defender was adjudged to be in an irregular position. The first-half intensity gave way to Roma's clinical finishing after the break.
Changes came thick during the second half. Roma substituted Soulé for Mora in the 53rd minute and then withdrew Hermoso and Malen in the 67th minute to bring on Koulierakis and Castro. Koné received a yellow card in the 48th minute for a holding offense on the quarter. In the first half, Fagioli was cautioned in the 30th minute for a late challenge on Dybala 25 metres from goal, and Hermoso was booked in the 39th minute after fouling Mastantuono. Fiorentina made three substitutions in the 62nd minute, introducing Jimenez, Oulai and Kean for Mastantuono, Brescianini and Fagioli. Late in the match, Pisilli and El Aynaoui replaced Koné and Dybala from Roma's bench.
Referee Marcenaro from Genova oversaw the encounter. The victory marks an ideal opening to the campaign, with Roma's attack firing and their new season showing immediate promise under Gasperini's direction.
Testo Originale / Source Text
“Tutto pronto allo Stadio Olimpico per l’esordio della Roma nella Serie A 2026/27. I giallorossi di Gian Piero Gasperini affrontano la Fiorentina di Fabio Grosso nella prima giornata di campionato, in una sfida subito impegnativa per inaugurare la nuova stagione.
La redazione di Giallorossi.net…”
Read the full article in Italian at GialloRossi.net.
