Roma dominated Slovan Bratislava from start to finish, with Hermoso and Soulé's goals and a sustained attacking display putting the Champions League side in control, and Gasperini getting the answers he was seeking from players who had previously seen less action. Gasperini changed five players from the Genoa match, lining up in a 3-4-2-1, and the Roma side swarmed the Slovan 4-3-3 from the first whistle. Quick build-up play and incisive passing saw the Giallorossi push forward continually, with the left-sided chain of Pellegrini and Wesley particularly active, Hermoso initially supporting them. Slovan struggled to break up the rhythm and pressure, and their only real source of acceleration was Camara, who was looking for long balls. Roma won the ball back immediately, often without needing any particular marking, and the play was constantly played in a 40-metre area around Takac's goal.
Roma's attacking play came mainly down the left, where they regularly reached the byline. The breakthrough was slow to come, however, because of poor finishing. Pellegrini shot wide with his left foot from a Malen pass, then Pisilli sent his rebound wide, and shortly afterwards Pisilli also fired over another chance created by switches of play. Pellegrini had three wayward shots in the first 25 minutes, and Malen initially misread the channels of entry, making some poor runs. Molina, still tentative, worked more in width than in depth. The opener came from a set piece: Ghilardi acted as a target man and Hermoso buried the header. Shortly after, Wesley assisted Molina from wide, who first fluffed his effort at the far post but was then ready on Takac's imperfect rebound to make it 2-0. The double lead ended any sign of a Slovan response, with Pellegrini sound defensively and Balerdi at times almost disarming in how easily he defused danger.
With the two-goal cushion, the priority became conserving energy ahead of the Napoli match. After the restart, with the same eleven players, at least another 15 minutes of intensity were needed. The change of pace came when Soulé replaced Pellegrini, who had suffered a new injury, and took up position on the left in an already devastating chain. Soon after, Pisilli won the ball from Malen and Soulé finished it off, described as "like a snack taken from a child", closing out a game that, in effect, never began for Slovan. When Malen made it 4-0, managing energy became even more important. De Roon remained surprisingly on the pitch, and Roma controlled possession, avoiding further setbacks after Pellegrini's knock. Castro and Rensch came on for Malen and Wesley, but De Roon stayed on until the 72nd minute, when Mancini replaced him in midfield, a repeat of the Fonseca emergency of 2020. Koulierakis also came on for Hermoso.
Three aspects stood out late on. At 4-0, several vigorous ball recoveries by the Giallorossi showed a ferocious mentality. Castro impressed with the quality of his touch and his game management, which was truly top class. Ghilardi scored a textbook goal, a perfectly co-ordinated volley that recalled Totti at Bologna in 2001, but it was ruled out for an obvious offside by two teammates.
Story Coverage7 sources on this story
Roma beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in the Champions League league phase, according to Roma News and Forza Roma. Mario Hermoso headed the opener from a set piece. Roma News says Molina doubled the lead after a Takac rebound, and Soulé and Malen added the other goals. Forza Roma credits Pisilli with the third and says Malen set him up again for the fourth. Gasperini's squad news came from Retesport, Forza Roma, Roma News and GialloRossi.net. Cristante returns from a knee problem, and Forza Roma says he missed around 20 days. Dybala, Koné and Svilar are absent.
Forza Roma's referee report, which names Sandro Schärer in charge, notes a penalty in the 56th minute after Blackman fouled Wesley and a late Ghilardi volley ruled out for offside. Forza Roma rated Malen 7.5 and Pisilli 7, and said Slovan had no shots on target in the first half. Roma News also reports that Pellegrini suffered a new injury, which Soulé replaced him for.
The outlets differ on the injuries. Roma News describes Dybala's problem as a small muscle tear needing a couple of weeks, while GialloRossi.net calls it a small calf tear. GialloRossi.net says Koné is out with a muscle injury from the Real Madrid game. Roma News says Di Nunzio is a youth-sector player who was called up for the Genoa match, whereas GialloRossi.net and Forza Roma say he made his Serie A debut against Genoa. Roma News also expects more than 60,000 fans at the Olimpico.
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