Roma fade after the break at Old Trafford as Mora's half-time exit changes the match

Roma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday 7 November, looking to put the defeat at Manchester behind them and continue their strong start to the season in Serie A. The Lega Serie A has released the referee appointments for the match. Marco Di Bello of the Brindisi section will referee the fixture. His assistants will be Peretti and Scatragli, with Abisso as fourth official. Pezzuto will be the VAR, with Guida as AVAR. Di Bello has officiated 34 previous Roma matches, producing 21 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats for the Giallorossi, a record that is clearly positive for the club. Their last meeting came on 25 April 2026, when Roma beat Bologna 2-0 away. Before that match, Roma had already won seven consecutive games under Di Bello and were unbeaten in nine. He also took charge of the wins over Genoa and Cremonese in the 2025/26 season. Di Bello has refereed 17 matches involving Sassuolo, with a record of 4 wins, 7 draws and 6 defeats for the Neroverdi. Their most recent meeting came this season, on 6 September 2026, when Di Bello refereed Bologna-Sassuolo, which finished 2-2. Sassuolo's overall record with the Brindisi referee is therefore less favourable than Roma's, which has built a long run of positive results with him in recent years.

Marco Di Bello will referee Roma against Sassuolo, a Serie A Matchday 11 fixture, on Saturday 7 November at 20:45 at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma return to action after their painful Champions League defeat to Manchester United, looking to get straight back to winning ways in the league under Gian Piero Gasperini. Di Bello will be assisted by Peretti and Scatragli, with Abisso serving as fourth official. Pezzuto has been appointed VAR, with Guida in the role of AVAR. The wider weekend's officiating appointments have also been confirmed. Venezia-Udinese on Friday 6 November at 20:45 will be refereed by Sacchi J.L., with Imperiale and Mondin assisting, Bonacina as fourth official, Gariglio as VAR and Pezzuto as AVAR. On Saturday 7 November, Cagliari-Frosinone (15:00) is refereed by Ayroldi, Torino-Lecce (15:00) by Feliciani, and Parma-Bologna (18:00) by Zufferli. Napoli-Lazio on Sunday 8 November at 12:30 is under Pairetto, Genoa-Milan (15:00) under Massa, Monza-Atalanta (15:00) under Allegretta, Inter-Como (18:00) under Chiffi, and Fiorentina-Juventus (20:45) under Colombo.

Roma supporters have accused English police of treating them "like dogs" around the club's trip to Manchester, where the match against Manchester United at Old Trafford was marked by tension, disorder and medical incidents, as well as a defeat on the pitch. Two Roma fans, speaking to the Adnkronos agency, described the difficulties they faced before and after Manchester United v Roma. According to their account, the march that set off from the city centre took around an hour to reach the stadium, and an equal amount of time was needed to get into the away section. While they waited, a young woman reportedly felt unwell. Tension with the police had already broken out before kick-off, with one fan arrested and six others detained, according to press reports. In protest, the away end turned its travel banner upside down and stayed silent for the first fifteen minutes of the match. The tensions reportedly continued after the final whistle. The most serious account concerns a Roma supporter who reportedly suffered a medical episode while leaving the stadium. "A lad felt unwell while leaving, but the police thought he wanted to cause trouble and handcuffed him, throwing him to the ground," witnesses told Adnkronos. His friends then asked for medical staff to intervene. Il Romanista published a video showing a fan pinned to the ground by officers, and reported that the supporter later needed medical assistance. "In general they have always been hostile, it seemed they were just waiting for an excuse to arrest us," the fans added, describing an atmosphere of tension that lasted throughout the evening. The accusations, backed by images and testimony gathered in recent hours, will need to be fully clarified, including the version of the English authorities.

Italian radio pundits were scathing the morning after Roma lost to Manchester United in the Champions League, with the second half at the centre of the debate. Roma led 2-1 at one stage, and Roberto Pruzzo said the collapse came after the team had been strong. Gianluca Piacentini of Rete Sport said the performance resembled Roma's displays against Real Madrid and Inter: "This is a team with dramatic highs where if the opponent is Udinese or Lecce you hit them for four and then manage, if it's Inter you hit them twice and then draw, but if you play Real or Manchester United at home in the end you lose." He added: "Until January we have to take the good and the bad of this team." The analysis from Rete Sport's Checco Oddo Casano focused on squad depth. He said: "If you'd had another Konè, which you don't have now, and a fast attacker like Gervinho, which you still don't have, you would have rebalanced the match with the substitutions." He added that conceding goals at 2-0 has "now become a trend", linking it to the squad's overall value and shortcomings more than to the coach and players' attitude. Fabio Petruzzi said the first half had been stellar, with Roma conceding nothing, but that the second half changed everything. He said Gasperini "will have to understand the reasons", and that Roma lack "the second weapon" needed to press when they are ahead. Mario Corsi of Tele Radio Stereo was blunt: "Manchester United have won only one league match, in August. After that they have never won again." He said Roma had "not shot once" and had won no corners in the second half. Corsi criticised Balerdi for losing concentration, saying he was the reason Roma conceded two goals, and said young players "can't play in certain fields yet". Francesca Ferrazza said Roma should not be in the competition at all: "You have to leave this Cup, you shouldn't even go to the playoff, it's not your thing." She argued the Champions League drained energy needed for the league, adding: "Roma are an inexperienced side who crumble at the first difficulty." Lorenzo Pes said: "The Roma tempo never slows down, and 8 times out of 10 that works, but when you reach the big matches you never achieve success." Piero Torri said the squad was short, with four players missing, and questioned the substitutions. He said he would have brought on Molina over Lulli, and felt the timing of Mora's change was wrong. Torri also raised a refereeing complaint, saying the referee had invented the penalty and then ordered it retaken: "Is the VAR in some pub in Manchester?" Nando Orsi raised the issue of physical condition, noting Roma's Sunday and Wednesday fixtures, and said Gasperini deserved some criticism. Mario Mattioli said he had expected a heavy win, but the second half "started badly". He said De Roon was left alone at one point, Pisilli was not where he should be, and Maguire led the United comeback. Mattioli said the problem was mainly mental, and that the coach had not prepared his side for United's assault.

Donyell Malen scored a cool penalty at Old Trafford to put Roma 2-0 up against Manchester United, but a late comeback by United turned the night into a nightmare for the Giallorossi. Malen's personal achievement offered little consolation. His goal made him a notable name in Roma's history. The Dutch forward became the third Roma player to score in at least three consecutive Champions League matches, joining Antonio Cassano (2004) and Edin Dzeko (2018) in the club's record books. The milestone is a significant achievement, but it does not erase the disappointment of the result. Malen's own performance was somewhat below his recent displays, which went largely unnoticed amid the collapse. The penalty was struck with the composure that has become his trademark, and it briefly gave Roma hope of a memorable night at Old Trafford. United's fightback then transformed the evening into one to forget. Malen's record is a small light in a night Roma will want to put behind them.

Rodrigo Mora has spoken warmly about team-mate Wesley after Roma's defeat at Manchester United, where Mora was among the Giallorossi's best players in the first half. Mora said: "Today he played another great match. He is a great player and he will reach the highest levels of football." The Portuguese midfielder also described their relationship: "We talk mostly about Brazil and Brazilian football. The language helps us a lot. He gave me a big hand when I joined Roma and I am really grateful to him." Mora's comments were reported by TNT Sports. Manchester United celebrated the win on social media with a post recalling their previous meetings with Roma, from a 7-1 result through to the comeback of last night. The caption, "Absolute cinema", referred to a contest in which Roma, under Gasperini, had dominated the first half and gone two goals ahead before the Red Devils turned the game around. Newspaper ratings favoured Soulé, who earned a 7.00 as Roma's best player thanks to a very strong first half that included a goal and a penalty won. Mora followed on 6.75, while Cristante and Wesley received generally positive marks of 6.25. At the bottom of the ratings, Balerdi scored 4.42, penalised for the error that started United's comeback. Pisilli (4.83) and Lulli (5.08) also struggled, while Vasquez and Ghilardi, both on 5.50, remained below the pass mark. Rensch left the Manchester United match early with a muscle problem in his right adductor and was replaced by Lulli. The Dutchman will undergo further assessments in the coming hours by the Roma medical staff to establish the extent of the problem. Rensch is a serious doubt for the Saturday fixture against Sassuolo.

Italian radio pundits were scathing the morning after Roma lost to Manchester United in the Champions League, with the second half at the centre of the debate. Roma led 2-1 at one stage, and Roberto Pruzzo said the collapse came after the team had been strong. Gianluca Piacentini of Rete Sport said the performance resembled Roma's displays against Real Madrid and Inter: "This is a team with dramatic highs where if the opponent is Udinese or Lecce you hit them for four and then manage, if it's Inter you hit them twice and then draw, but if you play Real or Manchester United at home in the end you lose." He added: "Until January we have to take the good and the bad of this team." The analysis from Rete Sport's Checco Oddo Casano focused on squad depth. He said: "If you'd had another Konè, which you don't have now, and a fast attacker like Gervinho, which you still don't have, you would have rebalanced the match with the substitutions." He added that conceding goals at 2-0 has "now become a trend", linking it to the squad's overall value and shortcomings more than to the coach and players' attitude. Fabio Petruzzi said the first half had been stellar, with Roma conceding nothing, but that the second half changed everything. He said Gasperini "will have to understand the reasons", and that Roma lack "the second weapon" needed to press when they are ahead. Mario Corsi of Tele Radio Stereo was blunt: "Manchester United have won only one league match, in August. After that they have never won again." He said Roma had "not shot once" and had won no corners in the second half. Corsi criticised Balerdi for losing concentration, saying he was the reason Roma conceded two goals, and said young players "can't play in certain fields yet". Francesca Ferrazza said Roma should not be in the competition at all: "You have to leave this Cup, you shouldn't even go to the playoff, it's not your thing." She argued the Champions League drained energy needed for the league, adding: "Roma are an inexperienced side who crumble at the first difficulty." Lorenzo Pes said: "The Roma tempo never slows down, and 8 times out of 10 that works, but when you reach the big matches you never achieve success." Piero Torri said the squad was short, with four players missing, and questioned the substitutions. He said he would have brought on Molina over Lulli, and felt the timing of Mora's change was wrong. Torri also raised a refereeing complaint, saying the referee had invented the penalty and then ordered it retaken: "Is the VAR in some pub in Manchester?" Nando Orsi raised the issue of physical condition, noting Roma's Sunday and Wednesday fixtures, and said Gasperini deserved some criticism. Mario Mattioli said he had expected a heavy win, but the second half "started badly". He said De Roon was left alone at one point, Pisilli was not where he should be, and Maguire led the United comeback. Mattioli said the problem was mainly mental, and that the coach had not prepared his side for United's assault.

Rodrigo Mora has spoken warmly about team-mate Wesley after Roma's defeat at Manchester United, where Mora was among the Giallorossi's best players in the first half. Mora said: "Today he played another great match. He is a great player and he will reach the highest levels of football." The Portuguese midfielder also described their relationship: "We talk mostly about Brazil and Brazilian football. The language helps us a lot. He gave me a big hand when I joined Roma and I am really grateful to him." Mora's comments were reported by TNT Sports. Manchester United celebrated the win on social media with a post recalling their previous meetings with Roma, from a 7-1 result through to the comeback of last night. The caption, "Absolute cinema", referred to a contest in which Roma, under Gasperini, had dominated the first half and gone two goals ahead before the Red Devils turned the game around. Newspaper ratings favoured Soulé, who earned a 7.00 as Roma's best player thanks to a very strong first half that included a goal and a penalty won. Mora followed on 6.75, while Cristante and Wesley received generally positive marks of 6.25. At the bottom of the ratings, Balerdi scored 4.42, penalised for the error that started United's comeback. Pisilli (4.83) and Lulli (5.08) also struggled, while Vasquez and Ghilardi, both on 5.50, remained below the pass mark. Rensch left the Manchester United match early with a muscle problem in his right adductor and was replaced by Lulli. The Dutchman will undergo further assessments in the coming hours by the Roma medical staff to establish the extent of the problem. Rensch is a serious doubt for the Saturday fixture against Sassuolo.

Roma lost 3-2 at Old Trafford in Manchester, having led by two goals before being pegged back, a result that makes qualification for the Champions League knockout phase harder. Italian newspapers were unanimous in praising the first half as very high level, but the second half was markedly less bright, and a much-disputed penalty awarded to the hosts added to Roma's frustration. The papers' player ratings were widely critical of Balerdi, who received a 4.5 from La Gazzetta dello Sport, a 4 from Corriere dello Sport and La Repubblica, and a 5 from Il Messaggero. Soulé was the standout performer, rated 7.5 by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriere dello Sport and La Repubblica, and 7 by Il Messaggero and Corriere della Sera. Mora also earned strong marks, with a 7 from Corriere dello Sport and La Repubblica. Pisilli was judged harshly, rated 5 by La Gazzetta dello Sport, 4.5 by Corriere dello Sport, La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, and 5 by Il Messaggero and Il Tempo. Gasperini was given a 5.5 by La Gazzetta dello Sport and La Repubblica, a 5 by Corriere dello Sport and Corriere della Sera, and a 6 by Il Messaggero and Il Tempo. Vásquez received 5.5 from Il Messaggero and 6 from La Repubblica, Il Tempo and Romanews.eu. Cristante earned 6.5 from La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera, and Wesley was rated 6.5 by Corriere dello Sport and Il Tempo. Malen was rated 7 by La Repubblica, with Castro's late cameo marked between 5 and 6 across the papers.