Roma Women fall to Chelsea in Champions League, Carpenter and Buchanan on target

Roma have shown a new resilience under Gian Piero Gasperini, coming from behind to beat Cagliari in a comeback win. Their willingness to respond to going behind marks one of the most significant changes in the team. After the struggles of last season, the Giallorossi have already collected seven points from matches in which they trailed, the same number they gathered across the whole of the previous Serie A campaign. The run continued after the win over Inter, and it has revived the club's ambitions. It has also brought Gasperini closer to the figures needed to chase the record of Nils Liedholm. The article's remaining detail is limited, so the comeback against Cagliari and the seven-point tally, matched against the entire previous league season, stand as the central facts of the story.

Former Roma player and ex-UEFA vice-president Zibi Boniek has praised Rodrigo Mora's late goal in Roma's win over Cagliari, saying the Portuguese had shown little before and that the strike could boost his confidence. Speaking to Retesport, Boniek also discussed Gianluca Mancini's place in the side, the Lazio team Roma face in the city derby, and the importance of Roma staying focused. Boniek said the match looked over before a late finish from Mora, whom he described as a player with good individual technique whose physique had not helped him. He said: "La partita di ieri sembrava chiusa poi c'è stato un finale targato Mora che mi è piaciuto perché questo ragazzo aveva fatto vedere poco. Il portoghese è un calciatore con una buona tecnica individuale ma la sua struttura fisica non l'aveva aiutato. Spero che questo gol possa fargli aumentare il livello dell'autostima." On Mancini, who has been linked with losing his starting place to Balerdi, Boniek highlighted his attacking contribution. He said: "Quasi quasi è diventato il primo attaccante. Anche nel secondo gol di Pisilli c'è molto di Mancini che ha servito Lulli che ha fatto il cross per Niccolò. Ieri è stato raggirato da Fadera ma non mando in panchina nessuno, è chiaro che se ci sono 20 giocatori di pari livello si deve valutare chi è stanco ma questo Gasperini lo fa molto bene, infatti, poi ha messo Ghilardi e ha passato un pallone determinante a Mora. Mancini è forte nel pressing basso, anticipa gli avversari mentre quando c'è tanto spazio e deve correre può andare in difficoltà perché ha altre caratteristiche." Boniek also spoke about Lazio, who had just beaten Sassuolo, and praised coach Gennaro Gattuso. He said: "Adoro Gattuso perché è una persona vera che non si nasconde e dice quello che pensa: è un allenatore bravo. Se fa troppi punti diventa antipatico (ride ndr). La Lazio gioca bene, ieri l'ho vista con il Sassuolo, è una squadra molto veloce che va sempre in verticale con tante sovrapposizioni e non fa nessun Tiki Taka. Più la Lazio va forte e più la Roma manterrà alto il livello della concentrazione per fare altrettanto bene, vista la rivalità cittadina."

Roma came through their match against Cagliari, though they were forced to come from behind after Maldini's equaliser in the closing stages, with Mora and Malen completing the comeback and securing three important points. The result keeps the Giallorossi in touch with a Serie A title race that remains wide open on the table. Gasperini's side are firmly in the hunt for the lead, and the fight for the top places is tightening. Speaking on Sky Sport, Walter Zenga analysed the duel between Gasperini's team and Inter, but also looked at the wider picture. He noted that four sides remain unbeaten, the two Milan clubs and the two Roman clubs, and said he could not recall how often that had been seen. Zenga said: "I was asking myself a question yesterday: after the matches I thought there are four teams still unbeaten, the Milan clubs and the Roman ones, I don't know how many times that has been seen. Roma play well and are spectacular, but yesterday they risked a lot. Como put in a considerable show of strength, because Torino are going very well. All these discussions are linked to the Champions League places: it is a very beautiful and balanced championship."