Verona 0–0 Roma: Valentini sent off in pivotal Champions League qualifier

Referee Davide Massa was won over by Roma's 2–2 draw with Inter on Saturday at the Olimpico. As the match ended, Massa complimented both teams' players and coaching staff during the customary post-match greetings, a moment captured by DAZN's broadcast camera. Speaking to the managers of Roma and Inter, Massa called the contest a "spectacular match", expressing his appreciation for the intensity and quality of football on display across the ninety minutes. He also praised the players from both sides, highlighting an intense and emotionally charged encounter. The result leaves Roma with a point in their league campaign as they prepare to return from the international break.

Roma and Inter played out an intense and entertaining match, with post-match exchanges between the two sides captured on camera. Gasperini stopped Lautaro Martinez to compliment him, with DAZN's microphones picking up the Roma coach saying: "Vaff... you always score!" as the two embraced and smiled. Malen also had a word with Martinez in jest, referencing a save by the Inter goalkeeper that could have altered the match's outcome. After greeting Akanji, his former teammate from their time at Borussia Dortmund, the Roma forward turned his attention to Martinez, who laughed along as they revisited the moment. The relaxed atmosphere between the two squads underscored the competitive nature of the encounter, with both sides expected to challenge for the top of the table in the season ahead.

Roma and Inter produced one of the finest matches of the season, with both sides playing open, attacking football and matching each other blow for blow throughout. The standard of play was high enough to impress referee Davide Massa, who spoke to the two coaches at the final whistle. Exhausted after the match, Massa said to Gasperini and Chivu: "A spectacle you put on. A spectacle, well done. Thank you." He repeated his praise to the players who came to greet him after the final whistle: "Well done, good lads." The exchange reflects a broader shift in the atmosphere between referees, coaches and players at the start of this season, characterised by fewer interruptions to play, greater continuity in the game, and consequently more compelling football.

Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro have linked up with Argentina's national team for a training camp during the international break. All three Roma players were called up by head coach Scaloni for friendlies against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin. Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina, also Roma squad members, were not selected and will continue working at Trigoria during the international pause. Castro expressed his delight at the call-up on social media, writing: "Happy for all of this." Soulé, who returns to the Selección after a lengthy absence, posted early training footage with the caption: "Nothing better than being here."

Roma continued their conditioning work at Trigoria on 22 September, refusing to ease off during the international break. The squad's next match is scheduled for 11 October against Como, but Gasperini kept the players sharp with athletic sessions despite the pause in fixtures. Among those training were Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar, alongside several players using the stoppage to rebuild match fitness after recent struggles or late arrivals to the squad. Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon and Lorenzo Pellegrini were the focus of Gasperini's attention during these weeks without competition. Molina, an Argentine midfielder, suffered fatigue from a long World Cup campaign but had recently rediscovered sufficient form; Gasperini aims to have him at peak condition for a demanding run of fixtures in October. De Roon, who joined late in the transfer window after being sidelined in Maurizio Sarri's plans at Atalanta, follows a similar recovery path. Pellegrini, the captain and number 7, earned his first squad call-up this season in the match against Torino and must complete his athletic rehabilitation after missing the summer preparation alongside his teammates. He will use these weeks without matches to conduct a mini pre-season programme. Also training were Pierluigi Gollini, Devyne Rensch, Vasquez and Giorgio De Marzi under Gasperini's close observation. Three players were absent: Bryan Cristante due to lower back pain, Donyell Malen with a knee complaint, and Wesley sidelined by a muscular strain.

Roma radio stations have dissected the team's opening weeks of the 2026-27 season, focusing on attacking output, midfield deployment, and the defensive lapses that cost them against Inter. Gianluca Piacentini noted that while the team has impressed overall, Santiago Castro has yet to score despite solid performances, and the attacking group has contributed only three goals total—two from Matías Soulé and one from Rodrigo Mora—leaving room for improvement. Donyell Malen, who remained in Rome during the international break, has been the standout performer among the forwards. The consensus is that Roma's attackers, particularly Castro, Soulé and Mora, would have benefited from staying at Trigoria rather than joining their national teams for what several commentators dismissed as unnecessary international fixtures. Francesca Ferrazza explained that criticism of Paulo Dybala's reduced shooting is misplaced: "Now they're criticising Dybala because he doesn't score and doesn't shoot, but in my opinion it's precisely a deliberate choice to shoot less in goal. A choice shared with the manager, by the way. To extend his season and his career, he plays for others more than for himself." The discussion around Lorenzo Pellegrini centred on tactical fit. Lorenzo Pes raised concerns about how Pellegrini will adapt to Gasperini's intensity: "What intrigues me is how he might fit into certain systems. When you play with a trequartista, that is his best position, perhaps in that role he's the best you have, but when you line up differently on the pitch I'm not sure how much he can adapt. Last season he did reasonably well but in a very different Roma—now it's much more intense. Gasperini says he can see him in midfield too, but in that role he's never actually put him there." Mario Corsi challenged the narrative around Gianluca Mancini's role in Inter's goal, pointing out that four Roma defenders were on the pitch yet failed to function as a unit. He argued the real issue is a lack of a player who can beat his man consistently. Piero Torri stressed that after the international break, Roma will need all available players, with Gasperini having stated the team must operate with a squad of 20 across a seven-match stretch. Roberto Pruzzo offered a positive assessment, noting that Malen's presence this season—absent last year—and Dybala's apparent full recovery give Roma credible tools to challenge Inter, especially once the remainder of the transfer window closes. Luigi Salomone suggested that had Roma's previous manager substituted a different forward earlier against Lazio, the result might have shifted dramatically. The international break will resume mid-October, after which Roma face a compressed fixture list in both Serie A and the Champions League that will test squad depth and tactical flexibility.

Nahuel Molina has emerged as a key figure in Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma side, playing on the left flank—a position he had rarely occupied in his career. After an initial trial at Torino, Gasperini deployed the Argentine right-back on the opposite flank against Inter, a role Molina has played only nine times overall. The experiment paid off: Molina delivered the assist for Manu Koné's opening goal and impressed enough to convince his manager that the system works. The fullback has since regained ground on his positional rivals, closing a physical gap that had left him sidelined at the start of the season. Gasperini's tactical flexibility is his trademark—the previous season he had shifted Wesley to the left with similar success. Molina possesses greater attacking instinct than Zeki Çelik, and his contributions came through continuous overlaps, off-the-ball movement and crosses from the byline. According to reporting by Niccolò Maurelli in La Repubblica, the Argentine has found the right notes to satisfy Gasperini's demands. Training resumed today with the full squad and continues through Friday, followed by two rest days over the weekend. In the three weeks before Roma face Como, Gasperini plans to arrange friendly matches, possibly against the club's Primavera side, to restore match fitness for those still awaiting playing time. Lorenzo Pellegrini is among those available again after returning from an injury sustained in the final league matches of last season.

Nahuel Molina, signed to play on the right, is earning regular minutes on the opposite flank under Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical redesign. In the match against Inter, Molina operated on the left wing for the second time in quick succession, and his performance yielded immediate reward: his cross set up Manu Koné's opening goal. The position remains almost foreign to Molina's career—he has played on the left just nine times in his entire playing history—yet Gasperini appears increasingly convinced it can become a stable part of his tactical arsenal. Gasperini had signalled this ambition before the season began, describing Molina as a player capable of "playing anywhere". The Argentine world champion brings greater offensive propensity than Zeki Çelik, his predecessor on the right, and offers Roma added tactical flexibility. Molina's early weeks were complicated by fitness demands—he arrived behind in pre-season preparation and had to chase his teammates' conditioning—but that gap has narrowed substantially in recent matches. Against Inter, his movement revealed overlaps, off-the-ball runs and renewed conviction in attacking the byline, the cross for Koné's goal a visible symbol of his growing confidence. Gasperini is retracing a path already worn by Wesley, the Brazilian left-back who also arrived with traits suited to the right before discovering fresh offensive possibilities on the opposite flank. Wesley now operates on both flanks; Molina is heading the same way. Emanuele Lulli continues to press for minutes as well, creating depth in the fullback positions. Gasperini's repeated assertion—that no first-team hierarchy of starters and reserves exists—finds its clearest proof in Molina's trajectory: initially overlooked, he waited, adapted to an almost unknown role, and is now returning forcefully into rotation. The direction may have seemed wrong on paper. The results, so far, appear correct.

Roma's wing positions are now secure. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini no longer faces the tactical problem that troubled him last season: the absence of a quick, technical player on the opposite flank from Wesley. Last year, with Wesley as one of Serie A's strongest defenders on one side, Gasperini had to adapt by repositioning Zeki Çelik elsewhere. That constraint has lifted. Emanuele Lulli, young and rapid, is already providing assurances and proves ready for this campaign. But Roma have also landed another signing that drew less attention yet showed its value yesterday: Nahuel Molina. The Argentine is rising in fitness; the residual effects of the World Cup are passing. In the match against Inter, he was perfect. He contained Diouf, supported the attack, and was decisive in the final third with an assist for Manu Koné's first-half goal. Molina's skillset is there; consistency is the next step. He does not yet have 90 minutes in his legs, but the flanks now have valid masters. Wesley leads them, followed by the former Udinese player and Lulli. Gasperini can rely on all three without losing quality. The improvement from last season is enormous. The Piedmont-born coach plays through the flanks, favouring attacking football with pushing players who can contribute in front of goal. Now he has them on both sides. Molina is a top-level player. Lulli will be. The flanks have an owner on each side, and Gasperini can only be pleased.