Roma went into a media blackout once José Mourinho’s two-game ban for arguing with fourth official Marco Serra in the Cremonese game was upheld. The sanction was initially suspended to hear both sides. The Special One wasn’t on the bench against Sassuolo and will miss the upcoming Derby too. The referee has been referred too. He could face punishment for his words toward the coach during the heated exchange, Quotidiano Nazionale relays.
The events charged up the game with the Neroverdi. The fans came to the defense of the Portuguese gaffer with a few banners: “Whoever defends Roma’s colors is our ally; “The more you hit us, the more we’ll fight; 11 Mourinho on the pitch.”
The Roma faithful had a ‘panolada’ before the start of the game to protest against the League. They reacted loudly to every call by the referee. On the other hand, the intense atmosphere didn’t help the team on the pitch. On the contrary, it took the focus away from a challenging tilt. Some choices by the boss contributed as well, Calciomercato relays.
Despite several absences, Paulo Dybala rested initially. Gianluca Mancini, who was a yellow card away from disqualification, didn’t play. Marash Kumbulla, who filled in for him, had a key error. He reacted to a provocation by Domenico Berardi by kicking him in the box while the ball was in play, leading to a PK and red card late in the first half. The turn of events doomed the Giallorossi.
Roma had allowed just 5 goals in the previous 12 home games before giving up 4 in one fell swoop Sunday. They failed to take advantage of Inter and Lazio’s missteps. They could have jumped to second place.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |