High-flying Roma rescued a last-gasp 2-2 draw against Fiorentina in Sunday’s dramatic Serie A contest at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Daniele De Rossi’s side avoided defeat in the last seconds of the match to narrowly bridge the gap on fourth-placed Bologna to three points.
Roma headed into proceedings in high spirits, albeit plagued by fatigue, following a 4-0 thumping of Brighton in midweek Europa League action. Tired legs took their tall as an early lapse of concentration saw De Rossi’s side concede the opener from a corner, with Luca Ranieri heading home Nico Gonzalez’s cross.
It was a dismal first half for Giallorossi, but their attitude changed after the halftime talk. Far more aggressive in the second half, Roma grabbed a well-deserved equalizer just before the hour mark, as Houssem Aouar’s close-range header rattled the back of the net.
It looked like Roma could pull off a comeback in Tuscany, but Fiorentina regained the lead only ten minutes later. Rolando Mandragora had no problems beating Mile Svilar from point-blank range after being left unmarked inside the six-yard box.
Things could’ve gone worse for Roma, but Svilar thwarted Cristiano Biraghi’s penalty in the 80th minute, throwing the visitors a lifeline down the final stretch. And they grabbed through the most unlikeliest of sources. Diego Llorente’s thumping volley saved Giallorssi at the death.
Let’s look at our Roma ratings.
Roma (4-3-3)
Mile Svilar – 7.5
One would wonder how a goalkeeper can get such a high grade after conceding twice. A saved penalty was a bonus as the Serbian enjoyed another superb game.
Angelino – 6
Roma might have thought he’d be an upgrade on Leanardo Spinazzola, but as evidenced by another bleak showing, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Evan Ndicka – 7
Though he picked up another silly booking, the Ivorian delivered arguably his best defensive performance in 2024.
Diego Llorente – 6
Outperformed by Andrea Belotti, the Spaniard didn’t bring his A-game to Tuscany, failing to live up to expectations, especially in the first half.
Gianluca Mancini – 6
Employed out of position, the Italian center-back struggled when asked to provide depth on the flank but fared well at the back before picking up an injury midway through the first half.
Bryan Cristante – 6.5
It’s a shame he failed to score this evening, as he had two delightful chances to beat Pietro Terracciano but lacked composure to get at least one over the line.
Leandro Paredes – 5.5
As if being radio-silent in the middle of the park wasn’t upsetting enough, the Argentine gave away a cheap penalty but had Svilar to thank for saving his skin.
Houssem Aouar – 6.5
Despite scoring a morale-boosting equalizer in his rare start for Roma, the Algerian midfielder spoiled his overall image with poor judgment, which led to Fiorentina’s second goal.
Stephan El Shaarawy – 6.5
Another lively performance from the resurgent winger, as his burst of pace on the left heavily contributed to Aouar’s strike.
Paulo Dybala – 6
Everyone can have a bad day, even the diminutive wizard. While he tried to get involved in the build-up, very few things went his way tonight.
Romelu Lukaku – 6
A near-anonymous performance from the robust striker after wasting a glorious opportunity in the opening stages!
Substitutes
Dean Huijsen – 6
Nicola Zalewski – 6
Tommaso Baldanzi – 5.5
Leonardo Spinazzola – 6.5
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 6.5
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