Roma registered their second straight win in a row by beating Atalanta 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico today. A first-half goal from Tammy Abraham made all the difference in a match that saw both teams take a fair amount of chances on goal. Atalanta dominated the game in possession and had their fair share of scoring opportunities. However, the Roma backline was resilient enough to deny them. Jose Mourinho will be pleased with the result as it taks the Giallorossi closer to a spot in the Champions League next season,
Starting XIs: Roma Make One Changes, Atalanta Make Two Changes
Roma made only one change from their victory at Spezia with Nicolo Zaniolo back in the starting XI at the expense of Jordan Veretout. Atalanta made two changes from their victory over Sampdoria with Merih Demiral replacing Rafael Toloi at the heart of the defense. Aleksei Miranchuk made only his sixth league start of the season with Jeremie Boga on the bench.
Abraham Puts Roma Ahead in the First Half
Roma had an early scoring opportunity through Mancini but his header was saved by Juan Musso. Atalanta were forced to make an early change after Davide Zappacosta suffered an injury. The former Chelsea man was replaced by Giuseppe Pezzella. Both sides tried hard for an opener and it was Roma who opened the scoring after Abraham found the net following a deflection off Musso. This was the Englishman’s 20th goal of the season. Atalanta tried to equalize during the remainder of the first half but were unable to do so.
Roma Hold On to Their Lead with Both Sides Reduced to Ten Men
Atalanta made a change in the interval with Muis Muriel coming on for Mario Pasalic. Roma looked to have doubled their lead early in the second half through Zaniolo but his goal was ruled out for offside. The Giallorossi were looking to threaten the opposition goal but Jose Palomino defended well to prevent the attackers from scoring. Atalanta had a good scoring opportunity from Muriel but his shot was off target. Just minutes later, Roma had a good chance to find the net but Gianluca Mancini’s shot went over the bar. Both sides tried hard to find the net but neither were unable to do so. In the end, both sides were reduced to ten men following the sending offs of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Maarten de Roon. Roma are now sixth in the Serie A table with 47 points, the same as fifth-placed Atalanta.
What’s Next for Roma and Atalanta
Roma will now travel to the Netherlands for the first leg of their UEFA Conference League tie against Vitesse. The Giallorossi are heavily favored to win and will be keen on registering an important victory that boosts their chances of reaching the quarterfinals. Atalanta host Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their last 16 tie in the Europa League. La Dea will be keen on getting a win as the away leg will no doubt be tough against the Bundesliga outfit.
MATCH SCORECARD
March 3, 2022 – Serie A 2021-2022 Round 28
ROMA – ATALANTA 1-0
SCORER: 32′ Abraham
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ROMA (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Kumbulla; Karsdorp (83′ Ibanez), Mkhitaryan, Cristante, Pellegrini (83′ Oliveira), Zalewski (62′ Vina); Zaniolo (74′ Veretout), Abraham (83′ Afena-Gyan) (Fuzato, Bove, Carles Perez, Shomurodov, Maitland-Niles, Diawara, El Shaarawy) Coach: Mourinho |
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ATALANTA (4-2-3-1): Musso; Hateboer, Demiral, Palomino (81′ Djimsiti), Zappacosta (21′ Pezzella); De Roon, Freuler; Miranchuk, Koopmeiners (60′ Boga), Pessina (60′ Malinovskyi); Pasalic (46′ Muriel) (Rossi, Sportiello, Maehle, Mihaila, Scalvini, Cittadini) Coach: Gasperini |
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Kumbulla (R), Abraham (R), Cristante (R), Ibanez (R), Demiral (A), Malinovskiy (A) ; Red Cards: Mkhitaryan (R), De Roon (A); Added Time: 1st Half 2′, 2nd Half 4′