Roma vs Fiorentina 2-0: Dybala Brace Hands Giallorossi Glory

Roma secured a 2-0 victory over Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday night, with Paulo Dybala scoring a brace to hand the Giallorossi all three points. 

Tammy Abraham also starred for Jose Mourinho’s side, assisting Dybala twice after displaying excellent link up play over the course of the match. A red card in the first half for the visitors put them at a disadvantage for three quarters of the game and it was always a struggle from there on in.

Dodo Red 

It was a slow start to the match with no real quality chances for either side but Nicola Zalewski looked promising at points and Abraham looked sharp for Roma. World Cup star Sofyan Amrabat tested Rui Patricio from range after around 20 minutes but the Roma goalkeeper was able to save fairly comfortably. 

There was a huge turning point in the game with just a quarter into the match when Dodo was dismissed after picking up his second yellow card. It was a poor sliding challenge on Zalewski and the defender was late to the tackle, meaning referee Antonio Giua sent him into the changing rooms for an early bath. 

Jonathan Ikone looked like the visitors’ biggest threat and his pace and dribbling posed a few questions but the Roma defense were able to deal with the issue well. 

Dybala Opens Scoring

With just five minutes to go until the break, Dybala put Roma ahead with an excellent strike from outside the box. Abraham did well in the build up with some fine link up play, chesting the ball down to his Argentinian team mate before a slight deflection took the ball past ‘keeper Pietro Terracciano. 

Fiorentina started to have better control in the second half as they sought to find a way back into the match but they only really threatened from set pieces. 

Abraham was gifted an excellent opportunity on the hour mark after a terrible back pass by Giacomo Bonaventura. The English forward slipped but still managed to get a shot away. However, he wasn’t able to convert as the glorious chance went missing. 

The former Chelsea man impacted the game once more late on, getting in behind the Fiorentina defense before supplying Dybala with a well-timed pass across goal. Dybala applied the simple finish to put the hosts two goals ahead and secure the victory. 

What’s Next for Roma and Fiorentina?

Roma face Spezia away next Sunday on January 22, whilst Fiorentina host Torino next Saturday on January 21. 

MATCH SCORECARD

January 15, 2023 – Serie A 2022-23 Round 18
ROMA – FIORENTINA 2-0

SCORERS: 40′, 82′ Dybala (R)