Goals from Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini relieved pressure on an under-fire Roma side as I Giallorossi notched just their second Serie A win of the season with a 2-0 home victory over Frosinone. The Belgian striker continued his fine vein of form with a clinical first-half strike and Roma went on to sit back for large spells before captain Pellegrini netted a second late on.
Frosinone, who entered this contest unbeaten in five under the guidance of former Roma boss Eusebio Di Francesco, had plenty of chances to score in both halves. But the newly promoted Serie A side were given a reality check as failure to score for the first time in three matches prevented any comeback after Lukaku’s opener.
Lukaku Makes His Mark in End to End Start
An even start to the match occurred with both sides looking to strike early and take initiative in the game. Roma and Frosinone struggled to generate any threatening opportunities and Luca Mazzitelli’s wayward shot from distance for the visitors was the only attempt on goal in the first 15 minutes.
Suddenly, Frosinone started to look dangerous and went up a gear, leading to the game’s first big chance. Midfielder Matías Soulé clipped a well-weighted through ball for Marvin Çuni to race onto and the forward rounded Rui Patrício and shot into the side-netting with the empty goal gaping.
However, the chance failed to spark a spell of Frosinone dominance and Roma quickly came to life and opened the scoring after 20 minutes. Paulo Dybala dribbled forward into space and cut through I Canarini’s defence with a direct pass to Romelu Lukaku, who fired low past Stefano Turati for his fourth goal in five matches.
Frosinone continued to show their attacking threat, with Soulé playing in Çuni again with a looping pass only for the striker to rush his shot and fire into the side-netting once more. Jaime Báez also kept the pressure on for I Canarini when he dribbled into the box from a wide position and forced Patrício into a low save before half time.
Frosinone Frustrated by Giallorossi Rearguard
The late Frosinone chances at the end of the first period forced Roma to tighten up after the restart and the hosts allowed I Canarini plenty of possession, but the visitors were unable to find the vital pass or moment to break through.
I Giallorossi then started to push for the decisive second and Dybala’s dangerous cutback into the six-yard area was snubbed out by the Frosinone defence. Moments later, Edoardo Bove was allowed plenty of space to drive into and struck towards the bottom corner only for Turati to clear the attempt with his feet.
Roma Punish Visitors With Late Second
Despite being frustrated by Roma’s rigid setup, Frosinone were not discouraged and kept pushing for the leveller and Luca Mazzitelli’s teasing cross across the goalmouth was begging to be finished by an onrushing teammate, only for the ball to evade everyone in the box.
The missed chance ultimately proved costly as Roma confirmed their victory with ten minutes remaining as Dybala’s free-kick into the six-yard area was thumped into the net by captain Lorenzo Pellegrini.
A scrappy end to the match ensured with injuries, slow tempo and substitutions disrupting the rhythm of the game. However, Jose Mourinho and his side benefitted and will be grateful for Frosinone’s lack of cutting edge in order to get another three points on the board.