On the Stadio Olimpico in the Italian capital, Roma and Juventus treated Calcio fans with a thrilling back-and-forth battle worthy of being a legitimate candidate for the best match of the season. The home side took an early lead as Tammy Abraham headed home from a corner kick, but Paulo Dybala replied with a fabulous strike and the two sides ended the first half on level terms. The Giallorossi stun their visitors with back-to-back goals after the restart, but the Bianconeri somehow staged a shocking comeback with three goals. The Romans had a chance to turn it out around once more, but Wojciech Szczesny denied Lorenzo Pellegrini from the spot, ending the match 4-3 in favor the Old Lady. So here our player ratings for the memorable Serie A round 21 contest between Roma and Juventus.
Roma XI
Rui Patricio – 5.5
The Portugal international left the field without making a single memorable save. None of the the goals Roma conceded were truly his fault, but perhaps he could have done a little better on the third.
Roger Ibanez – 5
The former Atalanta man remains the weakest link at the back for José Mourinho’s side. He can always lose possession in dangerous positions and his defending didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Bryan Cristante – 5.5
The Euro 2020 winner almost acted as a sweeper, bouncing between the backline and the midfield. He was arguably the Roma player who was supposed to be marking Dybala ahead of the first Juventus goal, but the Argentine was given all the time he needed to grab the equalizer.
Chris Smalling – 6
For the first hour, the former Manchester United man was a rock at the back. But paid the price for his teammate’s scrappy defending, and his fumbled clearance allowed De Sciglio to grab the winner for Max Allegri’s side.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 5.5
The Arsenal loanee was handed his Roma debut almost 48 hours following his arrival. Lost Chiesa ahead of the first Juventus goal and struggled in the duel against De Sciglio. His performance picked up in the second half, but it remains a less-than-inspiring first appearance.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 7
The captain provided the assist for Mkhitaryan on the second goal before scoring the third with a world-class freekick. And yet, he failed to convert from spot, which eventually cost his side the match. Left the pitch with bloody head thanks to his Italy teammate Giorgio Chiellini.
Jordan Veretout – 6
The Frenchman’s sublime corner kick allowed Abraham to break the deadlock early on. However, he was nowhere to be seen when the visitors’ uprising began, surrendering against Locatelli and company who took over in the middle of the park.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6
The Armenian’s impact was hardly felt in the first half, but he was lucky to grab himself a goal after the interval as his shot deflected off De Sciglio and sailed over Szczesny and into the net.
Matias Vina – 5.5
The Uruguayan is usually a menacing threat on the left flank, but he was rarely involved in the attacking phase today.
Felix Afena-Gyan – 6
The 18-year-old striker had an all-out battle against Cuadrado for as much as he lasted on pitch. The veteran had the upper hand on most occasions, but he still gave him some scares, as he continues to develop into one of the strongest youngsters in the league.
Tammy Abraham – 6.5
The Englishman put Roma in the lead with a routine header after beating the Juventus defenders in the air. Could have added another in the second half when pouncing on Smalling’s header. However, he was mostly ineffective in the second period.
Roma Substitutes
Eldor Shomurodov – 5
Entered in the second half, but you would have barely noticed.
Carles Perez – 5.5
Threatened Szczesny with a shot on goal, but the Giallorossi were too complacent by the time he entered the pitch.
Borja Mayoral – N/A
2017 – Juventus have won a Serie A match after been trailing by a 2-goals margin for the first time since August 2017, against Genoa. Adrenalin.#SerieA #RomaJuve pic.twitter.com/4OU1vCsbJw
— OptaPaolo ? (@OptaPaolo) January 9, 2022
Juventus XI
Wojciech Szczesny – 7
A goalkeeper who concedes three goals rarely has a case for being the man of the match. And yet, the Pole’s late heroics preserved the victory for Juventus, as he once again denied Roma from the spot, before making a timely clearance to prevent Abraham from grabbing a late equalizer.
Juan Cuadrado – 6.5
The Colombian enjoyed his personal duel against Afena-Gyan, but still unwisely got himself booked for almost injuring the youngster with a woeful sliding tackle. Didn’t support the attacks as much as he’s used to.
Matthijs de Ligt – 6
The Dutchman is one of the best young defenders in the world and continues to prove it with every single outing. But giving away penalty kicks due to handballs remains his ultimate Achilles Heel. Left Juventus with a man down, but luckily for him, Szczesny saved the day.
Daniele Rugani – 6
The Italian was too slow to react for Abraham’s movement ahead of the first goal, but his performance improved as the match progressed, and eventually played an important role in defending the result in the final minutes.
Mattia De Sciglio – 7
The unlikely hero! The former Milan man had his ups and downs throughout the match, but managed to keep his composure when it mattered the most, completing the Old Lady’s comeback with a clinical finish.
Weston McKennie – 6.5
The American was having a forgettable display until the final 30 minutes. Helped his side in the third goal, before providing the assist for De Sciglio en route towards a memorable winner.
Manuel Locatelli – 7
The former Sassuolo man played several sublime through balls while operating in the Regista role. But the introduction of Arthur allowed him to operate as a box-to-box midfielder, and he immediately responded by nodding home the second Juventus goal which instigated the Bianconeri’s revolt.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 5
It’s just not working for the Uruguayan these days. Offered next to nothing for as long as he lasted.
Paulo Dybala – 7
The Argentine fabulously struck the ball home in the first half. Continued to be Allegri’s most dangerous player with the ball at his feet, but his physical state dwindled in the second half after running his socks off all match.
Moise Kean – 5.5
The Italian’s presence in the box gave Dybala just enough time to receive the ball and score. But unfortunately, this proved to be his most interesting contribution in the match.
Federico Chiesa – 6.5
The former Fiorentina man set up Dybala’s goal with some brilliant footwork and tried his luck from distance on a couple of occasions, but unfortunately for him and Juventus, his night ended early with yet another injury setback.
Juventus Substitutes
Dejan Kulusevski – 6.5
The Swede had a slow start, but he ended up grabbing the all-important equalizer in the second half.
Alvaro Morata – 7
The Spaniard was one of the main catalysts behind the win. Set up Locatelli’s goal following some great work on the right flank.
Arthur Melo – 6
Held up the ball when needed, and allowed Locatelli to surge forward while he operated as a deep-lying playmaker.
Giorgio Chiellini – 6
Didn’t look at his best physical shape, but he entered to help Juventus preserve the lead, and did just that.