Venezia scripted a major upset by beating Roma 3-2 at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo today. The hosts started well by taking the lead after only three minutes thanks to Mattia Caldara. Jose Mourinho’s side tried hard and missed a few scoring chances before Eldor Shomurodov netted the equalizer.
The Uzbek provided the assist for Tammy Abraham’s goal that gave Roma the lead just before the interval.
Venezia got their equalizer just after the hour-mark after Mattia Aramu, who provided the assist for the opening goal, scored from the spot. David Okereke won it for the Lagunari in the 74th minute.
Mourinho will no doubt be extremely disappointed with his team’s performance, especially their failure to convert many of their chances.
Starting XIs: Pellegrini Back for Roma, Venezia Make Two Changes
Paolo Zanetti made only two changes to the Lagunari’s XI from their draw against Genoa. Ethan Ampadu was back in the lineup after serving his red card suspension, replacing Tanner Tessmann. Sofia Kiyine started in place of Thomas Henry.
Jose Mourinho made four changes from Roma’s 2-2 draw against Bodø/Glimt, fielding a three-man backline with Rick Karsdorp and Stephan El Shaarawy starting as wing-backs. Marash Kumbulla made his first league start of the season and so did Shomurodov.
Roma’s captain Lorenzo Pellegrini was back in the lineup after missing their Conference League clash due to a knee issue.
Shomurodov and Abraham Put Roma 2-1 Up Just Before the Interval
Venezia could not have asked for a better start as Mattia Caldara put them ahead after meeting Matta Aramu’s free-kick with a simple right-footed shot. Roma won a penalty just minutes later after Abraham was brought down by Ridgeciano Haps. However, the decision was overturned after a VAR check showed that Pellegrini was offside.
The Giallorossi attacked persistently in search of an equalizer with Shomurdov coming close to scoring but his left-footed shot was just wide off the near post. A few minutes later, Abraham’s right-footed shot clipped the far post and El Shaarawy tried to shoot from the rebound but his attempt was blocked.
Venezia had a few chances of their own with Okereke trying to threaten the Roma backline at times. The Nigerian had a chance to find the net but his curling effort was wide off the far post.
In the 41st minute, El Shaarawy sent a ball into the penalty area which found Pellegrini. Sergio Romero foiled the 25-year-old but the ball went towards Shomurodov who found the net to put Roma level. The Uzbek attacker scored his first league goal in a Giallorossi shirt.
Just before the end of the first half, Shomurodov sent a delivery towards Abraham, who did well to control the ball before beating Romero to put Roma ahead.
Venezia Stage Comeback to Bag Three Points
Roma started the second half well and nearly scored a third goal through Ibanez. However, the defender’s header was acrobatically cleared by Haps.
Venezia were on the backfoot but were more attacking after the hour-mark. The Lagunari won a penalty in the 64th minute after a foul by Bryan Cristante in the penalty area. Up stepped Aramu and he found the net, sending Rui Patricio the wrong way.
Abraham had a good chance to restore Roma’s lead but his attempt was blocked by Romero. Substitute Carles Perez tried to score from the rebound but his shot was blocked.
Venezia surprisingly took the lead in the 74th minute when Ampadu’s brilliant through ball found Okereke one-on-one with Patricio. The Nigerian beat the Portuguese to score his third goal of the season,
The team from Venice almost got a fourth when substitute Henry hit the crossbar. Roma tried hard to get an equalizer but the Venezia backline was good enough to prevent them from scoring.
In the end, it was a massive three points for the Lagunari in their quest for survival in Serie A. For Roma, a sign that they have a lot to improve upon.
What’s Next for Roma and Venezia
After the international break, Roma face Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris while Venezia have a trip to Bologna.
MATCH SCORECARD
November 7, 2021 – Serie A 2021-2022 Matchday 12
VENEZIA – ROMA 3-2
SCORERS: 3′ Caldara (V), 43′ Shomurodov (R), 45+2′ Abraham (R), 65′ Aramu (V), 74′ Okereke (V)
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VENEZIA (4-3-3): Romero, Mazzocchi (77′ Ebuehi), Caldara, Ceccaroni, Haps, Crnigoj (46′ Sigurdsson), Busio, Ampadu, Kiyine (70′ Modolo), Okereke (89′ Henry), Aramu (77′ Tessmann) (Maenpaa, Molinaro, Forte, Heymans, Bjarkason, Svoboda, Peretz) Coach: Zanetti |
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ROMA (3-4-1-2): Patricio, Karsdorp (83′ Zalewski), Mancini, Ibanez, Kumbulla (66′ Perez), Cristante, Veretout, El Shaarawy (77′ Zaniolo), Pellegrini, Shomurodov (83′ Mayoral) (Villar, Reynolds, Diawara, Boer, Afena-Gyan, Tripi, Mkhitaryan, Fuzato) Coach: Mourinho |
REFEREE: Mr. Aureliano
NOTES: Yellow Cards: Karsdorp (R), Kiyine (V), Abraham (R), Romero (V); Added Time: 1st Half 2′, 2nd Half 5′