Football Italia
·17 March 2024
Football Italia
·17 March 2024
Lorenzo Pellegrini’s curler from outside the box proved enough for Roma to squeeze past Sassuolo and stay in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
The Giallorossi were coming off Thursday’s painless defeat at Brighton, losing Paulo Dybala, Chris Smalling and Rasmus Kristensen, but Tammy Abraham was on the bench for the first time since knee surgery in June. At least Romelu Lukaku shook off a recurring hip inflammation to start with Houssem Aouar in a more advanced role. Sassuolo stunned Frosinone on new coach Davide Ballardini’s debut, but Kristian Thorstvedt and Josh Doig were suspended with Domenico Berardi out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
Lukaku immediately went close, nodding the Leonardo Spinazzola cross wide, but found it difficult to create chances against a Sassuolo side with 10 men behind the ball.
Spinazzola limped off with a muscular problem after just 36 minutes, making way for Angelino, and Stephan El Shaarawy several times turned into a left-back with defensive blocks on Pedersen.
Lukaku’s glancing header flashed just wide on the Lorenzo Pellegrini cross, but the deadlock was finally broken when Pellegrini cut inside from the left and bent a right-foot curler into the far bottom corner.
That's a brilliant finish! 👏 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/TQCapkdMwP — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 17, 2024
Sassuolo fought back, as Mile Svilar had to get down quickly to beat away the Uros Racic daisy-cutter from the edge of the area, while Martin Erlic threw himself in the way of Lukaku’s strike.
Tommaso Baldanzi tested Andrea Consigli at the near post on a Zeki Celik pull-back, but Sassuolo almost equalised on 81 minutes in chaotic fashion.
Diego Llorente risked an own goal by redirecting a Nedim Bajrami pull-back from the by-line onto the upright from point-blank range and Mattia Viti turned the rebound over.
2nd half
63
Possession %
37
10
Total shots
8
4
Shots on target
2
3
Shots off target
2
3
Blocked shots
4
4
Corners
7
3
Offsides
0
11
Fouls
10
99
Goalkeeper
14
Defender
23
Defender
37
Defender
37'
2
Defender
70'
4
Midfielder
22
Midfielder
70'
16
Midfielder
7
Midfielder
90
Attacker
86'
92
Attacker
86'
47
Goalkeeper
13
Defender
3
Defender
5
Defender
21
Defender
86'
7
Midfielder
14
Midfielder
72'
6
Midfielder
79'
9
Attacker
79'
45
Attacker
92
Attacker
73'
1
Goalkeeper
9
Attacker
63
Goalkeeper
59
Midfielder
52
Midfielder
5
Defender
61
Midfielder
67
Attacker
Defender
37'
Midfielder
70'
19
Defender
70'
17
Attacker
86'
3
Defender
86'
19
Defender
2
Defender
28
Goalkeeper
25
Goalkeeper
15
Attacker
35
Midfielder
23
Midfielder
72'
24
Midfielder
73'
11
Midfielder
79'
8
Attacker
79'
44
Defender
86'
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