Italy Roma crushed Cagliari 4-0 in round 23 of Serie A, thereby winning their third consecutive victory since replacing Jose Mourinho with Daniele De Rossi.
Roma took just 61 seconds to open the scoring. After Paulo Dybala's corner kick led to a chaotic fight in the box, Lorenzo Pellegrini scored from close range. The Roma captain's goal was also the fastest goal of the 2023-2024 Serie A season.
After the opening goal, Roma continued to dominate the match. Cagliari had a few attempts, but not enough to threaten goalkeeper Rui Patricio. In the 23rd minute, the home team scored the second goal. After a pass from the left wing by Pellegrini, Romelu Lukaku lifted his foot for Dybala to shoot into the top corner.
Dybala (center) celebrates scoring in Roma's 4-0 win over Cagliari in round 23 of Serie A on the evening of February 5 at Olimpico Stadium. Photo: EPA
Roma could have won 4-0 in the first half, if they had used their chances better. Dybala missed a chance when he shot wide, and Lukaku had a goal disallowed for offside. Meanwhile, Cagliari missed a good chance in the 43rd minute. Gianluca Lapadula dribbled the ball past Bryan Cristante, but shot straight at goalkeeper Patricio.
After the break, Roma gave Cagliari no chance to come back. The home team only needed 14 minutes to complete the victory. Dybala's penalty made it 4-0 in the 51st minute, after Andrea Petagna touched the ball in the box, and Dean Huijsen headed home Leandro Paredes' corner to seal the 4-0 victory.
The win over Cagliari was Roma's third in three games since replacing former coach Mourinho with De Rossi on January 16. De Rossi's team had previously beaten Verona 2-1 and Salernitana 2-1. Roma are currently fifth in Serie A, with 38 points from 23 games, just one point behind fourth-placed Atalanta, who have played one game less against leaders Inter.
De Rossi was pleased with his third consecutive victory in Roma's 4-0 win over Cagliari in round 23 of Serie A on the evening of February 5 at the Olimpico Stadium. Photo: AP
Meanwhile, Cagliari are third from bottom with 18 points. If they do not play well in their remaining matches, veteran coach Claudio Ranieri's team may have to return to Serie B after just one season of promotion.
The last coach to win all three games with Roma was Herbert Burgess in 1929. De Rossi said after the win over Cagliari: "Roma are a strong team and the players have to believe in themselves. They were excellent from the start, not only controlling the ball but also understanding when to attack the space and hurt the opposition. It was a great performance."
Thanh Quy
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