Roma heats up the race for the top 4 in Serie A
On the day Jose Mourinho reappeared after a two-match ban, Roma played jubilantly when controlling the ball 51%, finishing 28 times with 11 shots on target, compared to 6 and 3 of the away team.
The turning point came in the 52nd minute, when midfielder Jeison Murillo cut down Tammy Abraham and received a second yellow card. In the phase of the ball right after, the homeowner took advantage of the man to get ahead. Nemanja Matic crossed one touch from outside the penalty area for midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum to break the offside trap and hit the ground to hit the home net.
In the 3-4 loss to Sassuolo at home two weeks ago, Wijnaldum also contributed a goal in the fourth minute. Therefore, the Dutch midfielder opened fire for the first time in two consecutive home matches since March 2017. , while still wearing the Liverpool shirt and meeting Arsenal, Burnley.
In the 87th minute, Wijnaldum continued to make a difference with a situation where he tried to dribble in the penalty area and was stopped by goalkeeper Nicola Ravaglia, giving Roma a penalty. On the 11m mark, Paulo Dybala sank to the left corner, while goalkeeper Sampdoria poured to the right, reaching the ten-goal mark in Serie A this season.
In the fourth minute, Ola Solbakken crossed the field for Stephan El Shaarawy to cross from the left wing to cut his heart to the far corner, setting a 3-0 victory. This result helps Roma rise to fifth with 50 points, equal to Inter and one point behind Milan.
After the match, Jose Mourinho admitted Roma were "inhibited" when they could not score despite creating many opportunities in the first half, and were easier to kick after Sampdoria received a red card. The Portuguese coach assessed Wijnaldum as catching up well with the whole team after a long break due to injury, while Diego Llorente distributed the ball well from the bottom line.
Yesterday, Roma played with a 4-2-3-1 system for the first time in 2023. Mourinho explained he must change and choose tactics according to the players who are ready to play. Roma this match lost Bryan Cristante, Marash Kumbulla, Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez are all suspended, while Rick Karsdorp is injured.
On April 8, Mourinho's teachers and students were guests of Torino in the 29th round of Serie A and then marched to the yard of Dutch club Feyenoord to play the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals on April 13.
Roma: Patricio, Llorente, Smalling, Spinazzola, Zalewski (Celik 86), Pellegrini (Solbakken 80), Matic, Wijnaldum, Abraham (Belotti 58), El Shaarawy, Dybala.
Sampdoria: Ravaglia, Amione, Yaison, Augello, Zanoli (Jese 90), Rincon (Paoletti 67), Winks (Malagrida 90), Leris, Gabbiadini (Lammers 67), Djuricic, Cuisance (Murru 55).
