Roma Defeats Genoa with Two Stunning Goals; Gasperini Finishes Second

Roma defeated Genoa 2-0 in Saturday’s final early match of the seventh round of Serie A: the Giallorossi broke the deadlock in the second half, thanks to goals by Castro and Lulli, and moved up to 17 points in the standings, taking second place. De Rossi’s team remains in second-to-last place with 4 points.

It was a tough first half; Genoa was well-organized and shut down every opening for the Romans. The slow pace didn’t favor the Giallorossi, who struggled to create chances and, on the other hand, were put in danger several times at the back. In the 30th minute, Balerdi hit the crossbar following a corner kick by Pisilli; a few minutes later, former Roma player El Shaarawy responded with a great long-range shot.

In the second half, Castro broke the deadlock with a masterpiece: the former Bologna player, in the 50th minute, placed the ball into the top corner with a delightful chip, weaving his way through a crowded box. Genoa tried to respond but failed to create any chances aside from a solo effort by Messias. And in the 68th minute, Gasperini’s team made it 2-0 with another moment of magic: a stunning play by Soulé set up Pellegrini, whose shot was deflected right to Lulli’s feet, allowing him to score his first Serie A goal.

Roma controlled the closing stages of the match; Gollini had to make a save on Osmajic’s shot in the 80th minute, but that was the last major threat. Roma won and remained within striking distance of Inter.