Roma Is Smiling Again; Sassuolo Swept Aside at the Olimpico. The Updated Serie A Standings

After Tuesday’s major disappointment in the Champions League—where a 2-0 lead at Manchester United was squandered in the second half, resulting in a 3-2 loss to the Red Devils— Roma are smiling again as they extend their winning streak in the league with a decisive 3-0 victory over Sassuolo at the Olimpico. For the Giallorossi, it’s their second straight win in a league campaign where they remain undefeated, while the Neroverdi are dealing with their fifth consecutive loss, which seriously jeopardizes coach Alberto Aquilani’s position.

Despite a strong start by Sassuolo, Roma remained composed and nearly took the lead in the 12th minute through Balerdi, whose header was cleared by Caleta-Car just before the ball crossed the goal line. The goal didn’t come until another quarter-hour had passed: in the 27th minute, Malen recovered the ball in a dangerous area and found the onrushing Hermoso, who beat Muric with his left foot to make it 1-0.

The second goal came shortly after, in the 30th minute: this time, Malen shot toward the net; the ball was deflected first by Idzes and then by Walukiewicz, whose deflection completely wrong-footed the Sassuolo goalkeeper and put the Giallorossi up 2-0. The Neroverdi were definitively out of the game: early in the second half, it was Malen again who caused panic, though he failed to score in the 48th minute—while off balance—and in the 55th minute due to Muric’s save. The third goal came in the 58th minute: this time, the Dutchman provided the assist for Rodrigo Mora, who sealed the match with the 3-0 goal.

Roma continued to attack in the final half-hour but failed to add to their lead, while a Sassuolo side that seemed far too subdued struggled to cross the opponent’s halfway line, finishing with just 35 percent possession and a single shot on goal over the entire 90 minutes. With the win, the Giallorossi temporarily move into second place, one point behind Lazio, overtaking Inter, who face Como on Sunday at 6 p.m. For Sassuolo, however, it’s a dark night: 8 points in eleven games and the relegation zone just a step away.

Serie A Standings

Lazio 28; Roma 27*; Inter 25; Como 23; Milan 21; Frosinone 20; Juventus 17; Bologna 17*; Cagliari 16*; Napoli 14; Torino 14*; Genoa 13; Atalanta 11; Lecce 10*; Fiorentina 8; Parma 8*; Sassuolo 8*; Monza 7; Venezia 6*; Udinese 5* (teams marked with an asterisk have played one more game).