An early Cengiz Under strike set Roma on their way to a 2-1 victory over Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Wednesday.
The Turkey international latched on to a smart Aleksandar Kolarov freekick to fire in from close range, as the Giallorossi dominated the first hour.
An Ervin Zukanovic own goal early in the second half ensured the Giallorossi looked to have put the result beyond doubt, only for Gianluca Lapadula to take advantage of a string of errors in midfield to strike back. Despite a spirited fightback, the Grifone were unable to rescue a point however.
Roma began on the front foot and showed early attacking impetus. After Gerson had done well to bring the ball under control and spray the ball out wide, Alessandro Florenzi cut onto his left foot and whipped into a crowded box. Luca Rossettini was on hand to head clear before Edin Dzeko could meet the cross.
Genoa were struggling to make an impact in the opening quarter of an hour, and Roma soon stepped up a gear. Dzeko found Under in the box, and the youngster’s smart turn allowed him space to fashion a low snapshot that kept Mattia Perin on his toes.
However, the visitors did not heed the warning and soon found themselves behind. The goal came from Genoa’s own doing, as Rossettini overran the ball and caught Gerson in his efforts to retrieve it. Having received a yellow card, the centre-back was punished further when the Giallorossi scored from the resulting freekick.
Kolarov’s wicked delivery from deep evaded everyone, and Under was able to ghost in at the back post to fire into the roof of the net.
???????? Cengiz Ünder GOOOL yine att? ! Harikas?n Çocuk !
(Tüm Goller için ?? @KramponSport ) pic.twitter.com/XVen9NPjwa
— Krampon Sports Media (@Kramponmedia) April 18, 2018
Genoa were chasing shadows and could have been in a deeper mire shortly after, as Gerson released Stephan El Shaarawy with a smart backheel. Perin could only watch on as the former Genoa forward’s curling effort whistled past the post.
Having rarely threatened in the opening 30 minutes, the Grifone were offered a chance to draw level cheaply. Juan Jesus misjudged a long ball over the top and Gianluca Lapadula raced in behind, only for Alisson to charge off his line and sweep up.
As they began to take more of a foothold in the match, Genoa’s confidence grew and two former Roma players combined to threaten their boyhood club. Andrea Bertolacci secured a loose ball before scooping a fine pass into the box for the onrushing Aleandro Rosi, but Alisson was quickest to lunge and punch clear once more.
After such a blistering start, the Lupi struggled to break into the visitors’ box in the latter part of the first half, but continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession.
Roma began the second half much as they had the first, and came close to hitting the back of the net within two minutes of the restart. A deep Gerson cross to the back post was nodded across the face of goal by El Shaarawy, but Perin did well to punch the ball away as Dzeko readied himself to head in.
Indeed the Giallorossi soon doubled their advantage, courtesy of a Zukanovic own goal. Under no pressure, the former Roma defender misjudged a Kolarov corner to head beyond Perin, via the inside of the far post.
Zukanovi? own goal pic.twitter.com/smYVa8W0eP
— RomaPress (@ASRomaPress) April 18, 2018
Yet Genoa hit back on the hour mark, as they pounced on a catalogue of errors. Maxime Gonalons’ poor pass was miscontrolled by Gerson and Goran Pandev snatched possession before slicing through the Roma defence with a fine through ball. Lapadula latched on to the pass before bending a superb finish beyond the onrushing Alisson to halve the deficit.
#Lapadula! Il #Genoa riapre il match! #RomaGenoa 2-1 pic.twitter.com/6hxaLET3jW
— Alessia N??velli (@Alessia_Nov) April 18, 2018
The goal gave Genoa a new sense of belief, and the introduction of Giuseppe Rossi almost yielded an immediate equaliser. Zukanovic looked to atone for his error with a dangerous cross which Rossi met with an awkward volley, forcing Alisson to tip around the post.
Roma were committing a number of errors at the back, with Kostas Manolas’ lazy pass giving the ball straight to Lapadula, who launched a quick counterattack and released Iuri Medeiros on the right.
The Portuguese burst into the box beyond Jesus and aimed for Rossi across the face of goal, but an outstretched Alisson rescued his teammates.
Having suffered a number of scares, the hosts showed some attacking prowess late on. Lorenzo Pellegrini’s accurate ball over the top was met by Dzeko in the box, and the Bosnian flicked it into the path of Florenzi. Perin had to react quickly to thwart the Giallorossi full-back’s low drive.
Despite a spirited Genoa fightback, Roma held on to secure all three points and move back into third place. Genoa remain in twelfth, ahead of the visit of Hellas Verona on Monday.
