STADIO ENNIO TARDINI (Parma) – Roma fell to just their second defeat of this Serie A season and first in nine games as they lost 2-0 against a resilient Parma on Sunday evening.
Roberto D’Aversa’s side themselves though had enjoyed a bright start to 2019/20 and that continued at the Tardini where they picked up their fourth win in their last five at home.
What a night in Parma! @ParmaCalcio_en beat Roma 2-0 and @ConJClancy was at the Tardini for #FIFattheGames.
Report ? https://t.co/VzgUXWdiN1#ParmaRoma #SerieA pic.twitter.com/e0vKbNdV1W
— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) November 10, 2019
The atmosphere ahead of kickoff was lively and that carried onto the pitch in the opening minutes. Gervinho raced down the left and with options in the centre he overran the ball himself and Chris Smalling was able to dispossess him.
Gianluca Mancini had the game’s first chance. A short corner was then whipped in but, moving backwards, he could only glance his header wide.
Gervinho had the biggest of the early chances. A clever corner routine from Parma saw their runners drag all of Roma’s defenders back towards their goal and the Ivorian was found free on the edge of the box but he sent his rushed shot over.
Pau Lopez’s first involvement came seconds later when Andreas Cornelius’ shot took a double deflection and the Spaniard did well to get down to his bottom-left corner and palm wide.
Both sides were guilty of some comically sliced efforts after half an hour. Dejan Kulusevski picked out Cornelius for the first, allowing Roma to break but Aleksandar Kolarov’s attempt was as wild as the Dane’s.
Gervinho’s greed got the better of him again as he overlooked a free Kulusevski to miss with his weaker right foot.
Chances were only coming at one end and Riccardo Gagliolo was next to force Pau into a save before Justin Kluivert struck at Luigi Sepe from range.
Kolarov rediscovered his technique in the second half though and curled a near-perfect freekick off the angle of Sepe’s woodwork. Nicolo Zaniolo followed up on the volley but Sepe did well to palm it behind.
Both midfields completely parted with bout an hour played as the sides just went at each other, though an opening in either backline never really developed. Kulusevski looked to created with a clever cutback from the byline but nobody in white was arriving before Kluivert and Zaniolo combined to take too many touches in a crowded Crociati box.
Parma then grabbed an unlikely lead through an improbable source in Mattia Sprocati. A Gagliolo cross found the substitute unmarked and after controlling on the turn he volleyed into the ground and his effort bounced into Pau’s corner.
Cornelius had an opening and should have doubled the lead moments later but the Spanish goalkeeper did well to get down again and turn it away. The No.11 missed another glorious chance after Kulusevski delivered more excellence to set him through on goal.
Kulusevski forced a top save from Pau with a late strike that looked destined for the top corner.
Cornelius did get his goal, finishing a late counterattack.
