Spezia-Roma 0-2: Dybala assists, El Shaarawy and Abraham (super goal) score

Two goals to swallow the disappointment. The Zaniolo case disappears one afternoon in his city. Roma beat Spezia 2-0, closing the third victory in a row (including the Italian Cup), the fourth since the beginning of the year which projects them, at least for one night, just one point behind second place.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that the match was opened by those who materially replace the fugitive Nicolò on the pitch: Stephan El Shaarawy’s goal at the end of the first half closed a perfect counter-attack by capitalizing on the assist from Paulo Dybala, capable to serve him with the door unguarded by closing the triangle opened by the Pharaoh after an aerial contrast between Abraham and Amian. Then, check: perhaps the thing that Mourinho’s team does best: anesthetize the rhythms, cool the opponents’ aspirations by reducing the pace of the game. Then make it your own. As Abraham did at the beginning of the second half. Another touch from Dybala to get the English giant going, capable of a deadly run with a tunnel in Caldara and then icy in front of goalkeeper Dragowski’s exit, slipping the ball into goal for the goal that virtually closed the match already after 49 minutes of game. From that moment, just enough time for some magic from Dybala, hit harder than allowed on a couple of occasions, and to see the Norwegian Solbakken back on the field, a January signing to whom José allowed a few moments in recovery.

A significant success: Roma continues not to concede goals – in the 5 games of 2023 they have conceded only 2 for Milan at the San Siro – while they seem to have found their way back to the opponent’s goal. Perhaps, lighter without the obligation to bring together Abraham, Dybala, Pellegrini (this time absent due to physical problems) and Zaniolo. Here, Zaniolo. With him, who pulled himself out to force a market transfer, the Roma general manager Tiago Pinto was very harsh: “Occasionally individual interests are put before collective ones. It’s not the first time this has happened. Today all those who have the desire and motivation to fight for the team and bring the 3 points are here. I may have been wrong many times, but from my first day to the last, collective interests must always come first”. You don’t need to mention the name to understand who he was mad at.