Lecce, reduced to ten, and the returning Samuel Umititi, for his first match for ten months, made Roma suffer by only narrowly losing on a penalty from Paulo Dybala (2-1), Sunday during the 9th day of Serie A. AS Roma, who lost Dybala injured in the wake of his goal (48th), remained until the end under the threat of a combative promoted. But she preserved this precious success which brings her back to fifth place, four points behind leader Naples.
In a full Stadio olimpico (64,000 spectators) for the reception of the 16th, Roma seemed set for an easy match: they took the advantage in the 6th minute on a whim from Chris Smalling then found themselves eleven against ten after the exclusion of Danish midfielder Lecce Morten Hjulmand for a poorly controlled intervention on Andrea Belotti (23rd).
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A decisive pass and a match without risks: Umtiti played football again
But without complex, Lecce equalized before the break on a corner concluded by a strong strike from Gabriel Strefezza (39th), scorer in the last three matches. Samuel Umtiti, tenured for the first time since his surprise arrival in August, on loan from Barcelona, was the decisive passer in the action, managing to put the ball back. For his first match since December 2021, the French world champion avoided taking too many risks in his raises, playing on the side or back towards his goalkeeper.
The ex-Lyonnais, tenured on the left side of the central defense, was on the other hand very present in the duels, against Nicolo Zaniolo in the first period then Tammy Abraham in the second. He made up for his lack of pace with his experience, stepping in early and talking a lot to his partners. The one who has accumulated knee injuries in recent seasons was scared during a shock in the second half, scooping a warning for protesting (57th). But he was finally able to regain his place and stayed until the end.
AS Roma spoiled a lot and ultimately owes its victory only to a fairly generous penalty obtained by Abraham on the restart. Dybala converted it but injured his left thigh on his strike, exiting with a worried grimace a month and a half before Argentina opener at the 2022 World Cup.
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