ROME (ITALPRESS) – Roma also regained their smile in the Europa League after beating Lecce 4-1 in the league: the Giallorossi team beat Braga 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico and climbed to 9 points in the standings, but in addition to the victory there were many positive notes at the disposal of Claudio Ranieri, who enjoyed the first goals of the season from three players who for different reasons have been the mystery objects of these months: Lorenzo Pellegrini, Saud Abdulhamid and Mario Hermoso. The Roma captain – back from three consecutive benches – needed only eleven minutes to get on the scoreboard: Zalewski sprinted into a regular position and offloaded for the Giallorossi midfielder, who from the edge of the box kicked with his right and beat Matheus. Pellegrini came close to making it 2-0 on three other occasions in the first half: on 15′ he hit the crossbar with a header off a cross from Mancini, on 30′ he grazed the post on a suggestion from Kone and on 40′ he engaged Matheus with a great conclusion from outside the box. The Portuguese’s extreme defender also saves the goal in 41′ on a header by Ndicka, but 2-0 is in the air and we have to wait until the second minute of the second half. Kone worked a ball well and served Saud Abdulhamid, who broke through in the box and with a sharp right-footed shot signed his first goal in a Giallorossi shirt. The Romanista siege continued, but Soulè wasted two sharp chances for the third: the first in 59′ on an assist from Saud, the second in 64′ on a suggestion from an unmarkable Kone. Closing out the match was the expulsion of goalkeeper Matheus who in 68′, in an attempt to stop Saud Abdulhamid outside the box, repelled his shot with his arm. Roma, in 11 against 10, lowered the pace a bit, but in the salvage found the third goal with Hermoso, who put in the net after goalkeeper Hornicek’s rebound on Ndicka’s earlier shot. The Spaniard can also be an option for the Giallorossi’s next two European matches, the away one against AZ Alkmaar (Jan. 23) and the home one against Eintracht (Jan. 30).- photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
