AS Roma secured a commanding 2-0 victory at Hellas Verona to consolidate third place, with Dries Malen's penalty and Stephan El Shaarawy's late goal sealing the win despite the hosts' numerical disadvantage.
Roma arrived at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in excellent form, riding a five-game winning streak. The visitors sat third in Serie A with 73 points from 38 matches. Verona, by contrast, occupied 19th place with just 21 points and desperately needed points to fight relegation. The contrast in quality and momentum was evident from the start.
Roma dominated possession from kickoff, controlling the ball with 67 percent of the game. Verona struggled to gain a foothold in midfield. The home side's defensive structure came under constant pressure in the opening 35 minutes.
The first real incident came in the 35th minute when Nicolas Valentini received a yellow card. Lovric followed suit with a booking in the 45th minute. Verona's discipline was crumbling under Roma's relentless attacking play.
Then came the decisive moment. In the 50th minute, Valentini received a second yellow card and was sent off. Verona was reduced to ten men. The red card effectively ended any hope of a Verona comeback. Roma's numerical advantage became overwhelming.
The second half saw Roma capitalize immediately on their extra man. In the 56th minute, Dries Malen stepped up to convert a penalty kick. Malen's spot-kick was clinical and gave Roma a deserved lead. The goal came from Verona's inability to maintain discipline.
Roma controlled the remainder of the match with ease. Paulo Dybala orchestrated play beautifully from midfield, creating chances and setting up teammates. His performance earned an 8.9 rating. Dybala completed two assists during the match, showcasing his creative brilliance.
Verona's goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò made five saves to keep the scoreline respectable. Despite the deficit, Montipò performed admirably with a rating of 8.3. His efforts prevented the score from becoming embarrassing.
Roma's dominance was reflected in the statistics. The visitors registered 19 total shots compared to Verona's eight. Roma managed seven shots on target while Verona managed just three. The expected goals told the story: Roma 3.36, Verona 0.77.
In the 90th plus three minute, El Shaarawy added a second goal to seal the victory. The substitute latched onto a loose ball and finished decisively. Roma's passing accuracy of 88 percent demonstrated their control throughout.
The result means Roma maintains their challenge for the title race. Verona's struggles continue as they hover near the relegation zone. The gap between third and 19th place was brutally exposed on this evening.
