Roma-Lecce 2-1: Dybala wins it but stops due to an injury

With great suffering, more psychological because of the fear of mockery than technical because of what was seen on the field, Roma finally brought home the three points with Lecce that allow them to keep pace with the leaders: they remain four points behind Napoli, two behind Atalanta in second place and one behind Udinese and Milan, and one behind Lazio. But it was a victory paid for dearly because Dybala was injured by kicking the penalty of 2-1 (fifth consecutive goal for him) and the hole in the precious quadriceps will force Mourinho to rethink the starting team perhaps for all nine matches between now and the World Cup in Qatar, which will now inevitably occupy the Joya's thoughts probably exclusively. After a dazzling start, Roma went down just as they were left in numerical superiority due to a Var expulsion for Hjulmand, Strefezza in a scrum equalized Smalling's opening goal, and only at the start of the second half, perhaps still a bit too cold, did Dybala put the team back in the lead and then sit on the bench with an ice pack on his thigh and his thoughts distracted by the dark rest period ahead. And from there he watched Roma's rough match, with so much superficiality in conclusions, too much confusion, no concrete plan to score the goal of tranquility.

Yet the dazzling start seemed to have immediately set the road downhill. Pellegrini's return in the midfield (the other new additions Viña at left back and Belotti starting for the first time in the league, with Spinazzola, Matic and Abraham on the bench) had given Mourinho an extra man in the opposition's three-quarter, with Lecce stunned and forced on the ropes from the whistle of referee Prontera. Beautiful and flowing were the game's textures, quick and responsive to the Roma players on the field. And paradoxically as long as the teams remained in numerical parity there was no match: always on the verge of overflowing the Roma, always in trouble the Salentini and the usual overwhelming power on inactive balls and aerial play. So it only took a corner earned by the fine percussion by Zaniolo, Dybala and Belotti to put Roma on top, with the ball pushed back out of the area, picked up on the right by Pellegrini and fired hard with the usual precision to the second post, where Smalling remaining in the area from the corner overpowering the young Gendrey and smashing it into the opposite corner: fifth header goal out of twelve in total. Baroni did not disunite, his 4-3-3 is a well-applied system, Lecce defending with order and attacking with the speed of the Zambian Banda on the left and the technique of the Brazilian Strefezza on the right, behind Umtiti's experience and Baschirotto's strength are usually enhanced by the attention of the full-backs (on the left Pezzella) and the midfielders (Askildsen, Hjulmand and Gonzalez) put into the non-possession phase. But with such a surging Roma, Lecce skidded several times: in the 9th minute on another development from a corner Zaniolo from the left put in low without any Roma player being able to intervene, on the other side Zalewski crossed again and Smalling with a heel even risked a double. In the 12th minute, a prodigious heel assist from Pellegrini launched Cristante into the empty space on the left, and the closed triangle favored the captain again, ready with a flat shot on goal, without hitting the mirror. In the 22nd minute, the episode that seemed likely to close the game: a clash in Lecce's half between Hjulmand and Belotti showed in the Var shot a harshness from the Dane that Prontera on the field had not caught, right foot on the shin and left foot close to the face. Banti called his colleague back to reviews and a red card came: a bit harsh, it must be said.

There Roma perhaps made the mistake of considering the game closed. Lecce had never yet come out of its three-quarter and perhaps someone began to think about the trip to Seville. Baroni left the team as it was, lowering the two attacking outfielders at the start, for a 441 that contained Roma's attacks better than before. Only Zaniolo's header and Pellegrini, freed by Belotti, troubled Falcone again, though without taking the goal. A descent by Banda on the left, burning Zalewski and Mancini, with a subsequent cross intercepted by Smalling, resounded as a strange alarm: how dared these already beaten opponents reduced in ten to cross the halfway line and even aim for the goal? And it would not remain an isolated case: because in the 39th minute the same Banda again scorched the strip and this time Pellegrini intervened to clear for a corner. On the low-beaten corner, a scrum was triggered that was settled by Strefezza with an accurate right to the corner. Stricken in pride and awakened by the sudden slap, Roma again stormed the opponent's goal, summoning Falcone to intervene on a great left-footed shot by Zalewski on a solo percussion. In the 42nd minute, the goal seemed ripe, when Dybala practically put Zaniolo in touch with the goalkeeper, but Nicolò tried to adjust the ball on his left instead of striking with his right, allowing Baschirotto to deflect the ball into the corner. And the three minutes of recovery passed without a stir.

When the teams returned to the field, there were three new faces: Spinazzola and Abraham for Viña and Zaniolo, and Frenchman Blin for Gonzalez-with no change in tactical theme. And it took only a minute for Abraham to win a penalty awarded by Prontera without hesitation. Too bad that in a few seconds it went from joy for the newfound advantage to bitterness for yet another injury, and just of the most important man. In living memory we cannot remember a Roma player being injured while kicking a penalty: as of this match Dybala also has this record at Roma. Perfect as usual the shot from the penalty spot, to displace Falcone, immediate the feeling of the rupture of the muscle fiber, with the inevitable substitution (inside Matic) and the ice bag immediately rested to limit the damage, as much as possible. So while the advantage that will be definitive was maturing on the pitch, Roma's thoughts immediately went to foretelling a bleak future, echoing the question of hindsight: was it necessary to have the Argentine play this game as well in the midst of a double European challenge?

The game then lasted one more half in which Roma kicked eight more times toward the goal, building four clear chances on goal (missed by Zalewski in the 9th minute, Belotti's header in the 29th minute, Abraham's diving header in the 43rd minute, and Shomurodov, who came on to take over for Belotti in the 48th minute), but always showing this sloppiness in the construction of the maneuver and this surprise that left the feeling to the 64,018 spectators (yet another sold-out and new season record) with the feeling that even the mockery of a possible equalizer was just around the corner. Di Francesco tried a couple of times to ruin the evening for good, but Rui Patricio was not surprised. And so it came to the 95th minute breathing a long sigh of relief, immediately broken by that disconsolate image of Dybala with the ice bag.