39 shots and a late turnaround: Roma defeat Atalanta 2-1

Roma turn late pressure into a 2-1 win

AS Roma defeated Atalanta 2-1 at Stadio Olimpico in Serie A, securing the match winner after a late turnaround. Atalanta moved ahead shortly after half-time through Éderson José dos Santos, but Roma responded with two goals in the final two minutes to complete the comeback.

Late goals decide the contest

The opening half ended without a goal, although Roma controlled much of the play and created the greater volume of attacking opportunities. Gian Piero Gasperini was booked in the 40th minute, while Atalanta replaced Gianluca Scamacca with Nikola Krstović at the interval.

Éderson José dos Santos broke the deadlock in the 47th minute with a normal goal for Atalanta. Roma made two changes in the 54th minute, introducing Nahuel Molina and Matias Soule, and continued to press. Further substitutions followed for both sides, including Daniele Ghilardi and Santiago Thomas Castro for Roma, before Nicola Zalewski replaced Elif Elmas for Atalanta in the 66th minute.

Roma finally found an equaliser in the 89th minute. Mario Hermoso scored a normal goal after an assist from Matias Soule. Soule then completed the turnaround one minute later, scoring after a pass from Paulo Dybala to make it 2-1. The late sequence transformed a match Atalanta had led for more than 40 minutes after the restart.

Roma dominated the numbers

The scoreline understated Roma’s control. The home side had 67% possession and completed 546 accurate passes compared with Atalanta’s 250. Roma attempted 39 shots, including 27 from inside the box, while Atalanta managed six shots in total and only two on target. Roma also had 14 corners to Atalanta’s one.

Atalanta goalkeeper M. Carnesecchi made nine saves, helping his side remain in front until the closing stages. Roma goalkeeper saves totalled one. The visitors had no shots from outside the box, while Roma recorded 12, further reflecting the sustained pressure applied by the home team.

Soule leads Roma’s decisive response

Matias Soule was the standout performer, receiving a match rating of 8.4. In 36 minutes, he scored once, supplied one assist and registered three shots on target and two key passes. Hermoso also made a decisive contribution with a goal, four key passes and a rating of 8.3, while Dybala provided the assist for the winner.

Maurizio Sarri was booked in the 55th minute and Raoul Bellanova received Atalanta’s final yellow card in the 84th. There were no red cards. Roma began the match ranked third with six points from two games, while Atalanta were sixth with six points; Roma’s victory extends their winning start to three matches, while Atalanta’s two-match winning run ends.