Roma pulled off an absolutely wild 2-1 comeback victory against Atalanta at the Stadio Olimpico, with both goals somehow landing in added time after they trailed for pretty much the entire game thanks to an early Ederson strike. Seriously, if you blinked, you missed the whole turnaround.
Talk About Dominance With No Reward… Until The Last Second!
Gian Piero Gasperini, the Roma coach, said it perfectly: “Roma really believe” now, and honestly, after watching that, who could argue? The Giallorossi dominated the first half, pushing hard, but couldn’t make anything count. Atalanta’s Ederson snagged a goal against the run of play, and it felt like it was going to be one of those super frustrating evenings. Atalanta’s goalie, Marco Carnesecchi, was a brick wall with several incredible saves. Roma’s Santiago Castro even hit the woodwork twice, talk about unlucky! Gasperini mentioned that attacking constantly in the heat without scoring really drains your energy, but the squad just kept pushing to the very end. The stats back it up, too: Roma had a staggering 66.5 percent possession, fired off 10 shots on target to Atalanta’s two, and had 39 overall attempts on goal compared to their six. They deserved that win, no question.
Substitutions Were Clutch, And The Squad Is Deeper Now
Then came the magic in added time. First up, Mario Hermoso’s looping header found the net off the inside of the far post from a corner, tying things up. And before anyone could even breathe, Matias Soulé absolutely drilled one into the near bottom corner for the 2-1 winner. Gasperini pointed out how crucial the substitutions were, even in defense. Bringing on Balerdi and Ghilardi gave them fresh legs back there, shutting down Atalanta’s counter-attacks, which were starting to look dangerous. He was hyped on the quality coming off the bench, too. Soulé was “decisive,” and Molina brought “some quality,” just like they planned all summer to deepen the squad. Gasperini even hinted that Castro and Donyell Malen, who Castro replaced, could totally co-exist on the field. With a packed fixture list of big games coming after the international break, there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone and different tactical systems. It’s clear this team has more options and, as Gasperini put it, the “quality has increased.”
That kind of late-game belief, especially against a strong team and after being down, speaks volumes. When you’re pushing for 89 minutes and finally get rewarded, it really shows what a squad is made of. Now, with a full schedule on the horizon after the international break, Roma will need every bit of that belief and their deeper bench. Bring it on!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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