Roma clinched a commanding 3-0 victory against Braga with goals from Lorenzo Pellegrini, Saud Abdulhamid, and Mario Hermoso, revitalizing their hopes in the Europa League. This win marks a significant boost for the Giallorossi, especially following their recent 4-1 triumph over Lecce under new manager Claudio Ranieri.
Pellegrini’s return to the lineup was a highlight, as it was his first match since Ranieri’s debut against Napoli on November 24. His presence proved pivotal; he opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Nicola Zalewski made a strong run down the left flank, cutting back to evade two defenders before setting up Pellegrini for a low shot from the edge of the area. The captain celebrated by embracing Ranieri on the touchline, showcasing the emotional significance of his return.
Roma continued to press for more goals, with Pellegrini nearly doubling his tally shortly after, hitting the crossbar with a header and seeing another effort deflected just wide. Goalkeeper Matheus was kept busy, making several crucial saves against Pellegrini’s curling shot and headers from Evan N’Dicka and Gianluca Mancini.
The second half saw Artem Dovbyk enter as a substitute, and Roma quickly extended their lead. Manu Koné skillfully maneuvered past a defender before providing a pass for Abdulhamid, who scored from a challenging angle—marking his first goal for Roma. Although Mancini had another goal disallowed for offside shortly thereafter, Roma maintained control of the match.
Despite several missed opportunities from Matias Soule and others, Braga’s task became even more difficult when Matheus received a red card for handling the ball outside the box. Roma almost scored again through Stephan El Shaarawy before Hermoso sealed the victory in stoppage time by converting a rebound from an N’Dicka shot.
Goals: Pellegrini 11 (R), Abdulhamid 47 (R), Hermoso 92 (R)
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Hummels (74’ Hermoso), Ndicka; Abdulhamid, Konè, Pisilli (’85’ Le Fée), Zalewski; Soulé (73’ El Shaarawy), Pellegrini ( 74’ Saelemaekers); Dybala (46′ Dovbyk).
Braga (4-3-3): Matheus; Ferreira, Oliveira, Bambu ( 46′ Marin), Roger; Ghabri ( 70’ Hornicek), Moutinho ( 56’ Zalazar), Gorby; R. Horta (56’ A. Horta), El Ouazzani (74’ Roberto Fernandez), G. Martinez.
