Roma triumphed 3-1 over Genoa, ending Patrick Vieira’s unbeaten away record. The victory featured notable contributions from Artem Dovbyk, who scored a close-range tap-in, and Stephan El Shaarawy, who netted a stunning goal on his 300th appearance for the club.
Roma kicked off 2025 with a victory in the Derby della Capitale but faced a challenging draw against Bologna that required a last-minute penalty to secure a 2-2 result. Bryan Cristante remained sidelined due to injury. Genoa, on the other hand, continued to struggle with an extensive injury list, missing key players such as Milan Badelj, Vitinha, and Mario Balotelli, although Fabio Miretti made his return to the starting lineup.
The match began with Paulo Dybala almost finding the net early on; his free kick from 25 yards struck the crossbar, marking the 11th time this season that Roma has hit the woodwork. The breakthrough came when Koni De Winter failed to intercept an Alexis Saelemaekers cross. Although Lorenzo Pellegrini’s shot was saved by Genoa’s goalkeeper Nicola Leali, Dovbyk was perfectly positioned to tap in the rebound.
Genoa’s woes compounded when Mattia Bani suffered a muscular injury. However, they managed to equalize shortly after when Patrizio Masini volleyed in Miretti’s corner kick from close range, marking a memorable moment for the young player on his first start.
As the match progressed, controversy arose when Stefano Sabelli appeared to handle the ball in the penalty area. While protests erupted and VAR reviewed the incident, Dybala cleverly set up El Shaarawy, who curled a beautiful shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area, celebrating his milestone appearance against his former club.
The third goal came amidst chaos as Manu Koné’s cross was intercepted by Johan Vasquez but deflected off Leali and into the net, with Dybala credited for the final touch.
Genoa continued to push for a comeback but saw Andrea Pinamonti’s volley skim past the post and Niccolò Pisilli miss a chance after being set up by El Shaarawy. Matias Soule also came close with a shot that curled just over in stoppage time.
Goals: Dovbyk 25 (R), Masini 33 (G), El Shaarawy 60 (R), Leali og 73 (R)
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Hummels (76′ Pisilli), Ndicka; Saelemaekers (76′ Celik), Koné, Paredes, Angelino; Dybala (84′ Soulé), Pellegrini (46′ El Shaarawy); Dovbyk (84′ Shomurodov)
Genoa (4-3-3): Leali; De Winter, Bani (32′ Sabelli), Vasquez, Martin; Masini, Frendrup, Thorsby (68′ Venturino); Zanoli (68′ Ekhator), Pinamonti, Miretti (85′ Kassa)
