Roma strike twice late to beat Cagliari 4-2

Late response settles an open match

ROME — Roma scored twice in the final minutes to beat Cagliari 4-2 on Tuesday at the Stadio Olimpico, extending their unbeaten start to the Serie A season. The league’s match record lists goals from Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli for Roma, with M’Bala Nzola’s penalty and Daniel Maldini’s equalizer for Cagliari before Rodrigo Mora and Donyell Malen finished the scoring. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Cagliari took the lead from the penalty spot after a handball review, with Nzola converting in the 10th minute, Football Italia reported. Roma replied five minutes later when Lulli headed in Nahuel Molina’s cross. Pisilli then turned in a Lulli delivery in the 21st minute to put the hosts ahead, giving the home side a 2-1 halftime advantage, according to the league and Football Italia. ^{[1] [2]}

The visitors stayed in the contest and drew level through Maldini, who finished a counterattack after Adam Obert’s pass. Football Italia said Roma goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini had denied Maldini shortly before the equalizer. The goal changed the closing stretch: Roma pushed forward again, and the league’s scoring record shows the hosts reclaimed the lead through Mora in the 85th minute. ^{[1] [2]}

The score reflected a match with chances at both ends rather than a one-way home performance. Football Italia reported that Gollini made a one-handed stop to keep out Michel Adopo in the first half and later denied a Maldini effort before Cagliari’s equalizer. Roma also threatened through Matías Soulé and Malen, but the visitors’ counterattacks repeatedly stretched the defense. The league’s match statistics listed 20 shots for Roma and 18 for Cagliari, with nine efforts on target for the away side and seven for the hosts. ^{[1] [2]}

Mora and Malen provide the finish

Mora, introduced from the bench, headed in Daniele Ghilardi’s cross to make it 3-2. Two minutes later, Mora helped create the insurance goal and Malen finished the move, Football Italia reported. The league recorded Malen’s goal in the 87th minute, turning a match that had been level late into a two-goal Roma win. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The result put Roma third with 21 points after nine matches, while Cagliari remained on 13 points in ninth, the Serie A table displayed on the league’s match page showed. Roma entered the night unbeaten in the league; the victory preserved that run while adding another home win in a season in which they have challenged near the top of the standings. ^{[1] [3]}

Roma’s win also followed a demanding stretch: Football Italia noted that the club had drawn with Inter, Como and Napoli in recent league matches and was dealing with several absences. The 4-2 result offered a different kind of test, as Roma recovered quickly after conceding twice and converted its late pressure into two goals. Cagliari, meanwhile, had entered the game after a draw with Juventus and losses to Monza and Bologna, according to the same report. ^[2]