Ends 2-2 Rome-Salernitanapostponement of the 36th day of A league. The Giallorossi go down after 12′ punished by one Candreva’s magicthey grab it again in the second half with El Shaarawy (47′), but soon after they are struck again by an invention by Yes (54′). In the 83rd minute he thinks about it Matic to save Mourinho from defeat, even if the lack of victories in the league continues. There penalty inflicted on Juventus holds a door open for the fourth place (now occupied by Milan, 4 points away), even if the most tempting opportunity to qualify for the next one Champions League stay there Budapest final against Sevilla.
THE MATCH
Mourinho opts for a large turnover by moving Bove back on the defense line, choosing the midfield couple Tahirovic-Camara and Belotti as an offensive reference. Not even on the bench Dybala, aiming to be 100% for the Euroa League final. The great balance of the first minutes is broken in the 12th minute by aCoulibaly’s invention: millimeter throw for Candrevawho cuts out a naïve El Shaarawy and invents a magic touch behind Rui Patricio. The Giallorossi tried to react, but without being able to create really dangerous actions and indeed continuing to suffer from the movements and unpredictability of Dia and Candreva between the lines. The first ring from the hosts comes after half an hour and bears the signature of El Shaarawy, who receives a nice ball from Bove on the edge, but kicks wide with his right foot. In the end of the fraction the rhythms drop a lot, but in the second of the three minutes of added time, from a free kick, Roma grabs the draw: to score is Ibanezma Colombo cancels after an on-field review for a double touch of the hand by Belotti before the Brazilian’s shot on goal. We go into the break with Mourinho’s team down 0-1.
The Portuguese revolutionizes the team at the start of the second half, inserting Llorente, Matic and Pellegrini for Ibanez, Tahirovic and a disastrous Solbakken. Two minutes are enough for the captain to become the protagonist: his free-kick from distance is not perfectly blocked by Ochoa, El Shaarawy anticipates everyone and finds the 1-1 with the right plate in the corner. The yellow and red attitude is clearly more proactive than in the first half, but in the 54th minute the freezing shower arrives: Candreva fans for Piatek, who with a lucky rebound finds Yesgood at inventing the goal that is worth 1-2 with the back heel. In the 67th minute Mourinho tries to play his card Abraham, deployed in tandem with Belotti in place of an anonymous Wijnaldum. However, what makes the Olimpico scream is Matic, who in the melee on corner developments finds the right paw for the 2-2 a few minutes from the 90th minute. The hosts try to throw their heart over the obstacle and launch a final assault, in a moment of tension between Zalewski and Dia a couple of reds also fly towards the benchesbut despite the 7′ of added time the result doesn’t change.
REPORT CARDS
Solbakken 4.5 – Scattered, confused and inaccurate. In the first half of great suffering for the entire yellow and red attack, he is by far the most in difficulty.
El Shaarawy 6,5 – Candreva loses, with the complicity of Ibanez, on the occasion of the 0-1 draw, but redeems himself by leading his team’s counteroffensive and finding the 1-1 goal justly.
Wijnaldum 5 – He too, like Solbakken, struggles to find the ideal position on the pitch and to provide adequate support for the offensive manoeuvre.
Candréva 7 – A goal that alone is worth the price of the ticket, then the illuminating launch that gives the 1-2 goal. Absolute protagonist.
Piatek 5,5 – Little in the heart of the maneuver and never dangerous. Dia’s 1-2 was born from his initiative, but the assist was to all intents and purposes the result of a random rebound.
It’s 6.5 – A so-so first half, then the back-heel goal that projects him to 16 in a season that really deserves to be framed.
THE TABLE
Rome-Salernitana 2-2
Roma (3-4-2-1): Rui Patricio 6; Bove 5.5, Smalling 6, Ibanez 5.5 (1′ st Llorente 5.5); Zalewski 6, Tahirovic 5 (1′ st Matic 6), Camara 5,5 (30′ st Cristante 6), El Shaarawy 6,5; Wijnaldum 5 (22′ st Abraham 5,5), Solbakken 4,5 (1′ st Pellegrini 6); Belotty 5.
Trainer: Mourih 5
Salerno (3-4-2-1): Ochoa 6; Daniliuc 6, Gyomber 6 (21′ st Lovato 6), Pirola 6,5 (33′ st Troost-Ekong 6); Kastanos 6 (14′ st Mazzocchi 6), Coulibaly 6,5, Bohinen 6,5 (21′ st Vilhena 6), Bradaric 6; Candreva 7 (33′ st Bothheim 6), Dia 6,5; Piatek 5,5.
Trainer: Sousa 6,5
Referee: Colombo
Markers: 12′ Candreva (S), 2′ st El Shaarawy (R), 9′ st Dia (S), 38′ st Matic (R)
Ammonite yourself: Gyomber (S), Ochoa (S), Daniliuc (S), Dia (S), Zalewski (R)
Expelled:
THE STATISTICS
• Prior to Antonio Candreva, only two midfielders had scored against both Roma and Lazio away in a Serie A season since the tournament returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05): Matías Vecino in 2017/18 and Kakà in 2007/08.
• Boulaye Dia (16 goals in 2022/23) equaled Keita Baldé (16 in 2016/17) as Senegal’s top goalscorer in a single Serie A season.
• Roma have failed to find success in six Serie A games in a row (D4 L2) for the first time since January 2018 (six under Eusebio Di Francesco).
• Only Mbala Zola (50%) has been involved in more goals for his team than Boulaye Dya (16 goals and six assists) in Serie A this season (49%-22/45).
• Roma have won just one of their last seven league games that have come after a Europa League match this season (D2 L4).
• Stephan El Shaarawy has scored five goals in 2023 in Serie A, as many as he scored in the previous two calendar years in the competition.
• Roma have scored 14 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half this Serie A season, only Napoli (17) and Inter Milan (16) have more in the top flight.
• Krzysztof Piatek has been involved in at least one goal in three consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since February 2019 (four in that case).
• Nemanja Matic scored his second Serie A goal after his one against Turin last November, both goals coming in the last 10 minutes of the game.
• Antonio Candreva has scored six league goals for Salernitana this season, among midfielders only Renzo Merlin (10 in 1947/48) has scored more in a single Serie A season with the granata.
• Antonio Canderva has scored in back-to-back Serie A matches for the first time since November 2021
• José Mourinho has reached 150 benches in Serie A.
• Krzysztof Piatek plays his 100th match in Serie A.
• Antonio Candreva equaled Sergio Cervato (466 games) as the 29th most capped player in Serie A history.