Roma maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season with a 2-0 victory over Torino at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.
Donyell Malen opened the scoring five minutes before halftime before Niccolò Pisilli sealed the result in the 93rd minute. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have now won their opening four league matches and extended their Serie A winning streak to nine games dating back to last season.
It was not Roma’s most fluent performance of the campaign, but the Giallorossi successfully managed the physical effects of Thursday’s Champions League trip to Istanbul and returned to the capital with another three points and a clean sheet.
Gasperini rotates his Roma lineup
Gasperini made several notable changes following the 1-1 draw against Fenerbahce.
Evan Ndicka, Manu Koné and Wesley were all left out of the starting lineup. Leonardo Balerdi made his first Roma start in the centre of defence, Pisilli partnered Bryan Cristante in midfield and Nahuel Molina replaced Wesley on the left.
Emanuele Lulli retained his place at right wing-back, while Paulo Dybala and Matias Soulé supported Malen in attack.
Torino began aggressively and attempted to exploit the unfamiliarity within Roma’s reshuffled side. The visitors initially struggled with their marking and ball control, but Gasperini’s team gradually settled after the opening 10 minutes.
Malen gives Roma the lead
Roma’s first major opportunity arrived when Mario Hermoso delivered an excellent cross into the penalty area. Malen found space but directed his header wide of the target.
Dybala then began finding gaps between Torino’s defensive lines. The Argentine released Malen with two incisive passes, although one opportunity ended with a poor touch and the other was stopped by an offside decision.
Roma continued to control possession without consistently finding the necessary quality in the final third. Soulé struggled to exert his usual influence from the left, while Molina appeared less comfortable attacking from the opposite flank.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 40th minute.
Gianluca Mancini stepped forward to recover possession in midfield before Dybala immediately released Malen behind the Torino defence. The Dutchman fought through the challenge and forced the ball into the net while losing his balance.
The determined finish gave Roma a deserved advantage and took Malen to six goals in four Serie A matches. He became only the third player in club history to reach that total across the opening four league games of a season, joining Pedro Manfredini and Francesco Totti.
Malen later reacted to matching Totti’s historic scoring start, describing it as “beautiful” to see his name alongside the Roma legend.
Svilar protects Roma’s advantage
Roma struggled to reproduce the same control after halftime.
The visitors’ buildup became increasingly direct, allowing Torino to recover possession and attack the space behind Gasperini’s defensive line. The hosts consequently began creating more dangerous situations.
Mile Svilar was required to make the most important save of the match when Torino broke through one-on-one. The Roma goalkeeper remained patient and produced an excellent intervention to preserve the lead.
Balerdi also demonstrated his recovery speed by sprinting back to stop another threatening counterattack. The Argentine looked comfortable during his first start, combining physical strength with the pace required to defend aggressively in Gasperini’s system.
After the match, the Roma coach described Balerdi as a “very strong” and “modern” defender, praising his speed, temperament and interpretation of the position.
Gasperini manages Malen and Dybala’s workload
Gasperini removed Malen and Soulé around the hour mark, introducing Santiago Castro and Rodrigo Mora.
The decision to replace Roma’s leading scorer while the result remained uncertain was noteworthy, but Gasperini later explained that he must protect his forwards during a demanding schedule.
“If the forwards always play 90 minutes, they cannot reproduce the same level in every match,” the coach said. “If we can save them 20 or 30 minutes, then we can maintain that level.”
Marten de Roon was also introduced and helped Roma regain some composure through his positioning and defensive awareness.
Pisilli seals Roma victory in stoppage time
Torino continued pushing for an equalizer, but Roma’s defence resisted before Pisilli settled the match in the 93rd minute.
Mancini recovered possession near the corner and helped create an opening inside the penalty area. Pisilli arrived from midfield and powered his finish into the net to make it 2-0.
The academy graduate immediately dropped to the ground rather than celebrating with his teammates. He later revealed that he had suffered a severe calf cramp at the moment he scored.
“I wanted to celebrate, but I had a terrible cramp in my calf,” Pisilli explained.
Malen jokingly responded that he had never witnessed such a celebration and asked for somebody to bring his teammate a chair.
Roma show the qualities of a contender
Roma did not dominate the entire match. Their final ball lacked precision during the first half, while the performance became disjointed after the break.
However, the circumstances made the victory significant.
Gasperini rotated three regular starters after a demanding European away match, introduced several squad players and still watched his team record a controlled away victory.
The coach acknowledged that Roma occasionally needed to sacrifice style for substance.
“We had to be less attractive, but we were always concrete—including defensively,” Gasperini said. “It is a fundamental aspect.”
Roma have now collected 12 points from their opening four Serie A games, scoring 12 goals and conceding only once. Their winning streak in the league has reached nine matches.
The Giallorossi will next face Inter at a sold-out Stadio Olimpico in their most demanding domestic test of the season so far.
Roma Daily Player of the Match: Gianluca Mancini
Malen scored the opening goal, Svilar produced the decisive save and Pisilli secured the result, but Mancini was involved in both scoring moves.
His aggressive recovery in midfield started the attack for Malen’s goal, while his persistence near the corner helped create Pisilli’s stoppage-time strike.
Mancini’s performance embodied the intensity, courage and determination Gasperini demands from his defenders.
Torino 0-2 Roma: Goals
40′ — Donyell Malen: Mancini recovers possession before Dybala releases Malen, who battles through the challenge and forces the ball into the net.
90+3′ — Niccolò Pisilli: Mancini wins the ball near the corner and Pisilli arrives to power home the goal that seals Roma’s victory.
Roma starting lineup
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Balerdi, Hermoso; Lulli, Cristante, Pisilli, Molina; Dybala, Soulé; Malen.
Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini.
Read our complete Torino 0-2 Roma player ratings for individual analysis of every Giallorossi performance.
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