In the 24th round of Serie A, AS Roma secured a convincing 2-0 victory over Cagliari, with Donyell Malen emerging as the star of the match by scoring two goals. The forward opened the scoring for his team at the 24-minute mark with a well-executed play, and later added a second goal in the 64th minute, igniting celebration among the traveling fans.
Cagliari’s Ibrahim Sulemana had a chance to bring his team back into the game in the 78th minute, but his shot hit the post, denying him a goal.
Malen’s remarkable performance included two goals and seven attempts on target, making him the clear standout of the match. Defensively, Gianluca Mancini played a vital role for Roma, showcasing his strength as a key defender.
Roma’s coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, deployed a 3-4-3 formation featuring Mile Svilar in goal; with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N’Dicka, and Daniele Ghilardi forming the back line; Zeki Celik, Bryan Cristante, Niccolò Pisilli, and Wesley França in midfield; and Matías Soulé, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Donyell Malen leading the attack.
On the other hand, Cagliari’s manager Fabio Pisacane opted for a 3-5-2 setup, placing Elia Caprile in goal; with Zé Pedro, Alberto Dossena, and Juan Martín Rodríguez in defense; Marco Palestra, Michel Adopo, Gianluca Gaetano, Luca Mazzitelli, and Adam Obert in midfield; and Semih Kilicsoy and Sebastiano Esposito at forward.
The match officiated by Matteo Marcenaro took place at the Stadio Olimpico.
In their next fixtures, Roma will visit Napoli, while Cagliari will host Lecce. Additionally, Roma is set to face their long-standing rivals in the anticipated ‘Derby Del Sole.’
With this victory, Roma now sits at 46 points in the league, occupying the 5th position, while Cagliari lingers with 28 points in 12th place.
Substitutions for Roma
56’ 2T – Lorenzo Pellegrini off for Bryan Zaragoza
83’ 2T – Bryan Cristante off for Neil El Aynaoui, Matías Soulé off for Lorenzo Venturino, and Donyell Malen off for Antonio Arena
Yellow Cards for Roma:
13’ 2T Gianluca Mancini and 36’ 2T Bryan Zaragoza (Holding the opponent to prevent a breakthrough)
Substitutions for Cagliari
58’ 2T – Luca Mazzitelli off for Ibrahim Sulemana
72’ 2T – Semih Kilicsoy off for Leonardo Pavoletti and Sebastiano Esposito off for Riyad Idrissi
86’ 2T – Zé Pedro off for Gabriele Zappa and Gianluca Gaetano off for Yael Trepy
Yellow Cards for Cagliari:
5’ 1T Alberto Dossena (Holding the opponent to prevent a breakthrough), 40’ 1T Marco Palestra, 15’ 2T Gianluca Gaetano (Holding the opponent to prevent a breakthrough), and 44’ 2T Riyad Idrissi (Holding the opponent to prevent a breakthrough)