Gollini repays Gasperini's faith with top-class display against Cagliari

Roma Women lost 2-0 away to Chelsea in the UEFA Women's Champions League, with Carpenter and Buchanan scoring in London. Chelsea took the lead in the 51st minute of the second half through Carpenter, and Buchanan made it 2-0 in the 89th minute with a header, sealing the result. The defeat is Roma's second loss in Europe this campaign, following their defeat to Barcelona. Coach Gianpiero Piovani's side remain on one point in the standings. Carpenter's goal came in the 51st minute, and Buchanan's header in the 89th minute ended any hopes of a comeback for the Giallorosse.

Roma have shown a new resilience under Gian Piero Gasperini, coming from behind to beat Cagliari in a comeback win. Their willingness to respond to going behind marks one of the most significant changes in the team. After the struggles of last season, the Giallorossi have already collected seven points from matches in which they trailed, the same number they gathered across the whole of the previous Serie A campaign. The run continued after the win over Inter, and it has revived the club's ambitions. It has also brought Gasperini closer to the figures needed to chase the record of Nils Liedholm. The article's remaining detail is limited, so the comeback against Cagliari and the seven-point tally, matched against the entire previous league season, stand as the central facts of the story.

Former Roma player and ex-UEFA vice-president Zibi Boniek has praised Rodrigo Mora's late goal in Roma's win over Cagliari, saying the Portuguese had shown little before and that the strike could boost his confidence. Speaking to Retesport, Boniek also discussed Gianluca Mancini's place in the side, the Lazio team Roma face in the city derby, and the importance of Roma staying focused. Boniek said the match looked over before a late finish from Mora, whom he described as a player with good individual technique whose physique had not helped him. He said: "La partita di ieri sembrava chiusa poi c'è stato un finale targato Mora che mi è piaciuto perché questo ragazzo aveva fatto vedere poco. Il portoghese è un calciatore con una buona tecnica individuale ma la sua struttura fisica non l'aveva aiutato. Spero che questo gol possa fargli aumentare il livello dell'autostima." On Mancini, who has been linked with losing his starting place to Balerdi, Boniek highlighted his attacking contribution. He said: "Quasi quasi è diventato il primo attaccante. Anche nel secondo gol di Pisilli c'è molto di Mancini che ha servito Lulli che ha fatto il cross per Niccolò. Ieri è stato raggirato da Fadera ma non mando in panchina nessuno, è chiaro che se ci sono 20 giocatori di pari livello si deve valutare chi è stanco ma questo Gasperini lo fa molto bene, infatti, poi ha messo Ghilardi e ha passato un pallone determinante a Mora. Mancini è forte nel pressing basso, anticipa gli avversari mentre quando c'è tanto spazio e deve correre può andare in difficoltà perché ha altre caratteristiche." Boniek also spoke about Lazio, who had just beaten Sassuolo, and praised coach Gennaro Gattuso. He said: "Adoro Gattuso perché è una persona vera che non si nasconde e dice quello che pensa: è un allenatore bravo. Se fa troppi punti diventa antipatico (ride ndr). La Lazio gioca bene, ieri l'ho vista con il Sassuolo, è una squadra molto veloce che va sempre in verticale con tante sovrapposizioni e non fa nessun Tiki Taka. Più la Lazio va forte e più la Roma manterrà alto il livello della concentrazione per fare altrettanto bene, vista la rivalità cittadina."

Roma will not return to Rome after their Serie A trip to Udine, instead travelling straight on to Manchester for their Champions League fixture against Manchester United on 3 November. Roma face Udinese on Saturday 31 October at 18:00. Angelo Mangiante, speaking on Mana Mana Sport, reported that the squad will train in Udine on Sunday morning, before leaving from Trieste airport for Manchester in the afternoon, in order to ease the travel burden of an intense week of league and Champions League matches. The transfer market is also on the agenda. Roma are looking to broaden the options available to head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, and Carlos Forbs, a Portuguese attacking winger born in 2002 who plays for Brugge, is reportedly among the profiles being monitored. Roma have reportedly sent scouts to San Siro to watch Forbs in the match against Inter and assess the player closely. Competition is strong, however, with Tottenham and Manchester United, along with other Premier League clubs, also reportedly interested. Brugge set a valuation of around 30 million euros in the summer, a figure that could still form the basis of any negotiation. Gasperini was also remembered in a tribute to the late journalist Mario Sconcerti, at the second edition of the award dedicated to him, held at the Salone d'Onore of the CONI in Rome and aimed at younger generations. Gasperini sent a video message to the students present, highlighting the value of Sconcerti's professional legacy: "A warning about what his profession was, his capacity. It is a lesson that will stay with you in your future profession." Following Roma's recent match against Cagliari, Marcacci spoke on Radio Radio: "Mora was good: full credit to him, for taking advantage of the defender's mistake from Cagliari. We will remember Mora's goal at the end of the season, because it came at a moment when Cagliari had more energy in the tank. Gasp's rebukes started from the first minutes: he sensed the match would be difficult, and Roma suffered against Cagliari. Mancini struggled and leaves too much space behind him. A note of credit for the crowd, who were involved; the team needed that push." Pedrelli, on Radio Bruno Roma, added: "With Lulli and Pisilli the future is already here. I wish Mora and Ghilardi more space. Well done also to Gollini. What a Roma this is, who keep trying until the end. No one excluded."

Goalkeeper Gollini was one of the key figures in Roma's 4-2 win over Cagliari, making six saves and producing a rare statistical feat in the build-up play. Gollini has been standing in admirably during Svilar's absence over recent matches. According to Sofascore data, Gollini finished the match with 100% passing accuracy, completing 32 of 32 passes, and 100% accuracy on his goal kicks, completing 3 of 3. It is a rare achievement: no goalkeeper had matched it since the 2019-20 season, when Szczesny reached 100% in both categories in Juventus's 1-0 win over Milan. The performance came as Gollini has continued to deputise for Mile Svilar, who is currently absent. His contribution against Cagliari went beyond shot-stopping, with his distribution proving as important as his saves in a convincing home win.

Roman radio pundits were largely focused on Roma after the win over Cagliari, with the debate centring on Mancini's performance, Mora's goal and the fitness of Paulo Dybala. David Rossi of Rete Sport said: “Maybe it was the worst match Mancini has played since he’s been here at Roma. Honestly, after that first half I didn’t think he could come back out, and yet he did.” He added: “In a normal world, you had to take Mancini off after 20 minutes. He wasn’t presentable.” Gianluca Piacentini said Mora's goal had silenced his serial critics, and praised Gasperini for stressing that the points Roma have taken this season, the same number as last season, carry greater weight because they came against Como, Inter, Napoli and Atalanta. Mario Corsi of Tele Radio Stereo defended Mancini against the whistles he received, saying: “Mancini plays as a striker on Gasperini’s orders. You can’t go back and forth at two hundred an hour; you lose something along the way.” On the Roma-Cagliari match, Corsi described it as a lacklustre game, adding that the young players had turned it around. Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport praised Gollini, who made three important saves, and said he was playing with a concentration he had never shown before, having been given a great opportunity by Svilar’s misfortune. Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio said: “Mora? If Gasperini had another substitute, he’d have taken him off after a quarter of an hour. That was my impression.” He also said he was pleased that Pisilli and Lulli had partly sorted out the match, and said: “If you have to compare yourself to the Roma market, my friend… I had backed Castro, but if Mina has you in his pocket for 80 minutes, you need changing.” He added that Molina struggles to play in Italian football, and that De Roon was static in midfield. Nando Orsi of Radio Radio said: “I thought Roma never would lose this one.” Mario Mattioli of Radio Radio said Roma had suffered before taking full points. Daniele Lo Monaco of Radio Romanista said Roma are unbeaten with six wins and three draws, and argued that Lazio’s eight wins from nine carry a different weight. He said: “I don’t see the Leicester effect in any way. If Lazio finish in the top three, I’ll become a priest.” Mario Corsi said Lazio do not have a team fit for the top places, and Torri noted that Lazio have taken 25 points from 27, with fixtures against Roma, Napoli, Inter, Como, Atalanta, Fiorentina and Torino still to come. The focus then turned to the coming fixtures. Alessio Nardo said the Dybala situation was thorny: he had seemed set to return against Cagliari, but now risked missing the next three matches. He said: “I expect a very, very difficult match against Udinese, and it will take a great Roma to win it.” Lorenzo Pes said Dybala had returned to training on Sunday but would miss Saturday’s game against Udinese, adding: “I think he doesn’t want to miss Manchester-Roma at Old Trafford.” Checco Oddo Casano said the doubt for Saturday against Udinese would be between Mora and De Roon, and said the club’s hopes in attack now depend on Soulé.