Roma return to the Serie A summit alongside Napoli thanks to goals from Hermoso and Dovbyk. Circati pulls one back late for Parma, but Gasperini’s men hold firm at the Olimpico.
Roma continue their impressive start to the season, overcoming a stubborn Parma side 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico to reclaim joint leadership of Serie A after Matchday 9. Gasperini’s team had to dig deep, but second-half goals from Mario Hermoso and Artem Dovbyk proved decisive.
The match began with an early setback for Roma: Ferguson, surprisingly named as a starter up front, was forced off injured within minutes. Dybala stepped in as a false nine and quickly became the creative hub, orchestrating the Giallorossi’s attacking play against a well-organized Parma defense.
After a first half low on clear chances — including a disallowed goal by Soulé for offside — Roma finally broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. From a Dybala corner, Hermoso rose above Bernabé to head home the opener, igniting the Olimpico crowd.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 81st minute when substitute Dovbyk ended his goal drought with a composed finish following another fine Roma move. Parma refused to fold, however, and made it 2-1 just five minutes later as Circati headed in from close range to set up a tense finale.
Roma held on through the closing minutes to secure all three points and move level on 21 points with Napoli at the top of the table. Parma, meanwhile, can take heart from a committed display but remain stuck on seven points near the lower end of the standings.
Match Report
Scorers:
63’ Hermoso (Roma), 81’ Dovbyk (Roma), 86’ Circati (Parma)
Roma (3-4-2-1):
Svilar; Hermoso, Mancini (86′ Ghilardi), Ndicka; Celik, Cristante, Koné, Wesley (86′ Rensch); Soulé (73′ Dovbyk), Dybala; Ferguson (6′ Bailey, 46′ El Aynaoui).
Coach: Gasperini.
Parma (3-5-2):
Suzuki; Delprato, Circati, Valenti; Bristchgi (90′ Begic), Bernabé (78′ Cremaschi), Estevez (78′ Almqvist), Ordonez, Sorensen; Cutrone (60′ Benedyczak), Pellegrino (78′ Djuric).
Coach: Cuesta.
Referee: Crezzini
Yellow cards: Pellegrino, Troilo (bench), Ordonez (Parma)
Red cards: None
