AS Roma maintained their good form with a comfortable 2-0 win over Spezia at the Stadio Alberto Picco in Serie A on Sunday evening.
The Giallorossi laboured in the first half but were ahead just before the interval when Stephan El Shaarawy rounded off a quick move to slot home from a clever Paulo Dybala pass.
With their push for Champions League qualification gathering momentum, Jose Mourinho‘s side sealed the win shortly after halftime, as Tammy Abraham took advantage of a mistake to break through and score.
Dybala instrumental again
A tense match saw Roma have the better chances in the first half, with Dybala going close from range and Gianluca Mancini unable to nod in from a freekick at the back post.
Roma broke the deadlock on the stroke of halftime through El Shaarawy, as he collected a Abraham knock-on to play in Dybala, before tucking home the return pass and finish off a devastating move.
It only took the Lupi four minutes to double their lead in the second half, and it was a self-inflicted goal by Spezia.
Substitute Salvatore Esposito‘s first touch was to play a dreadful freekick straight to Dybala, and he found Abraham to burst through the defence, with a clever nutmeg for good measure, before slotting into the bottom corner.
Roma were in complete control and only a stunning one-handed stop from close range prevented Abraham from adding a third, with goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski reacting well to block the follow up.
Spezia‘s best chance came when Daniel Maldini showed good feet before curling an effort just over the bar midway through the second half.
The hosts were unable to break through a resolute Roman defence, and the victory sees the Giallorossi move into fourth place in the Serie A table.
Defensive solidity key to Roma’s form
Roma are starting to find results after a difficult spell before the World Cup, and with four wins from five games in all competitions in 2023, are hitting form at the right time.
The Giallorossi conceded twice in a 2-2 draw against champions AC Milan earlier this month, but are yet to concede in any of the other four games across Serie A and the Coppa Italia.
With Juventus potentially out of the equation after their 15-point deduction, Roma have as good a chance as ever to secure qualification to European football’s top table.
