After dropping two of their past three matches, a skid that has seen them drop out of the top four, Roma found themselves facing an unexpected must-win match against 16th-place Lecce. While Roma are generally favored when they face the other Giallorossi, given the club’s up-and-down performances over the past month or so, it wouldn’t have been wise to assume anything against Eusebio Di Francesco’s club.
While EDF orchestrated perhaps the greatest upset in club history, the former Roma midfielder/manager
couldn’t conjure the same magic against Gian Piero Gasperini’s group this afternoon. Thanks to strong performances from Evan Ferguson, who scored the eventual match-winner in the 14th minute by finishing off a lovely three-touch sequence, Zeki Celik, and the young center-back pairing of Jan Ziolkowski and Daniele Ghilardi, Roma got back on its feet.
And not a moment too soon. With six matches in 19 days, including a clash against AC Milan and two Europa League fixtures, Roma will need every point they can muster over the next three weeks. Thanks to today’s victory, Roma remains ensconced in 5th place, though they’re even with Juventus at 36 points while remaining a whisker ahead of 6th-place Como (33 points).
So, if, like me, the rigors of the real world prevented you from seeing today’s match, please enjoy the extended highlights.
