After Roma’s first two Champions League turns, an away draw against Fenerbahçe on Matchday 1 and last weekend’s disaster against Real Madrid, Gian Piero Gasperini was wise to preach caution ahead of yesterday’s clash against Slovan Bratislava. Aside from their manager, Yaya Touré, who won this competition as a Barcelona player in 2008-2009, the Slovakian side doesn’t boast many household names.
Still, to borrow a phrase from NFL lore, any team can win on any given Sunday, so Gasperini was wise to exercise
caution on Tuesday. Clichés aside, Roma didn’t take long to separate themselves from Touré’s club, securing their first Champions League win of the season in a 4-0 romp at the Stadio Olimpico.
Given how one-sided yesterday’s match was, today’s Sinners & Saints will be all halos!
The Saints
Niccolo Pisilli
It was a night of firsts for the young Roman midfielder, who joined the Giallorossi ranks at just eight years old. In 90 minutes against Slovan, Pisilli not only scored his first-ever Champions League goal but also wore the captain’s armband in the second half. We usually pepper in some statistics at this point in the rundown, but we’ll let the video do the talking this time.
In addition to his 52nd-minute goal, which was the true nail in the coffin for Slovan, Pisilli operated in midfield with surgical precision, creating a match-high three scoring chances, hitting on all 11 long-pass attempts, and playing a match-high 18 line-breaking passes, in addition to 21 balls into the final third.
We say this quite a bit when referring to players like Wesley and Pisilli, but it bears repeating: his poise and maturity belies his 22 years.
Daniele Ghilardi
A forgotten man for most of the season, Ghilardi has been a victim of Leonardo Balerdi’s ascension this season. With the Argentine moving up the ranks behind Evan Ndicka, Gianluca Mancini, and Mario Hermoso, Ghilardi has been relegated to fourth-choice center-back. And with questions about his future popping up in the papers, Roma fans were haunted by nightmares of Ghilardi bounding around in a Milan kit.
But fear no more: after a sterling run against Slovan, Roma’s number eighty-seven feels poised for more playing time. In addition to setting up Hermoso’s goal with a lovely headed bounce-it-off-the-pitch assist in the 21st minute, Roma’s nouveau Nesta completed 94% of his passes, including nine balls into the final third, while recovering six balls, winning two aerial duels and drawing three fouls.
This is one instance where we have no choice but to hope that both sides, the club and the player, practice patience. Minutes may be scarce now, but Ghilardi is an immense talent, and Roma feels like the perfect environment for him. His role will surely grow as the season rolls on, but yesterday’s performance reminded us of one thing: this kid has the goods.
Mario Hermoso
The Handsome One continued to pile up impressive performances with another strong turn on Tuesday. His 21st-minute goal, the match-winner as it turned out, was particularly impressive, turning a chance worth 0.36 xG into a 0.98 xGOT finish. Hermoso’s second goal in all competitions was the icing on the cake for the Spanish defender, who took a match-high 100 touches in only 77 minutes and was practically perfect at the back, winning six of seven aerial duels and contributing four defensive actions.
He wasn’t exactly an overlooked signing in 2024, but was anyone expecting this? He’s become an indispensible piece for Gasperini and the Giallorossi and far more dynamic than we ever dreamed.
Speaking of positive ROIs…
Leonardo Balerdi
It’s still hard to believe that some sections of the Marseille fan base laughed at Roma when they signed the 27-year-old center-back in late August. After a brief settling-in period, Balerdi has rewarded Gasperini’s faith tenfold, bringing a Nainggolan-level of exuberance and tenacity to the pitch.
Tuesday was no exception to that rule; check out this heat map
In addition to painting the midfield red, Balerdi won five of seven duels, contributed 10 defensive actions, and played nine balls into the final third. It’s going to be very difficult to keep this guy off the pitch…very difficult.
Nahuel Molina
Rested over the weekend after his horror show against Real Madrid, Molina recovered with a saintly performance against Slovan on Tuesday, scoring his first goal for the club, capitalizing on a Malen rebound in the 39th minute. Molina added two more shots on goal, eight balls into the final third and three defensive actions to the Roma caue last night.
We’ll end today’s rundown with Roma’s fourth and final scorer…
Donyell Malen
It was another ho-hum, I’m-one-of-the-best-strikers-on-the-planet performance from the Dutchman last night, who scored his third goal of the competition thanks to a well-struck 58th-minute penalty. What he lacked in highlight-worthy plays, Malen made up for with sheer effort: three chances created (joint most), 10 touches in the opposition box (joint most), and five attempts on goal (match high).
Malen’s converted penalty was his 24th goal for the club since arriving last January, putting hm in some elite company over the past nine months.
