Mueez Ajao
– Roma dropped their first points in Serie A under Jose Mourinho as Verona came from behind to earn new coach Igor Tudor a 3-2 victory on his debut.
– Lorenzo Pellegrini’s clever backheel flick gave visitors Roma a halftime lead in the pouring rain as they sought a fourth successive win to start the season.
– Antonin Barak equalised for Verona shortly after the interval and Gianluca Caprari put the hosts ahead with a precise finish five minutes later.
– Ivan Ilic turned a Pellegrini cross into his own goal to bring Roma level before the hour, but Davide Faraoni’s brilliant volley secured the win for Verona to halt a run of three straight losses.
– “I knew their qualities, even before the change in coach,” Mourinho told DAZN.
– “They’d already posed big problems to their opponents. And when there’s a coaching change there’s often a reaction mentally, it can happen.”
– “There’s nothing to reproach the players for over their attitude. But we didn’t adapt well to their style of play, we lost individual battles and they had more intensity,” he added.
– Roma’s city rivals Lazio needed a late goal from Danilo Cataldi to salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Cagliari.
– Ciro Immobile struck for the fifth time in four games as Lazio went ahead just before the break.
– Joao Pedro’s looping header pegged Lazio back right at the start of the second half, with Keita Balde then firing home against his former club to put Cagliari on top.
– But the Sardinian club couldn’t hold on for victory in Walter Mazzarri’s first game in charge as Cataldi fired into the top corner seven minutes from time to rescue Lazio.
