Roma 4-2 Cagliari: Late flurry lifts Giallorossi into third
Late goals from Mora and Malen keep Roma unbeaten in Serie A campaign
Roma came from behind twice, then scored twice in three minutes late on to beat Cagliari 4-2 in Rome.
The win keeps Gian Piero Gasperini’s side unbeaten in the league.
First half
Cagliari took a surprise lead in the 10th minute from a penalty. Roma needed only five minutes to equalise, scoring in the 15th, and added a second in the 21st to lead 2-1.
Il Giornale said Roma turned the match around within six minutes.
Second half
Gasperini made changes at the break and again at the hour mark, and Cagliari followed from the 63rd.
The visitors found a way back in the 81st minute, making it 2-2. Roma responded in the 85th and 87th minutes with the goals that settled it.
Il Giornale credited Rodrigo Mora and Donyell Malen with the late finish. Malen scored the fourth, and Mora celebrated with him.
By the numbers
Possession: Roma 60%, Cagliari 40%.
Shots: Roma 20 (8 on target), Cagliari 18 (9 on target). Roma’s goalkeeper made 7 saves, and Cagliari’s made 4.
Corners: 7 for Roma, 8 for Cagliari.
Discipline: Roma had no bookings. Cagliari picked up one yellow card, in stoppage time.
Roma came in on the back of a 3-3 draw at Napoli, while Cagliari had lost 2-0 at home to Bologna. The result extends Roma’s unbeaten run this season to nine matches, with six wins and three draws.
Serie A standings after the match
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Lazio | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| 2 | Inter | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| 3 | Roma | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| 4 | Como | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| 5 | Milan | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 6 | Frosinone | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 7 | Juventus | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 8 | Torino | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| 9 | Cagliari | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| 10 | Napoli | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 11 | Atalanta | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 12 | Lecce | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 9 |
| 13 | Bologna | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 14 | Sassuolo | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 15 | Monza | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 16 | Genoa | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 17 | Udinese | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 18 | Fiorentina | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 19 | Parma | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 20 | Venezia | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
Standings from the Serie A data feed. Some teams have played fewer games than Lazio, Roma and Como, who sit on 9 each. I didn’t verify tie-break order.
What it means
Roma sit third on 21 points, four behind leaders Lazio with the same number of games, and one behind Inter, who have a game in hand. Cagliari stay on 13 points in ninth.
Next up
Roma travel to Udinese on Saturday, October 31.
