Three Standout Players | Roma 1-0 Bologna

Roma began 2023 with a close 1-0 win over Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico, thanks to a penalty from Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Jose Mourinho dropped Tammy Abraham from the starting XI, as Paulo Dybala and Nicolo Zaniolo started upfront. It was a foul on La Joya that led to Roma winning the penalty and Pellegrini putting it away. Bologna did dominate possession a lot of times in the game but couldn’t create enough to score.

Here are the three standout performers from the game in Rome:

Chris Smalling

The Englishman has impressed a lot under Mourinho while playing in the middle of the back three. He did well once again, winning 100 percent of his aerial duels. He also made two interceptions and completed three clearances for the Giallorossi, who relied on their deep defensive line to put away any Bologna attacks.

Bryan Cristante

The Italian has been criticised a fair bit under Mourinho but he had a solid game in defensive midfield, as he did important things on and off the ball. He won one aerial duel and won both the tackles that he attempted on the pitch. He also had a reliable passing percentage of 86 percent.

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Apart from scoring the vital goal, the Italian was conducting play and combining very well with Dybala and Zaniolo. He often dropped deep to circulate possession, while completing one dribble and coming up with two key passes in a game which required precision from the Giallorossi considering how compact they were.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN