Gian Piero Gasperini pleased as 10-men Roma hold Como

Serie A side Roma played out a rather entertaining 0-0 draw against Como, holding on to a crucial point despite having been down to ten men for a majority of the second half.

The first-half saw both sides create enough to score. It could have easily been 2-2 in the first 45, as Como also had a late shout for a Roma redcard go the other way in stoppage time.

In the second half, Donyell Malen was sent off and this gave Como an advantage but they couldn’t take it with both hands.

This has left manager Gian Piero Gasperini impressed and he spoke to DAZN about the outing.

He said – via VoceGiallorossa, while praising Paulo Dybala: “I think Dybala was extraordinary, even when he came to clean up some situations in the second half. It wasn’t easy being down to ten men. I think he, like his teammates, played a very solid game.”

“I don’t remember any turnovers; in fact, he seemed strong again. It’s a shame about that situation in the first half, where he could have scored. But, again today, he put in an extraordinary performance.”

The Italian believes Roma had enough chances that weren’t taken but they played so much of the game with ten men, which was unfortunate.

“Unfortunately, I have to say that in the first half we had some excellent scoring opportunities. Como even had a couple of important ones, but I think we gave the impression we could take the lead. It’s clear that if you play 30 minutes of 90 minutes with ten men, it means you’ve played two-thirds of the game against a strong team like Como with an even number of men.”

He expressed disappointment about the missed chances but the context is important.

“This is our disappointment, because I clearly don’t know how the match would have ended, but it seemed to me like we were pretty confident we had a good chance. So we were forced to defend, and we did so with great clarity and order. It’s clear that when you play 30 minutes with ten men, you come away with a draw, and that’s fine too.”

Roma’s next game will see them host Real Madrid, as Jose Mourinho will return to the Stadio Olimpico for the first time since having been sacked as the club’s manager.

Kaustubh Pandey – GIFN