Donyell Malen delivered a stunning treble to give Gian Piero Gasperini a perfect start as Roma boss, as the capital side dismantled Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night. Paulo Dybala turned provider for all three of the Dutch forward’s goals, with Niccolo Pisilli adding a late fourth to seal a commanding win on the opening weekend.
The evening also marked Fabio Grosso’s first competitive fixture in charge of Fiorentina. The former Italy defender took over from Paolo Vanoli in the summer, even though Vanoli had steered the Viola clear of relegation trouble last season.
Gasperini stuck with his trusted 3-4-2-1 shape, featuring Mile Svilar in goal behind Gianluca Mancini, Evan N’Dicka, and Mario Hermoso. Emanuele Lulli occupied the right wing-back slot, while Dybala and Rodrigo Mora supported Malen in attack. Fiorentina answered with a 4-3-2-1 setup, David de Gea guarding the net, Mateo Pellegrino leading the line, and Real Madrid loanee Franco Mastantuono playing just behind him.
Roma seize control early against Fiorentina
The match began at a lively tempo, but Roma quickly took charge of proceedings. Fiorentina earned an early corner after Pellegrino pushed down the left flank, yet Roma cleared the danger and broke forward at speed. Dybala linked up with Mora before testing De Gea with a long-range strike.
Roma kept pressing high and looked to exploit the central channels, while Fiorentina found it difficult to offer Pellegrino adequate support. Mastantuono often served as the visitors’ primary outlet, carrying the ball through midfield but receiving little assistance further up the pitch.
Marco Brescianini registered Fiorentina’s first shot after 12 minutes, though his effort from distance was easily collected by Svilar. Two minutes later, Malen and Wesley combined down the left, and Dybala met the resulting cross but could only send his volley over the bar.
Mora then forced De Gea into action after Lulli had handled Arthur Atta well. Roma thought they had broken the deadlock when Hermoso turned the ball in from close range following N’Dicka’s flick-on, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Dybala sets up Malen for opener
The deadlock was finally broken in the 27th minute, and unsurprisingly it came through the Dybala-Malen combination. The duo exchanged passes effectively before Malen kept his cool and slotted the ball past De Gea to give Roma the lead.
Fiorentina struggled to mount a response, failing to create any meaningful chances before the break. Nicolo Fagioli picked up a yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Dybala after half an hour, while Hermoso was booked nine minutes later for a cynical foul on Mastantuono during a Fiorentina counter-attack.
Mastantuono remained Fiorentina’s most threatening player after the restart, winning a free-kick that he fired well over the target. He later drew another booking as Manu Kone halted his run into Roma territory.
Roma doubled their advantage in the 52nd minute. Malen received yet another pass from Dybala, drove into the box, and smashed the ball into the roof of the net. Mora was substituted shortly after, with Matias Soule replacing the youngster following an encouraging debut.
Malen completes his treble
Malen kept pushing for more and appealed for a penalty in the 55th minute without success, before shooting narrowly wide from outside the area three minutes later. His third goal, though, was not long in coming.
On the hour mark, Dybala supplied Malen once more, presenting the forward with a simple finish to complete his hat-trick. It was the Argentine’s third assist of the night and effectively crushed any hopes Fiorentina had of staging a comeback.
Grosso responded with three substitutions in the 63rd minute, introducing Alex Jimenez, Christ Inao Oulai, and Moise Kean for Brescianini, Fagioli, and Mastantuono. Kean had started on the bench amid transfer speculation linking him with Como, though sporting director Fabio Paratici had insisted before kick-off that Fiorentina had no intention of selling him.
By that stage, Roma boasted 61 per cent possession, had taken 17 shots compared with Fiorentina’s nine, and registered 39 touches inside the visitors’ penalty area against just four for the Viola. Fiorentina showed improvement in the final 20 minutes after the changes, particularly with Kean and Oulai on the field, but they could not find a way past Svilar.
Pisilli adds gloss to Roma’s opening win
Roma capped the evening with a fourth goal late on when substitute Nicolo Pisilli found the net, putting the contest beyond any doubt and rounding off a dominant display from Gasperini’s men.
The result places Roma among the nine sides that won their opening Serie A fixture. Only one match in the first round ended in a draw, with Como and Udinese sharing the spoils.