Donyell Malen gave Roma the lead on the stroke of half-time before Niccolò Pisilli wrapped it up in stoppage time, sending Gian Piero Gasperini’s side to the top of Serie A with a perfect four wins from four. The 2-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino was not always pretty, but it was controlled, and Roma’s xG of 1.91 against Torino’s 0.76 tells the story of a team that dominated the areas that count. According to flashscore.com, the win maintains Roma’s perfect start to the 2026-27 season.
Key Moments
- 40′, Malen opens the scoring. The Dutch forward collected inside the box and finished to give Roma a deserved lead heading into the break, his shot finding the net with Lucas Perri unable to stop it.
- 46′, Torino make a double change at half-time, bringing on Alessio Cacciamani and Daniel Bragança in an attempt to gain a foothold in midfield after a flat first half.
- 57′, Gasperini replaces both Matías Soulé and Malen before the hour mark, introducing Rodrigo Mora and Santiago Castro as Roma manage their lead.
- 64′, Roma make two more changes: Bryan Cristante and Paulo Dybala come off, replaced by Manu Koné and Marten de Roon, as Gasperini rotates with an eye on fresher legs.
- 90′, Pisilli puts the result beyond doubt. The midfielder, who had picked up a yellow card in the 72nd minute, made amends by finishing from inside the box in stoppage time to make it 2-0.
Tactical Breakdown
Roma lined up in a 3-4-2-1 and were the more dangerous side throughout, generating 14 shots to Torino’s 7 and directing 12 of them inside the box. Despite ceding possession (47% to Torino’s 53%), Gasperini’s side were far more efficient in the final third: an xG of 1.91 compared to the hosts’ 0.76 shows Roma created higher-quality chances while Torino struggled to seriously test Mile Svilar, who finished with three saves.
Torino’s 5-3-2 offered defensive compactness in theory, but Abate’s side were repeatedly bypassed in the first half, and the two half-time substitutions failed to alter the dynamic. The home side managed just one corner kick and generated only three shots on goal across 90 minutes, with Giovanni Simeone and Nikola Vlašić largely isolated up front. When Roma rotated heavily in the second half, the hosts had the ball more but struggled to turn possession into genuine pressure.
Torino’s inability to convert the narrow passages of space they found in the second period was the defining problem. Their xG of 0.76 and a single corner reflect a team that was well organized but toothless when it mattered. For all the possession Abate’s side enjoyed after the break, Roma’s defensive block, anchored by Leonardo Balerdi and Mario Hermoso, gave little away.
Player Ratings
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Verdict
Roma sit at the top of Serie A with 12 points from four games, two clear of Como and Lazio, according to thepeninsulaqatar.com. Gasperini has built a side that wins without needing to dominate the ball, and the clean sheet, only one goal conceded in four league matches, suggests the defensive work is holding up too. Torino, with just three points from their opening four fixtures, will need to find more attacking bite quickly.
AS Roma
Torino
Donyell Malen
Niccolò Pisilli