Verona score dramatic late winner to stun Roma in five-goal Serie A thriller
Both sides had reason to be fearful heading into this clash, with Verona having lost six of their last seven matches and Roma thus far finding life on the road rather challenging this term. Throughout the first half, the main protagonist was Roma’s Nicola Zalewski, who was involved at both ends of the pitch for the visitors.
The Pole thought he had given his team the lead after 12 minutes, only to be denied by the offside flag.
Then, just a minute later, his misplaced pass allowed Casper Tengstedt to intercept and advance into the area, and the Danish forward rolled the ball underneath Mile Svilar to punish Zalewski’s error.
To his credit, the young wing-back showed character, and with the half-hour mark approaching his first-time cross was directed home by a smart finish from Matias Soule to draw Roma level.
However, the hosts restored their lead 10 minutes before the interval when Giangiacomo Magnani timed his jump to perfection to glance the ball home from a corner.
Despite trailing at half-time, Roma always knew they were very much in the contest given Verona’s leaky defence, which had seen them concede a league-high 22 goals before kick-off.
Eight minutes after the restart, Ivan Juric’s side equalised for the second time when Zeki Celik rolled a ball across to the face of goal to Artem Dovbyk, who converted from point-blank range.
The game appeared to be meandering towards a draw, with opportunities for both sides few and far between.
However, with just two minutes of normal time remaining, the hosts snatched all three points as Dailon Livramento advanced into the area before squaring to fellow substitute Abdou Harroui, who fired past Svilar to spark jubilant scenes.
Livramento was sent off in the final minute of stoppage time, but it mattered little as the hosts held on for a dramatic victory. It was just Verona’s second in their last eight matches, and was enough to lift them two places to 12th. For the dejected Roma, their stuttering start to the season continues as they remain 11th.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Abdou Harroui (Hellas Verona)