Daniele De Rossi got off to a winning start as he sets out for a storied six-month spell in Roma’s dugout as new manager, LCSoccerHub Reports.
The Italian football veteran took over from Roma’s former manager Jose Mourinho as interim manager. Charged with the task of overturning the Giallarossi’s dwindling Serie A fortunes, De Rossi got off with a bang, overseeing a nervy 2-1 Serie victory over Hellas Verona at the Estadio Olimpico.
Roma started with a classic, holding the visitors to ransom with a superior performance. In the 19th minute, Stephan El Shaarawy pierced open Hellas Verona’s defense to find Romelu Lukaku who fired a rifle pass Verona’s goalkeeper to give Roma the lead.
After Romelu Lukaku’s strike, Roma came up clutch again in the 25th minute. This time, Pellegrini smashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range to make it 2-0 in a flash.
The quickfire double was enough to drown Verona’s spirited effort early in the game with the host taking the 2-0 lead into the break.
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It was a different ball game in the second half as Hellas Verona came out with a fiery and more formidable response. 19 minutes into the second 45, it was still barren at both ends but Verona edged close to breaking the deadlock after Roma conceded a spot-kick in the 63rd minute.
Mario Djuric wasted the spot-kick, firing over the crossbar and missing the chance to halve the deficit. However, the away side still fought their way back into the game with a 74th-minute strike by Folorunsho.
With the deficit reduced, Roma had to fight tooth and nail to maintain the 2-1 lead as Verona surged forward late in the game to salvage a draw.
After a nervy 16 minutes, Roma held on to secure a 2-1 win after the final whistle.
It was not a groundbreaking but a promising and ideal start for Daniele De Rossi, who could nail a permanent spot as the club’s manager should he reverse the Giallarossi’s dwindling Serie fortunes this season. Roma have climbed up to 8th on the Serie A table with 32 points after the victory. They will take on Salernitana on Monday, January 29, in their next Serie A clash.
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