The 163rd Serie A city derby between Roma and Lazio went to the Giallorossi on Sunday evening. The team around Hummels, who was sent off late, initially came out better and was also able to rely on keeper Svilar.
He was last talked about when Hummels, who was finally starting, had praised his captain Pellegrini as a helping hand (“He was there for me”) during his dark times in the Italian capital.
However, the Italian international has not been part of the Roma starting lineup since the 1-0 loss to the strong-starting Napoli on November 24, 2024. Until this Sunday evening, when the 28-year-old midfielder was named in the starting lineup – for the 163rd Serie A derby, which was scheduled for the late evening hours for the first time in six years, against arch-rivals Lazio.
Pellegrini traumhaft, Saelemaekers beim zweiten Versuch
A measure from coach Claudio Ranieri that bore fruit immediately. Because as early as the 10th minute, Pellegrini scored the 1-0 with a dream goal that sent the venerable Stadio Olimpico into a frenzy. After a great build-up play from Dybala and provider Saelemaekers, the ball ended up in the center with the captain, who neatly accepted, feinted once and then shot into the top right corner. Unstoppable for goalkeeper Provedel.
But that wasn’t all: just eight minutes later, the “hosts” were already deservedly 2-0 up. This time, Dybala, after Svilar’s kick-on and Dovbyk’s lay-off, provided the assist for Saelemaekers, who initially failed to beat Provedel with his low shot. But the fast dribbler also caught the rebound and scored clinically (18′).
Why was the 2-0 lead okay? Because in between, Hummels, who had advanced, had also shown a willingness to finish (14th) and the Roma defense as a whole was very secure. Only Dele-Bashiru caused the back line a stir with a solo, but missed his goal (22nd). Otherwise, the Biancocelesti could hardly come up with anything in offense despite a lot of possession. There was a lack of creativity.
Svilar saves, headbutt against Hummels
The sky blues showed more of this in the second half – and pushed their rivals deep into their own half for minutes on end. On several occasions, it looked like they would pull a goal back to make it 2-1. However, on each occasion, AS goalkeeper Svilar saved the day: first from Castellanos, who shot from a tight angle (47′), then from former Hertha player Guendouzi (50′), and again from Castellanos (69′).
On top of that, after Lazio keeper Provedel had initially saved powerfully to prevent Pellegrini scoring the 0-3 (58th minute), substitute Tchaouna hit the bar from close range with a curious curving shot (59th minute). The impression was not misleading: this derby evening was jinxed from the Biancocelesti’s point of view, as could be seen from some important blocks by world champions Hummels and Paredes, as well as former Frankfurt player Ndicka (75′). Nuno Tavares also missed his target despite a strong run (79.).
And so a sometimes heated Derby della Capitale went to the Giallorossi, with Hummels late on still tackling opponent Castellanos and getting an easy kick and head butt from him (90 + 3). The result: a final big scrum including a red card for the Lazio professional (90 + 5). But much more important from Roma’s point of view: the three points they got at the start of this year, which should give them a huge boost in confidence.
