Juventus 0, Roma 0: All Square at the Allianz

With only one point (and one goal) to speak of through their first two matches of the season, Daniele De Rossi and Roma felt the pressure today as they faced mighty Juventus on the road at the Allianz Stadium. Sprinkle in your typical deadline day controversies and a not-so-healthy dose of inter-squad conflict between De Rossi and two of the club’s most veteran players, Gianluca Mancini and Bryan Cristante, and the Giallorossi needed a healthy distraction this evening in Torino.

Not one to rest on his laurels, De Rossi made several notable changes to his starting lineup. Rather than starting Paulo Dybala against his former club, De Rossi opted for a Matíás Soulé-Artem Dovbyk-Alexis Saelemaekers frontline, the latter making his debut some 24 hours after signing with the club. As surprising as that selection was, starting 19-year-old Nicolo Pisilli in midfield was genuinely shocking, especially when Leandro Paredes was fit and ready for duty.

Despite the scale of changes this evening, De Rossi’s side was locked in from minute one. While the attack itself was lacking in flair, the Giallorossi were composed, balanced, and well-organized throughout the match, doing exceptionally well to neutralize the threat presented by Dusan Vlahovic and Kenan Yildiz, who combined for only one attempt and two key passes this evening. If the midfield didn’t immediately absorb Juve’s forward moves, Roma’s backline, by maintaining its shape and limiting Juve’s opportunities through the middle, forced the Old Lady into wider spaces, where chances were hard to come by, if not impossible, this evening.

Where previous incarnations of Roma might wilt under the pressure of the Allianz Stadium, especially when their attacking chances were limited, De Rossi’s side maintained its composure, matching Juventus beat-for-beat in every phase of the game. To understand just how evenly contested this match was, consider these figures:

• Shots (Juve 8, Roma 7)
• Possession (Juve 50%, Roma 50%)
• Corners (Juve 6, Roma 4)
• Fouls (Juve 11, Roma 12)
• Free kicks (Juve 11, Roma 10)

You get the picture. While we’re always loathe to celebrate moral victories, given all the off-the-pitch drama they endured this week and incorporating new players into the squad mere hours before kickoff, Roma played Juventus as tough as we’ve seen them on the road. And, just like the season’s first two matches, a Roma win was on the table. In this instance, Angeliño’s 90th-minute daisy cutter towards the far right post—brilliantly set up by Nicola Zalewski—had Juve keeper Michele Di Gregorio beat but didn’t break quite sharply enough to tuck inside the post.

Still, this was an astonishingly strong response for a side that appeared in free fall as recently as Thursday. Roma kept a clean sheet against Juventus on the road for the first time in over two decades, looking every bit the Old Lady’s equal in doing so.

There are certainly areas in which Roma must continue to improve, namely getting Dovbyk involved early and often, but this was a sign of encouragement for the increasingly maligned De Rossi. The blueprint is in place, and once everyone gets up to speed, the results should start falling Roma’s way.

Up Next

Europe pauses for the first international break of the season, but Roma returns on the 15th with an away match against the Genoa Cricket and Football Club.