Castro nets wonder lob as Roma beat Genoa 2-0 to stay two points off Inter

Roma moved back within two points of Inter after beating Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, with first goals for the club from Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli.

Inter had moved clear at the top of the table earlier in the day with a 3-1 win over Bologna, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s side responded with a composed display despite missing top scorer Donyell Malen through suspension after his red card against Como. Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante were also absent through injury, forcing seven changes from the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.

Woodwork rattled before second-half breakthrough

Chances were at a premium in the first half. Leonardo Balerdi met Niccolò Pisilli’s corner with a header that bounced clear off the woodwork for Roma, and moments later Genoa’s Stephan El Shaarawy left the frame shaking with a thunderous 20-yard volley. El Shaarawy, who played 348 games for the Giallorossi across two spells, also forced Pierluigi Gollini into a leg save after nine minutes.

Roma took the lead five minutes after the restart in bizarre fashion. Matias Soule’s inswinging corner from the right was glanced on by Castro but ricocheted back into his path with white shirts surrounding him. In a tight space he spun away from two markers before scooping an incredible effort into the far corner with the outside of his right boot.

"It was a great bit of improvisation from the former Bologna striker, who netted his first goal for the club," reports from the Olimpico noted. The €35m acquisition from Bologna had failed to score from seven shots in his first four outings for Roma, all from the bench.

Soule sparks Lulli’s first Serie A goal

The second goal was built on individual brilliance. Soule started the run from inside his own half, riding two tackles, completing a give-and-go with Lorenzo Pellegrini, then his shot was deflected off a Genoa player into the path of Emanuele Lulli at the back post.

It was the first Serie A goal for the 19-year-old youth academy product and his first goal for Roma. No player on the pitch created more chances than Soule’s three, while he also led the charts for passes into the final third (30) plus dribbles attempted (five) and completed (three).

Milutin Osmajic stung Gollini’s gloves with a powerful strike and Justin Bijlow was called into action to deny Roma on the rebound after Rodrigo Mora’s header, but Genoa offered little else as Roma cruised to their fifth win in seven Serie A matches this term.

Roma now have 17 points from seven games (W5 D2), the first time they have hit that tally by this stage of a Serie A season since 2014-15. Genoa remain in the lower half after their first Serie A victory of the season against Fiorentina in the previous round.