The 159th Derby della Capitale in Serie A history will not be one that will live long in the memory. There was little on offer, very little. Nevertheless, both clubs had to be annoyed afterwards, because theoretically more could have been possible for both Lazio and Roma
A 0:0, then. Roman soccer did not advertise itself early on Sunday evening. Both Roma, the most recent Europa League finalists, and runners-up and Champions League participants Lazio were guilty of a lot over the full distance in this 159th Serie A city derby.
Apart from a few yellow cards (seven), a caution for Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri and a heated phase towards the end of the first 45 minutes, including a large scuffle, this Derby della Capitale also lacked the pepper
Luis Alberto has two goals on target
And so the vociferous fans in the time-honored Olimpico often only saw exchanges of blows in midfield, ball shuffling and few finishes. This was also due to the fact that the defenses on both sides did a good job and allowed very little with their palisades.
Roma’s back line, however, did concede a few goals and were beaten three times in the first 45 minutes. But Luis Alberto with a superb shot to the top right-hand post (25′), Romagnoli with a powerful header that was superbly saved by Rui Patricio (28′) and Luis Alberto again with an over-hasty finish from a prime position (44′) failed to put the ball in the net
Dybala & Co. run themselves ragged
After the restart, the Biancocelesti, who had been better before the break, lost the thread and allowed Roma to take control. The Giallorossi, led by José Mourinho and featuring dribble artist Dybala, often dominated, pushed forward and looked for solutions – but failed to find them. Dybala got stuck, Lukaku generally did not have a very good day and there was a lack of finishing at every turn. It was simply too little that Roma created – or rather, failed to create – despite having the visual advantage.
And so, at the end of an altogether straightforward derby, the result was a 0-0 draw that neither team could really do anything with. Roma remained stuck in 7th place in the table behind the top group, Lazio in the dismal midfield
