Roma-Sunderland 2-0: Felix and Zaniolo scored, the record

The smile of Josè Mourinho, when Felix devoured the 1-0 goal or when Smalling first and Zaniolo then hit the post, is the same one that was often seen, last year, during the season: Roma must be more cynical and, perhaps, even more fortunate. Because chances don’t always come back and games aren’t always friendly like the one against Sunderland. On the first real day of retreat in the Algarve, in Albufeira, in any case, Mourinho’s team beat the English team 2-0, even further ahead in the preparation, and they do so thanks to the goals in the last quarter of an hour by Felix, who he forgives the previous mistake, and of Zaniolo, the most awaited man.

AGAIN AT 3, GOOD ZALEWSKI

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Mourinho smiles and jokes, at the end of the match, with his bench, where all the national teams were, except Celik (debut) and Mancini, to whom the coach gives the last minutes. For the rest, Roma start with 3-4-2-1 with Svilar in goal, Smalling (still dangerous, hits the post, after the goal against Trastevere), Ibanez (forced to go out for a blow to the face) and Kumbulla in defense, Karsdorp, Matic, Veretout and Zalewski in midfield, in front of Perez, Shomurodov and El Shaarawy. The best, between the two halves, Zaniolo aside, is Zalewski: you can see that he has grown, even as a personality, and Mou gives him the armband when Smalling comes out. And you can see that he wants to win the job because he knows that, with Spinazzola returning to full capacity, competition will increase. But if he continues in this spirit, the feeling is that the kid half of Europe likes (Borussia Dortmund above all) will have a lot of space.

FIVE MINUTES OF FIRE

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In the first half, having said that Sunderland plays at a bit higher pace and is sometimes a bit excessive in attitudes, Roma close to the advantage with Shomurodov and Smalling, then get angry when O ‘Nien is booked for a bad intervention on El Shaarawy. In the second half, a whirlwind of changes, with Felix and Zaniolo entering and closing the question: the first brings Roma ahead with a nice diagonal right in the 75th minute while 5 ‘later gives the assist to Zaniolo for the 2-0. Good indications for Roma: physical because the team does not seem packed and defensive because, apart from an opportunity for Sunderland on a mistake by Veretout (Svilar good at being reactive), he does not concede anything.