Roma-Empoli 2-0: goals from Ibanez, Abraham

Two corners from Dybala are enough for Roma to close the game in just 4′, between 2′ and 6′, with the winning headers from Ibanez and Abraham. A one-two that knocks Empoli down, even if the Tuscans then know how to get up and play a very dignified match. Mou, on the other hand, tries to hurt in transition, but then he sees that it’s not air and closes in defense of a very precious victory. Ibanez rejects everything that comes from him, Smalling and Mancini too. The yellow and red fort is safe and gives Mou three points with a view on the Champions League, which are worth the link to Inter, waiting for tomorrow’s derby at San Siro.

balls still

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Mou puts El Shaarawy and Zalewski on the wings to have more quality in the construction, with Matic and Cristante deputies to the interdiction phase in the middle of the field. Not even the time to start (2 ‘) that Roma are already ahead: Dybala’s corner and Ibanez’s winning header. A script that is also staged in the 6th minute, with identical dynamics, only this time it is Abraham who burns Vicario. Every dead ball from Roma is a danger, with the defensive positioning of the Empoli line always leaving something to be desired. So Abraham, always with his head, came close to scoring on two other occasions, while Dybala had previously touched the net with a nice serpentine in the penalty area. Empoli, on the other hand, takes a while to fuel, also due to the double blow taken in just 6 minutes. With the passing of the minutes, however, Baldanzi grows in the plays and Bandinelli and Akpa Akpro begin to have more geometries in between. So Caputo makes himself dangerous, Ebuehi devours a goal into an empty net from a set piece and Akpa Akpro himself comes close with a shot from outside. In the meantime, in fact, Roma have lowered their center of gravity, leaving the ball of the game to the Tuscans (who will end the first half with 53.3% of ball possession). Perhaps too much, however, as demonstrated by the three chances Zanetti’s team had.

fort okay

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At the beginning of the second half, Roma could close the games immediately. Always on the developments of a corner, obviously, with Vicario however placing an amazing triple save, first on Dybala, then on Mancini and finally on Abraham from close range with studs. Empoli catches their breath and hope, Baldanzi and Parisi try, but the problem is that Satriano is too inconsistent and Caputo is also running around empty-handed (so much so that in the 17th minute they both go out for Piccoli and Cambiaghi). Roma, on the other hand, in transition are unable to close the game, partly due to too much enthusiasm, partly due to inaccuracy. There would also be restarts, just like the spaces to go and hurt, but the Giallorossi are too soft in the moment of capitalizing. Consequently, since he is unable to close it, Mou decides not to risk it and places himself 3-5-2, with Bove in place of Dybala (suffering from the end of the first half from a blow to the lower back). The ball of the game remains in the hands of Empoli, but of real opportunities, little or nothing, also because the Giallorossi fort is impregnable. This is how it ends, with Roma canceling Cremonese and resuming its race towards the Champions League.