AS Roma delivered an emphatic UEFA Champions League league-phase victory on Tuesday, beating Slovan Bratislava 4–0 at the Olimpico in a performance defined by sustained possession and relentless attacking pressure.
Mario Hermoso opened the scoring with a header in the 21st minute, Nahuel Molina doubled the advantage in the 39th, and second-half goals from Niccolò Pisilli in the 52nd minute and Donyell Malen from the penalty spot in the 58th put the result beyond doubt.
Hermoso and Molina establish the advantage
Hermoso supplied the breakthrough with his 21st-minute header, giving Roma the platform to turn their territorial superiority into a convincing lead. Slovan, whose Tigran Barseghyan had been booked a minute earlier, faced an increasingly difficult task against hosts who dominated the ball.
Molina added Roma’s second in the 39th minute, ensuring they reached the interval with a two-goal cushion. It was a deserved advantage in a fixture that offered the visitors little opportunity to build attacking momentum.
Two quick goals settle the contest
Any prospect of a Slovan recovery faded rapidly after the restart. Pisilli made it 3–0 in the 52nd minute, before Malen converted a penalty six minutes later to complete Roma’s scoring with more than half an hour of regulation time remaining.
Four different goalscorers underlined the breadth of Roma’s attacking contribution. With two goals in each half, the hosts maintained their threat across the interval rather than allowing Slovan a route back into the contest.
The numbers underline Roma’s dominance
Roma finished with 72.7% possession and 26 attempts, including 10 on target. Slovan managed just one attempt and none on target, leaving the home side’s clean sheet intact. An 8–1 advantage in corners offered another measure of how consistently Roma kept the visitors under pressure.
Slovan’s difficult evening also brought second-half bookings for Suleiman Camara in the 65th minute and Cristian Martínez in the 75th. There was no late consolation for the visitors, who were comprehensively beaten at both ends of the pitch.
For Roma, this was a valuable three points secured with authority: four goals, four different scorers and a clean sheet to round off a commanding European night.
