Mancini Goal Powers Roma to 1-0 Derby Win Over Lazio (2024)

After Monday's disappointing scoreless draw against 13th-placed Lecce, Daniele De Rossi and Roma had little time to dwell on their misfortune, not with the Derby della Capitale on the docket. With Roma precariously perched in fifth place and chasing Italy's final Champions League place and Lazio trying to close the gap behind sixth-place Atalanta, an already charged fixture took on added significance with European places at stake for both clubs.

Considering the stakes, De Rossi rolled out a starting eleven featuring Lorenzo Pellegrini, Paulo Dybala, Stephan El Shaarawy, and Romelu Lukaku, among others. DDR left nothing to chance after last week's tepid performance, putting all his heavy hitters front and center for today's derby.

If you weren't aware of the history between the clubs or what was on the line today, the opening 10 minutes, an orgy of end-to-end football, likely clued you in. Roma kicked things off in the first minute when Angeliño ran onto a ball at the edge of the box, blasting a one-timed effort off a Lazio defender, earning an extremely early corner for Roma.

Photo by Fabio Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images

The Giallorossi's frenetic approach continued in the early portions of this match, with Leandro Paredes and Diego Llorente forcing the issue in the final third, each firing glancing shots at Christos Mandas' goal. Their attack-at-all-costs approach, of course, produced opportunities for Lazio at the other end. Igor Tudor's heavy pressing produced a golden chance for Ciro Immobile in the 7th minute after Lazio forced a turnover deep in Roma territory.

The opening 10 minutes set the stage for a lively first half in which Roma peppered Mandas with 11 shots. With De Rossi's side looking to rush forward at a moment's notice, Angeliño, El Shaarawy, Dybala, and Zeki Celik were the stars of the first half, with each man heaping pressure on the Lazio defense with their quick passing and service from the wide spaces.

Still, despite efforts from Pellegrini, who forced Mandas into a 23rd-minute save from distance that produced a meaty rebound, and Celik, who misfired a header in the box, Roma couldn't conjure any genuine, clear-cut chances in Lazio's area.

With the clock winding down in the first half (or up, as it were), Lazio began to take control of the match, recycling possession deep in Roma's end and threatening to take the lead into halftime. Vecino and Daichi Kamada looked particularly sharp during this spell and seemed poised to ruin Roma's afternoon.

However, with neither side able to find a breakthrough, the first half seemed fated to end in a big tease until...

With Dybala whipping a corner into the heart of the box, Gianluca Mancini stepped into the void and slew a powerful header past a hapless Mandas to put the Giallorossi up one-nil at the break. Macini's fourth league goal of the season was, incredibly, Roma's first derby goal since March 2022.

Second Half

The second 45 picked up exactly where the first half left off: Roma seizing on any opening Lazio's high press would afford, rushing down the pitch and stretching the Biancoceleste backline. Roma nearly ripped the game open in the 54th minute when Lukaku led what was essentially a one-man fast break before El Shaarawy overlapped him on the left. While Lukaku's pass was played perfectly, El Shaarawy's tight-angled attempt clanged off the corner of the goal, robbing Roma of a two-goal lead.

Lukaku came excruciatingly close to extending Roma's lead moments later after Bryan Cristante flashed a low ball across the face of goal. The Belgian striker did well to get in position to provide a target, but the ball ran just out of his reach. Nevertheless, Roma's aggressive approach continued unabated.

Speaking of aggression...

With 20 minutes remaining in the match and the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, De Rossi made an interesting change, swapping out El Sharaawy for Leonardo Spinazzola. This change effectively pushed Angeliño into the space vacated by SES while Spinazzola manned the left-back position.

As the minutes continued to tick away, Roma gradually retreated into a more defensive shell, ceding possession to Lazio, who were desperately trying to claw their way back into the match. With the boos and whistles raining down on them at every touch, tempers began to flare down the stretch, with every loose ball serving as an occasion to throw errant elbows at one's opponent.

De Rossi went to the bench once more in the 79th minute, making a surprising change by bringing on a pair of Englishmen: Chris Smalling and Tammy Abraham. Abraham was making his season debut after missing the entire season recovering from an ACL tear. This change shifted Roma into a back three, a more pragmatic approach to close out this crucial match—a move he doubled down on shortly after that, swapping out Leandro Paredes' methodical passing for Edoardo Bove's intensity and tackling ability.

With 10 minutes to play and the weight of the city on their shoulders, Roma fought tooth and nail (sometimes literally) down the stretch to preserve the lead. Thanks to De Rossi's defensive wall and key interventions from Bove, Mile Svilar, and Smalling, Roma weathered the storm, keeping Lazio at bay for nearly seven minutes of added time. They walked away with not only bragging rights but three absolutely essential points.

Final Thoughts

The 172nd rendition of the Derby della Capitale lacked the usual spate of red cards. Still, after a relatively congenial first half, the usual derby delights—yellow cards galore, screaming, shouting, and all manner of skirmishes—were on full display in the second half.

Mancini's header will garner a lot of headlines in Rome, but this was a defensive masterstroke from De Rossi, who played Lazio nearly perfectly in the second half. His late switch to a three-man backline gave the Giallorossi the added heft they needed to forestall Lazio's advances. And had El Shaarawy's shot not struck the post, or if Celik hadn't inexplicably missed a wide-open Lukaku, this match would have been done and dusted much sooner.

Up Next

Roma heads to the San Siro on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League Quarterfinal matchup against AC Milan.