Daniele De Rossi obtained off to a successful begin as Jose Mourinho's successor at Roma on Saturday after his boyhood membership defeated struggling Verona 2-1 on the emotional Stadio Olimpico.
First-half targets from Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini have been sufficient for eighth-place Roma to beat Verona and hand De Rossi a debut win after taking up on Tuesday.
Roma took benefit of fourth-placed Fiorentina not enjoying a league match this weekend because of their Italian Tremendous Cup commitments in Saudi Arabia to maneuver to inside two factors of the Champions League place.
Verona, who’re in severe monetary hassle and have sacked seven gamers this month, sit simply contained in the relegation zone after their twelfth defeat in 21 video games.
Nevertheless, Roma didn’t have all of it their method, as Michael Folorunsho pulled the ball again within the 76th minute with a superb shot, which Roma goalkeeper Rui Patricio ought to have saved out.
Earlier, Rome-born Folorunsho, who stated earlier than the match that he’s a Lazio fan, had a objective disallowed for a soft-looking foul, whereas Verona striker Milan Djuric hit a penalty over the crossbar simply after the hour mark.
Former Italian midfielder De Rossi, who performed at Roma for nearly twenty years, was introduced in after Mourinho's sudden dismissal.
A lot of Roma's help continues to be livid over Mourinho's sacking. Posters seem in Rome demanding that American billionaire proprietor Dan Friedkin promote the membership.
And the resentment was not allayed by De Rossi's return, with cheers and whistles escorting the gamers onto the pitch for his or her pre-match warm-up.
A collection of banners within the stands praised Mourinho, who stays idolized within the Italian capital for successful the Europa Convention League in 2022 and reaching the Europa League last final season.
One stated Mourinho would have “everlasting glory”, whereas one other stated: “It was a pleasure to have you ever by our aspect… thanks Jose.”
Nevertheless, De Rossi's identify rang via the bottom simply earlier than kick-off and after a hard-fought victory, highlighting the problem of the duty he has taken on.
In a while Saturday, AC Milan will look to shut the nine-point hole separating them from leaders Inter Milan after they tackle Udinese.
Mourinho and AS Roma parted methods when his contract with the staff lastly expired.
Mourinho broke his silence after his departure three days in the past and expressed his gratitude to the passionate Roma followers in a heartfelt assertion on Instagram.
AFP
