Matias Soulé made history with the fastest ever Serie A goal scored by Roma, 22 seconds proving enough to get all three points against a decimated Empoli.
The Giallorossi were fresh from a dramatic last-gasp Europa League victory over Athletic Club and won eight of their last 11 competitive matches, but with the second leg coming up on Thursday in Bilbao, had to rotate the squad with Paulo Dybala and Zeki Celik left at home among nine changes. Empoli knocked Juventus out of the Coppa Italia to reach the semi-final, yet scraped only three draws from the last 12 Serie A games. Youssef Maleh added to the absentee list with Tino Anjorin, Ardian Ismajli, Mattia Viti, Ola Solbakken, Nicolas Haas, Szymon Zurkowski, Tyronne Ebuehi, Saba Sazonov and Pietro Pellegri.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
It was the perfect start for Roma, taking the lead within 22 seconds. Lorenzo Colombo had given it away in midfield, Anass Salah-Eddine’s cross from the left went past Lorenzo Pellegrini, so Soulé took a touch just inside the area and fired in with his left foot. It was the fastest-ever Roma goal on record in Serie A.
Mile Svilar got down to palm the Mattia De Sciglio daisy-cutter round the post, while Pellegrini drilled just wide on an Eldor Shomurodov assist.
It should’ve been 2-0 on 36 minutes when Pellegrini did so well to control a tricky ball and lay it off for Shomurodov, who went for power over precision and smashed his strike onto the crossbar from nine yards.
Moments later, Manu Kone sprung the offside trap on a Soulé through ball and dribbled around Marco Silvestri, only to hit the outside of the near post from a tricky angle.
Shomurodov wasted another golden opportunity by nodding a Soulé cross at Silvestri’s legs from point-blank range.
After the restart, Silvestri made a tricky one-handed save on Pellegrini’s header into the ground from Saud Abdulhamid’s cross, while Tommaso Baldanzi tested the goalkeeper against his former club.
Artem Dovbyk could’ve sealed it in stoppages when running onto a Baldanzi slide-rule pass, but Silvestri was alert enough to stick up a hand and parry the dinked finish.
Empoli threatened with the last kick of the game, a Christian Kouame header skimming the upright.
Empoli 0-1 Roma
Soulé 1 (R)
Match statistic
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