Jose Mourinho suffered his first defeat at Roma, as Igor Tudor inspired Hellas Verona to a 3-2 comeback win, including astounding Lorenzo Pellegrini and Marco Davide Faraoni goals.
Hellas sacked Eusebio Di Francesco after losing all three games so far this season, bringing in Tudor to help steady the ship and hopefully recapture the approach of fellow Croatian Ivan Juric. The hosts missed Miguel Veloso, Kevin Ruegg, Gianluca Frabotta and Bosko Sutalo, while the Giallorossi had Matias Vina, Leonardo Spinazzola and Henrikh Mkhitaryan carrying knocks.
Jose Mourinho had won all six matches between Serie A and the Conference League, going very close to an opener at the Bentegodi after 16 minutes when Bryan Cristante’s looping header from a free kick bounced off the top of the crossbar.
Darko Lazovic should’ve done better when scuffing wide after he caught Rick Karsdorp in possession, but Roma took the lead with a moment of pure quality despite the torrential rain.
Karsdorp’s low cross from the right found Pellegrini ahead of his marker, surprising everyone with a cheeky back-heel flick into the near bottom corner from nine yards.
Hellas equalised straight after the restart, as Gianluca Caprari got away from Cristante down the left, his pull-back was deflected by Gianluca Mancini and Rui Patricio made a great reaction save to avoid the own goal, but Antonin Barak was quickest on the rebound.
Pellegrini dribbled into the box past two defenders and was only denied by a desperate Koray Gunter block, but it was Verona who turned the game around completely within five minutes.
Caprari sprinted past Mancini down the left and his precise angled drive bobbled past Rui Patricio’s fingertips into the far bottom corner.
Pellegrini would not be bowed, though, as he ran into the box and his cross would’ve been finished off by Tammy Abraham had it not been for Ivica Ilic intercepting and doing the job for him.
It was suddenly wide open, Caprari testing Rui Patricio from the edge of the box, but Verona restored their lead with another absolutely stunning goal. Marco Davide Faraoni flicked it up on the edge of the box with his first touch, smashed the volley in off the underside of the bar with his second. It was simply unstoppable.
OH MY WORD!! 🤯
Davide Faraoni scores an absolutely obscene volley to put Verona 3-2 up against Mourinho’s Roma. 😅 pic.twitter.com/hDrMu5jTSw
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 19, 2021
It should’ve been 4-2 for Verona on 72 minutes when Caprari was sent clear by Lazovic, but Rui Patricio fingertipped the finish out of the far bottom corner.
Verona 3-2 Roma
Pellegrini 36 (R), Barak 49 (V), Caprari 54 (V), Ilic og 58 (R), Faraoni 63 (V)