Nicola Zalewski got the only goal as Jose Mourinho’s Roma beat Serie C side Triestina 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at the Stadio Nereo Rocco.
Stephan El Shaarawy had skipped away from a challenge and saw his angled drive parried by the goalkeeper, Zalewski ready to tap in the rebound.
Mourinho set his men out in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but lost Gianluca Mancini to a stomach bug at the last minute.
Nicolò Zaniolo was in the starting XI with Lorenzo Pellegrini, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Edin Dzeko, but they struggled to create many chances in the first half.
They were transformed after the restart and Borja Mayoral missed a sitter just moments before the breakthrough goal from Zalewski.
Riccardo Ciervo came closest to a second, his angled drive flashing just wide.
Roma: Fuzato; Reynolds (Karsdorp 46), Ibanez, Kumbulla, Tripi (Smalling 46); Villar (Diawara 46), Bove (Ciervo 83); Zaniolo (El Shaarawy), Pellegrini (Zalewski 46), Mkhitaryan (Perez 46); Dzeko (Mayoral 46)
Il gol vittoria di Nicola Zalewski 👌#TriestinaRoma 0-1 | #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/hChfAowCBj
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) July 21, 2021