Andrea Florenzi sets Roma on the way to victory over Hellas Verona

Updated: May 17, 2023, 06:30 am
Alessandro Florenzi celebrates after scoring the opener.
TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images

Roma continued their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 win over Hellas Verona as they made it five wins out of five in Serie A.

Andrea Florenzi, on for Francesco Totti in the second half, broke the deadlock 15 minutes from time before Mattia Destro buried a stunning strike from more than 40 yards as the hosts put the pressure on Juventus at the top of the standings.

The win was also a good warm-up for Roma ahead of their trip to Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, where they will look to build on their 5-1 win over CSKA Moscow.

Totti celebrated his 38th birthday with a place in the Roma starting XI, even if he is also expected to start against City in midweek.

Destro was his partner and he had the chance to put Roma in front after a quarter of an hour, but missed the target with a header from Maicon's cross.

Totti nearly marked his birthday with a goal on the half-hour mark, but he was denied by a post when sliding in to meet a loose ball in the Verona area.

It was all Roma, but they just could not find the finish against a stubborn Verona side, whose goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini marked his Serie A debut by denying Totti - a player twice his age - early in the second half.

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa sent a header wide on the hour mark as Roma continued their search for a goal.

Midway through the second half Totti's involvement came to an end, with Florenzi sent on for the captain, who was given an obligatory standing ovation from the Giallorossi fans.

On the field for less than 10 minutes, Florenzi finally broke the deadlock, flashing a right-footed shot into the bottom corner of Gollini's goal, with the Verona goalkeeper unable to do anything but watch as the ball flew by.

Destro wasted the chance to put the seal on Roma's victory when he lifted his shot over the bar from Gervinho's pull back.

Gervinho then teed up Florenzi, who went closer than Destro by hitting the bar.

And Destro did seal victory with a spectacular goal from near the halfway line as he spotted Gollini off his line and scored in style to finish Verona off.