Mourinho’s Roma bounce back in style as they beat Sampdoria

Mourinho’s Roma bounce back in style as they beat Sampdoria

Joba Ogunwale 19:00 - 02.04.2023

Jose Mourinho was back on the bench as his AS Roma side moved into the top four following win comprehensive victory over Sampdoria.

Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma kept up their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League alive after beating Sampdoria 3-0 in their Serie A clash at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. 

Roma came into the match on the back of consecutive defeats to Sassuolo and Lazio, denting their top-four hopes. 

However, the Yellow and Red are now back in the mix after a comprehensive win over Sampdoria. 

How it happened 

Roma started the game on the front foot, with Mourinho going for a back four in the absence of Gianluca Mancini, who was suspended for the match. 

The home side's first chance of the game came inside the opening ten minutes as Stephan El-Shaarawy tested Nicola Ravaglia from distance. 

Roma continued to shade possession in the early stages but Sampdoria were comfortable at the back. 

The relegation-threatened side, who are managed by Mourinho’s former player at Inter Milan Dejan Stankovic, kept Roma at bay for most parts of the game. 

However, they almost conceded just before half-time as Gini Wijnaldum hit the post following a ball from Nemanja Matic. 

https://twitter.com/ASRomaEN/status/1642570238603534342

Wijnaldum’s effort proved to be the last chance of the opening half as Roma went into the break feeling frustrated. 

Jeison Murillo’s red card set up Mourinho’s men for victory 

Sampdoria started the second half strongly but their brave effort was undone by Jeison Murillo, who was sent for a second bookable offence after fouling Tammy Abraham. 

The dismissal gave Roma the advantage, with Mourinho’s men taking the lead moments after through Wijnaldum, who headed in a cross from Nemanja Matic. 

But despite falling behind and playing with a man less, Sampdoria made Roma uncomfortable at the back. 

However, their hopes vanished late in the game as Paulo Dybala doubled Roma’s lead from the spot after Wijnaldum was fouled by Ravglia. 

The goal secured Roma’s three points but there was still time for El Shaarawy to score a third and complete a dominant win for Mourinho’s men. 

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The win lifts Roma into third place, level on points with Inter Milan and five behind Lazio. 

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