Roma Fire 39 Shots and 2.96 xG to Beat Atalanta 2-1

Roma spent most of Saturday night throwing shots at Marco Carnesecchi and still needed the 89th minute. The 2-1 win over Atalanta at the Stadio Olimpico came from 2.96 expected goals to 0.70, 39 shots to six, and 14 corners to one. Possession finished 66-34.

Key Numbers

Roma put 10 of 39 shots on target and created four big chances. Atalanta managed two shots on target and one big chance. Pass completion was 89% (549/615) for Roma and 78% (254/324) for Atalanta.

Ederson scored in the 47th minute. Mario Hermoso equalized in the 89th from a Matias Soule assist. Soule then finished from a Paulo Dybala assist in added time. Gianluca Gaetano was sent off in the 90th.

Tactical Reading

Gian Piero Gasperini set Roma in a 3-4-1-2. Maurizio Sarri used a 4-3-3. Roma's wing-backs and half-spaces produced the corner and shot flood. The first-half 0-0 did not match the eventual 2.96 xG sheet.

Soule and Nicolas Molina replaced Relu Mora and Edoardo Lulli at 54. Davide Ghilardi and Santiago Castro followed at 62-63. Leonardo Balerdi replaced Evan Ndicka at 67. Those changes kept the 3-4-1-2 shape while adding runners into the box.

Standout Performers

Soule produced an assist at 89 and the winning goal at 90. Hermoso scored the equalizer from central defense. Dybala supplied the second assist. Ederson's 47th-minute goal was Atalanta's only clear payoff from 0.70 xG.

What It Means

Roma sit first after three Serie A matches: three wins, nine points, 10 scored and one conceded. Atalanta are seventh on six points from three. Roma created more than four times Atalanta's xG.

For live soccer on TV viewers the lesson is persistence plus structure. A 3-4-1-2 that generates 14 corners and 39 shots will eventually break a deep 4-3-3, even after trailing.