Tempers Flare in Rome as Pellegrini Steals the Show in Derby Victory

Lorenzo Pellegrini stole the show in Rome’s impressive 2-0 victory over Lazio in the Derby della Capitale, earning Football Italia’s Man of the Match award. The Italian midfielder ignited the home crowd early on, finding the back of the net just ten minutes into the game. This marked his first Serie A appearance at the Stadio Olimpico since late October, making the goal even more special.

Lazio appeared shaken by Roma’s blistering start, Alexis Saelemaekers netting the second one, just eight minutes later. Lazio did not collapse from there completely, but their reaction was not with any real coherence. 

Pushing with a sense of urgency, one final attempt to get their fight back in this match. Manager Marco Baroni replaced two attackers at half-time, trading out Assan Ceesay and Gabriel Strefezza for Loum Tchaouna and Boulaye Dia to bolster the attack. 

Lazio did find some reasonable opportunities — at least enough to score once — but into the brick wall that was the Roman defense, they bounced.

As the match went on, tensions flared between both teams. Referee Luca Pairetto handed out eight yellow cards, three to Roma and five to Lazio, along with a late red card to Taty Castellanos.

Paulo Dybala managed to get three Lazio players booked in the first half alone.

The Argentine was substituted in the second half, and thanks to Roma’s solid defense, Claudio Ranieri secured his fifth derby victory from five matches. Roma remains in 10th place, while Lazio holds onto fourth.

In total, eight cards (three for Roma, five for Lazio) were shown by ref Luca Pairetto as tensions flared in the Rome derby, capped with a red card late on for Lazio’s Castellanos.

Dybala was especially troublesome for Lazio, earning three bookings in the first half alone. But Roma’s resolute backline remained solid, handing Claudio Ranieri another victory after five derby attempts.

The win keeps Roma in 10th place, while Lazio stay fourth. Looking ahead, Roma faces Bologna on January 12th, Genoa on January 17th, and then travels to face Udinese on January 26th. Lazio has a Coppa Italia fixture against Como on January 10th, followed by a league clash with Hellas Verona on January 19th, and a home game against Fiorentina on January 26th.