For the first time in history, Juventus lose their opening two league games! There’s a bit of shoving at full-time involving Bonucci and De Rossi among others but it is rapidly diffused and Roma are off to celebrate. It was a little more nervy for them than it should have been but they take what already could be a very important three points. Deservedly so, too, they were the better team in all aspects. Juve have lots of work to do. Thanks for reading. I’m off to find a darkened room. Until next time!
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Full-time! Roma 2-1 Juventus
Roma have done it!
90 min + 4: Juve lump a long ball in and the ball falls to Morata but he sticks it over. And that should be it.
90 min +3: Final Roma sub sees Dzeko stroll off to a huge ovation. Ibarbo is on for him.
90 min +2: Dybala takes it and a header at the back-post is saved brilliantly by Szczesny!
90 min + 2: Juventus have a corner!
90 min + 1: Every Roma shirt is sat deep. Juve have it. Morata finds Pogba but the pass is behind him and they lose it.
90 min: There will be four minutes added on!
89 min: Ljajic on for Falque as Roma attempt to kill some seconds and any chance of Juve building a bit of momentum.
Goal! Roma 2-1 Juventus (Dybala)
87 min: But there is too much caressing. Pereyra wins it off Keita and squares to Dybala who taps in from six yards. The couldn’t could they?
86 min: Pogba concedes possession cheaply and Roma break, four on three, but Falque, on the left of that four, gives himself a poor angle and shoots tamely. Roma get possession back almost immediately and they are caressing the ball around the back now.
83 min: Juventus are a mess. They’ve lost all shape since Evra’s dismissal but, in truth, didn’t look capable of apply a sustained spell of pressure on Roma at 1-0 anyway.
81 min: Dzeko shoots over from range. Iturbe was open and looking for the pass … but they won’t complain too much now the defecit is 2-0.
Goal! Roma 2-0 Juventus (Dzeko)
79 min: The free-kick is worked to the left. A cross comes in from Falque to Dzeko and this time he gets the better of Chiellini. Heading to Buffon’s left and in. He jumps over the advertising hoardings and towards the rejoicing Roma ultras.
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Red card! Patrice Evra
78 min: Evra, booked a few minutes earlier for sandwiching Salah in to Pogba, puts a leg out to shamelessly trip Iturbe on halfway. The fifth sending off in the past five meetings between these two.
77 min: Iturbe is replaced by Salah, who put in a decent shift and is applauded off.
75 min: Cuadrado is on for his Old Lady debut, in place of Padoin, who will not be missed considering how little affect he had on the game.
That Pjanic free-kick, if you haven’t seen it
.@Miralem_Pjanic curls home a beautiful free-kick for @OfficialASRoma against @juventusfcen. #RomaJuve http://t.co/bMN5wB3BN4
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) August 30, 2015
73 min: Dzeko should have made it 2-0. On his weaker foot he produces a goalbound shot with Buffon apparently beaten but Chiellini makes a last ditch block to keep Juve in with a vague shout of getting an undeserved result from a game where they have been second best in pretty much every department.
72 min: Super stop from Buffon! Nainggolan has a pop from about 25 yards and the veteran keeper is across to save. The corner is cleared. Pereyra has finally come on, in place of Lichtsteiner.
70 min: A chance for the visitors! Dybala swings in a corner from the right and Pogba rises to head goalwards and downwards but he is unable to direct on target and the ball takes one bounce before heading wide.
69 min: Juve are stepping it up a gear now but Szczesny still has not had a save to make.
67 min: Pereyra about to enter the fray for Juve.
66 min: Poor! He scoops well over the bar and the Curva Sud roar out of delight. Meanwhile on the Juve bench Rubinho has had a go at the fourth official, the referee makes his way across and shows him a red card.
64 min: Handball from De Rossi! Juve want a penalty but the referee gives a free-kick right on the edge of the box. It’s a great call from the ref, vindicated by the referee. De Rossi is booked and blesses himself. Dybala to take. Can he out-Pjanic Pjanic?
64 min: Now what can Juve produce in response? They have shown absolutely nothing in attack and are badly lacking in ideas.
63 min: Morata replaces an anonymous Mandzukic.
Goal! Roma 1-0 Juventus (Pjanic)
62 min: Oh wow. This is a bit special. Pjanic is a genius from a dead ball. With the inside of his right boot, he lifts over the wall, it dips and Buffon doesn’t even bother diving such was the perfect placing.
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60 min: At last chances are beginning to appear. Dzeko shoots low from a tight angle but Buffon is down to stop really well at his feet. Seconds later Dzeko wins a free-kick 23.4m out. Pjanic will hit it.
58 min: Pjanic booked for a handball after Evra tries to flick past him.
57 min: Pjanic picks the ball up from Dzeko but with his back to goal has to turn and shoot in one swift movement. It’s low, tame and Buffon is down to collect. Still, it’s a shot on target – something Juve are yet to achieve.
56 min: Pogba, already booked, is walking a fine line. He’s frustrated after wrapping his arms around Salah. Falque takes the free-kick on the right. Fails to beat the first man. Bad.
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55 min: Another Digne cross is cut out by Chiellini. I’m going to repeat this another few times before half time, aren’t I?
53 min: Juan Cuadrado is warming up!
51 min: Roma’s pressure has not been as relentless since the restart. So much of the game is concentrated in the middle third and it’s difficult to figure out where a goal is going to come from – Roma continue to look most likely but apart from hitting a post, they have not bothered Buffon.
49 min: Juve have won a corner! Dybala takes it. Chiellni wins a header at the back stick. It’s half cleared and Caceres blasts the rebound over.
47 min: Roma back on the attack now, working down the left. I lost count of the crosses put in by Digne during the opening half – the majority of them at Dzeko to little effect. Still, far more than Juventus have produced in attack!
We're off!
46 min: Juventus get us going again and immediately win a throw-in on halfway.
Some half-time titbits
1 - Juventus attempted only one shot so far - it had never happened to the Bianconeri in Serie A since 2004/05 at half time. Shy. #RomaJuve
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) August 30, 2015
AS ROMA vs JUVENTUS : Both manager when they were players #Garcia #Allegri pic.twitter.com/yC8Cj9vOBY
— Old School Panini (@OldSchoolPanini) August 30, 2015
Half-time! Roma 0-0 Juventus
Roma have enjoyed the better of it but it remains scoreless at the break with few clear chances – apart from Pjanic’s shot which came off the left post. ‘Tactically fascinating,’ says the commentator on BT Sport, which as we all know is a kind way of saying it’s been average at best.
Half-time musical interlude
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41 min: Pogba has been muted thus far but he finally opens up and buys himself time and space before freeing Evra on the left. The wing-back’s cross is terrible.
37 min: Chiellini, predictably, picks up a booking having gone in strong on Nainggolan, who is furious despite the Juve defender winning the ball before connecting with the Roma play. Pushing and shoving ensues. Calm down, lads, calm down. Let’s not spoil it. There have been 26 yellow cards in this fixture over the past 20 years!
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33 min: Chiellini clatters Pjanic, who goes down clutching his right ankle, after winning a little bit of the ball too. Free-kick is taken short and worked from right to left. Digne again tries to find Dzeko but, with Chiellini backing into him, is judged to have commited a foul. Buffon to take the free out.
31 min: Evra loses possession to Salah in uncharacteristically sloppy fashion but Roma are again met by a congested picture in front of them and are forced to move across, attempting to stretch Juve’s compact unit.
30 min: Juve corner is collected by Szczesny and from there Roma break. Dzeko shoots and it’s blocked
29 min: Dybala tries to break – really the only threatening player in a black and white shirt so far – but is hauled back by Keita. It should be a foul, maybe even a yellow card. But play continues.
28 min: Salah and Dzeko attempt a one-two but it breaks down upon the return pass and Buffon collects.
27 min: Roma have had 70% of the ball so far.
Flattering of Juventus to copy Udinese’s game plan from last week…
— James Horncastle (@JamesHorncastle) August 30, 2015
25 min: Falque delivers a free-kick from the left towards Dzeko. Again the former Manchester City player is unable to connect but it doesn’t matter as Keita is flagged for offside.
24 min: Pjanic! So unlucky. On the edge of the area he unleashes a stunning shot that has Buffon beaten but crashes off the woodwork. So close. Roma upping the intensity again and win a corner. It comes to nothing but they are in possession of the second ball. And now the Curva Sud have activated. In the words of the great Andy Townsend: BETTER!
22 min: The ball is swung in towards Dzeko. And yet again Chiellini beats him in the air. It’s a corner. Taken short with every Juve player in the box but Nainggolan makes a mess of it and it’s cleared.
21 min: Salah sprints down the right but Pogba tugs him back cynically. And that’s the first booking of the evening.
19 min: Nothing is happening. It is all very congested in midfield and the ball is going from side to side but not forward.
17 min: Digne puts in a cross towards Dzeko but Chiellini gets in front of him to avert the danger.
16 min: Juventus growing into the game now. Dybala runs threateningly through the middle but is eventually crowded out before reaching the box. Seconds later Pogba scuffs one from 25 yards that rolls wide. Poor.
15 min: Weird atmosphere in the Olimpico at the moment. There is a silent protest on the Curva Sud due to the area being partitioned for supporters. And now you can hear shouts from the players and managers, though the Juve fans are of course making some bit of noise.
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13 min: Just as I saw that, a cross comes towards the big striker at the back post but he dithers and instead of shooting first time, takes a touch in an attempt to control, allowing Digne to get in the way. It should be a corner but a goal-kick is given. That was a chance for Mandzukic.
11 min: Roma’s early pressure beginning to ease off now but Juve haven’t been able to bring Mandzukic into the game at all.
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8 min: Falqueee!!!! Oof. Some brilliant build-up play with Dzeko at the heart of it ends with Falque sending an absolute rocket about six inches wide of Buffon’s top right corner.
6 min: Juve finally get the opportunity to string a couple of passes across the back. But once they move forward, Dzeko tracks back to dispossess Padoin.
Garcia asked for Roma to play at a higher tempo - said they needed to act as though they were 1 goal down to start. Living up to it so far.
— Paolo Bandini (@Paolo_Bandini) August 30, 2015
5 min: It’s taken short to Digne who whips in a cross and they win a second corner via Chiellini. Once more it’s short and when the cross comes in Dzeko adds a touch before Keita strikes tamely wide.
4 min: And now Dzeko wins a corner off Lichtsteiner.
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3 min: Good, high-intensity start from Roma. Pjanic, following an attack down the left, goes down in the box but play is waved on again. He should have been booked for simulation there.
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1 min: Roma have an early penalty shout following a clumsy challenge from Mandzukic but play continues. There was no malice there and it’s probably the right call having seen the replay.
We're off
1 min: Roma get us going at a sunny Stadio Olimpico. Nicola Rizzoli is the referee, his 200th match in Serie A.
The teams are out and standing around to a nonsense Serie A theme tune. Here comes some calcio!
The cast
Roma: Szczesny; Florenzi, Manolas, De Rossi, Digne; Pjanic, Keita, Nainggolan; Falque, Dzeko, Salah. Those who lie in waiting: De Sanctis, Castan, Capradossi, Gyomber, Anocic, Paredes, Ucan, Totti, Ibarbo, Gervinho, Iturbe, Ljajic
Juventus: Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Padoin, Pogba, Evra; Mandzukic, Dybala. Those who lie in waiting: Neto, Rubinho, Barzagli, Rugani, Alex Sandro, Cuadrado, Pereyra, Vitale, Morata, Zaza.
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Preamble
Buon pomeriggio! No longer is Serie A a one horse race. Rejoice! Juventus lost their opening game to Udinese, Roma could only draw with Verona and already there are questions hanging over both. Handy, then, that the big guns are facing each other so soon.
Juve remain the favourites to be celebrating come season’s end despite losing several key players during the summer. Even at this desperately early juncture Roma must at least put in a big performance here to deliver a statement.
Team news imminently but in the run up to kick-off, why not read Paolo Bandini’s account of how both started their seasons last weekend:
Udinese were fortunate to win, having spent much of the match with their backs to the wall. Théréau’s goal came from just their third shot, by which point the hosts had already attempted 19. If this were still the same Juventus side that won the double last year, then the result might have been dismissed as a blip – just one of those days when the ball refused to bounce the champions’ way.
And maybe that is all it will turn out to be. But in the context of the off-season’s overhaul, old certainties have disappeared. The departures of Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal were always going to be felt, but the sight of Leonardo Bonucci and Paul Pogba hoicking free-kicks off target in the first half provided a jarring reminder of exactly what had been lost.
A team that seemed so confident in the wake of its Supercoppa win over Lazio showed no such swagger here. Mario Mandzukic occasionally threatened up front, but there was no cohesion between the midfield and attack. Bonucci acknowledged that all was not yet flowing seamlessly, defining this as a “transition season” during his post-match interviews.
Kick-off is 5pm BST, 6pm local time.
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