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Serie A | Roma 2-1 Atalanta: Dramatic late comeback success story
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- Serie A | Roma 2-1 Atalanta: Dramatic late comeback success story
Roma completed an incredible comeback with two goals in added time to stun Atalanta 2-1, as Mario Hermoso and Matias Soulé maintained their perfect start to the season.
Gian Piero Gasperini faced his former club after a perfect start to the season, beating both Fiorentina and Lecce 4-0 with five goals from Donyell Malen . Paulo Dybala and Evan Ndicka shook off muscular issues to start, with only Lorenzo Pellegrini sidelined, but Emanuele Lulli was again preferred to Nahuel Molina . La Dea had also won both Serie A matches, but with Kamaldeen Sulemana and Isak Hien injured, they had deadline day signings Jonathan Rowe and Franck Kessié on the bench.
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The Giallorossi's last victory over Atalanta was 1-0 in March 2022, followed by two draws from the next eight meetings leading into this fixture.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
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ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Roma players pose for a team photograph before during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on September 05, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Gianluca Mancini thought he had to score with a free header at the back post, but Marco Carnesecchi 's save clawed it practically off the line after 14 minutes.
Carnesecchi made another tricky save to push the Bryan Cristante header round the post. Ndicka scored on the resulting corner, but was in an offside position.
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Rodrigo Mora drilled wide from the edge of the area, while Mile Svilar took the sting out of a Gianluca Scamacca snapshot.
Roma dominated the first half, Malen cutting inside past one defender to force a tricky save out of Carnesecchi, but didn't make it count.
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Donyell Malen of Roma gestures during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on September 05, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Instead, Atalanta took the lead straight after the restart, when Charles De Ketelaere shrugged off Mario Hermoso to pull back and it was not cleared effectively, allowing Ederson to smash in the loose ball from 14 yards. It was the first goal that the Giallorossi had conceded this season.
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Carnesecchi needed another big save to deny the Manu Koné scorcher from the edge of the box on a corner routine, then Lazar Samardzic turned wide from the Raoul Bellanova counter-attack.
It should've been 2-0 for Atalanta when Nikola Krstovic shrugged off Mancini and drew out Svilar, but bent the finish inches wide of the empty net.
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Nikola Krstovic of Atalanta is challenged by Evan Ndicka of Roma during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on September 05, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Matias Soulé also tested Carnesecchi on the volley, while Santiago Castro came off the bench and within minutes had thumped the base of the upright from a tricky angle.
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Leonardo Balerdi made his Roma debut and Soulé aimed a header straight at Carnesecchi, while Dybala's left-foot curler flashed wide of the far post.
Cristante nodded a Wesley cross past the back stick, but for all their possession and often pinning Atalanta back into the final third, they couldn't make it count.
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta shoots during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on September 05, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
They were frustrated when Castro struck the frame of the goal for a second time, his header thumping the crossbar from the Nahuel Molina cross.
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Roma finally got an equaliser on the corner after another desperate Carnesecchi double save on Dybala and the Wesley follow-up, as Hermoso got the looping header on a Matias Soulé set play and it bounced in off the inside of the far post.
ROME, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Mario Hermoso of Roma celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on September 05, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
The hosts were not sated and pushed for a victory, Soulé sliding in to turn just wide, then a Castro curler from the edge of the box flashing inches past the far post.
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It paid off, as Soulé cut inside Davide Zappacosta and drilled the low finish into the small gap between Carnesecchi and the base of the near stick to drive the Stadio Olimpico crowd wild.
Atalanta protested after the final whistle, Gianluca Gaetano receiving a red card.
Roma 2-1 Atalanta
Ederson 47 (A), Hermoso 90 (R), Soulé 93 (R)
