Roma swept past Atalanta” data-scaytid=”1″>Atalanta 3-0 to reach the Coppa Italia Quarter-Finals, but saw Pablo Daniel Osvaldo sent off and Mattia Destro injured.
Roma swept past Atalanta 3-0 to reach the Coppa Italia Quarter-Finals, but saw Pablo Daniel Osvaldo sent off and Mattia Destro injured.
Zdenek Zeman’s men will take on either Udinese or Fiorentina in January after a fifth consecutive victory in all competition. Daniele De Rossi returned to the Giallorossi starting XI for the first time in a month, while 17-year-old Alessio Romagnoli was given a chance in defence. Atalanta had to do without Giacomo Bonaventura, Guglielmo Stendardo, Guido Marilungo and Daniele Capelli.
Destro had penalty appeals waved away when held back by Cristiano Raimondi, but Roma broke the deadlock soon after.
Miralem Pjanic unleashed a rocket from midfield that seemed to surprise Andrea Consigli, coming off his palms to fly into the top corner. The Under-21 international goalkeeper really should’ve done better.
A fierce Luca Cigarini volley from a corner whistled just wide, but Atalanta shot themselves in the foot again with the goalkeeper looking very uncertain.
Consigli came out to gather a Destro through ball and Raimondi was meant to be shepherding, but was easily barged out of the way by Osvaldo, who got a touch for it to trickle slowly into an empty net.
Atalanta were frustrated when German Denis was flagged marginally offside, but he had also missed the target. Moments later, Roma added a third. De Rossi and Pjanic combined to thread through for Destro to side-foot the angled drive across Consigli into the far bottom corner.
Consigli fingertipped an Ivan Piris looping effort over the bar, but the Giallorossi went down to 10 men after the latest moment of madness from Osvaldo. He was being held by Carlos Matheu and swung out an elbow as the corner was whipped in, by no means the first time he has been sent off for lashing out.
More bad news for Roma, as Destro was limping heavily with what appeared to be a sprained ankle and had to be replaced.
They were also denied a penalty for a Raimondi handling offence in the box, while Maarten Stekelenburg had to palm a Pierluigi Brivio header away and from the corner Federico Balzaretti needed a goalline clearance.
Atalanta somehow failed to score eight minutes from time from a corner, as Stekelenburg performed a crucial save from point-blank range on Facundo Parra’s header. Riccardo Cazzola also prodded wide from a very promising position.
Roma 3-0 Atalanta
Scorers: Pjanic 21 (R), Osvaldo 31 (R), Destro 51 (R)
Roma: Stekelenburg; Piris, Romagnoli, Burdisso, Balzaretti (Dodo’ 76); Bradley, De Rossi, Pjanic; Destro (Marquinho 62), Osvaldo, Lopez
Atalanta: Consigli; Raimondi, Lucchini, Matheu, Brivio; Schelotto, Cigarini (De Luca 46), Cazzola, Moralez (Troisi 73); Carmona, Denis (Parra 54)
Ref: Russo
Sent off: Osvaldo 55 (R)