Roma secured a victory over their traditional rivals, Lazio, with Gianluca Mancini’s decisive header from a corner taken by Paulo Dybala, marking the debut of coach Daniele De Rossi in the Derby della Capitale. Both teams had undergone recent coaching changes, with this match being the first encounter under new management. Although De Rossi had previously participated in the derby as a player, this occasion marked his managerial debut. The absence of Evan Ndicka due to suspension was notable, while Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala returned to Roma’s starting lineup, compensating for Sardar Azmoun’s injury. Igor Tudor, having managed only two matches for Lazio, achieved a victory against Juventus in Serie A but suffered a loss in the Coppa Italia. Injuries persisted for Mattia Zaccagni, Ivan Provedel, and Manuel Lazzari.
The early moments of the game saw Leandro Paredes narrowly miss the target with a chest and half-volley attempt, Ciro Immobile hitting the side-netting, and Nicolò Casale deflecting a close-range effort wide from Diego Llorente. Pellegrini tested Christos Mandas with a long-range shot, while Zeki Celik failed to convert an Angelino cross with a powerful header that bounced over the bar.
A defensive lapse by Mario Gila allowed Roma to capitalize on a corner, with Gianluca Mancini heading in Dybala’s delivery to break the Giallorossi’s scoring drought against Lazio since March 2022. Despite Tudor’s halftime adjustments, including three substitutions, Lazio struggled to make an immediate impact. Roma came close to doubling their lead when Romelu Lukaku’s counter-attack led to Stephan El Shaarawy hitting the woodwork from a difficult angle.
Taty Castellanos attempted a long-range shot, and Lukaku narrowly missed connecting with a Bryan Cristante cross across the six-yard box. Daichi Kamada found the net on one occasion, but the goal was disallowed due to offside following a Matteo Guendouzi pass.
The tension escalated with several altercations on the field as Tammy Abraham made his return nearly a year after suffering a serious knee ligament injury in June 2023.
Roma 1-0 Lazio