AS Roma maintained their 100% start to the domestic season with a 2-0 victory over Torino at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, recording a ninth consecutive Serie A win stretching back to last season.
Donyell Malen was central to another impressive performance, scoring the opening goal before Niccolo Pisilli added a second in stoppage time. The result sent the Giallorossi back to the top of the table and leaves them closing in on a club-record run of 11 successive Serie A victories.
Roma began on the front foot and should have gone ahead when a cross deceived Torino goalkeeper Lucas Perri, but Malen headed wide from a promising position.
Matias Soule and Bryan Cristante also went close, while Malen later had a goal ruled out for offside. Torino gradually found a foothold before half-time, with Eray Comert shooting over and Rolando Mandragora testing Mile Svilar after scoring in the 2-1 win against Fiorentina last weekend.
Roma regained control and Paulo Dybala headed narrowly wide before they finally made their pressure count. After Torino failed to deal with the danger, Malen followed up his initial effort and slid in the rebound after Perri had made the first save.
The goal was Malen’s ninth Serie A breakthrough in as many appearances, underlining his importance to Roma’s outstanding start.
Roma continued to dominate after the interval, with Nahuel Molina narrowly missing the target within the opening 10 minutes of the second half. Malen was unexpectedly substituted before the hour mark, and his departure appeared to encourage Torino.
Giovanni Simeone forced Svilar into two good saves, while the Roma goalkeeper was also required to keep out a Mandragora free-kick. With only one goal separating the sides, Torino remained a threat during the closing stages.
Perri was called into action at the other end when Molina struck a powerful effort from the edge of the penalty area. The Leeds United loanee then tipped Gianluca Mancini’s close-range header over the crossbar as Roma continued to search for a decisive second goal.
That goal arrived in added time. Pisilli reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the box and prodded it home to secure all three points for the visitors.
Roma’s victory keeps them at the summit at this early stage of the campaign, while Torino have now suffered four defeats in their past five matches, with one win in that sequence. Il Toro have also failed to keep a clean sheet in nine consecutive league games.
Malen was named Flashscore’s Man of the Match.