Serie A | Roma 1-0 Bologna: Wesley Launches Strong Gasperini Era

Wesley Franca marked his Serie A debut with a goal, securing a vital 1-0 victory for AS Roma and giving new coach Gian Piero Gasperini a promising start to his tenure. Bologna, however, endured a challenging match, hampered by significant injuries.

Under Gasperini’s leadership, Roma’s squad showed signs of transformation. New talents Evan Ferguson and Wesley Franca were introduced into the starting lineup. The team was without key players Leon Bailey and Lorenzo Pellegrini, who were sidelined due to injury, and Zeki Celik, serving a suspension. Bologna faced their own player shortages, missing Juan Miranda and Emil Holm, but featured former Lazio striker Ciro Immobile making his debut in a familiar arena.

First Half Highlights and Injury Woes

The match began with Roma on the offensive, as Ferguson tested Bologna’s goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski from the edge of the box and later sent a header just wide following a cross from Angelino. Bologna briefly celebrated a goal from Riccardo Orsolini, but it was quickly disallowed due to an offside call against Immobile.

Roma came agonizingly close to scoring in the 23rd minute when Bryan Cristante`s glancing header, from a Matias Soulé free-kick, rattled the upright. Unfortunately for Bologna, their challenges mounted when Ciro Immobile pulled up with a thigh injury around the 30-minute mark, hobbling off the pitch visibly distressed. To make matters worse, Nicoló Casale also suffered a hamstring injury just before halftime, necessitating another substitution for the visitors.

Wesley`s Debut Goal Secures Victory

Despite their injury setbacks, Bologna found a glimmer of hope when substitute Santiago Castro’s cross-shot from a tricky angle caught Mile Svilar off guard and smacked against the crossbar.

However, it was Roma who ultimately broke the deadlock. In the 53rd minute, new signing Wesley Franca capitalized on a clumsy first touch from Jhon Lucumi, winning the ball back inside the penalty area and, while off balance, managed to scuff a low shot past Skorupski to give Roma the lead.

Paulo Dybala made his anticipated return from injury, immediately demonstrating his impact by forcing a save from Skorupski with a curling effort after a pull-back from Wesley. Further opportunities arose for Roma: Federico Bernardeschi saw his shot deflected over within a minute of entering the game, and Artem Dovbyk failed to convert a one-on-one chance after an inspired pass from Dybala.

Match Details

Player Statistics

Player	Event	Minute	Team
Remo Freuler	Yellow Card	19`	Bologna
Wesley	Goal	53`	Roma
Gianluca Mancini	Yellow Card	67`	Roma

Match Statistics

Starting Lineups and Substitutes