AS Roma vs Empoli: Relief for Mourinho as Dybala outshines Lukaku to hand I Giallorossi first Serie A win
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Roma thrash Empoli in a seven-goal thriller || Credit: Imago

AS Roma vs Empoli: Relief for Mourinho as Dybala outshines Lukaku to hand I Giallorossi first Serie A win

Stephen Oladehinde 21:49 - 17.09.2023

Jose Mourinho’s men secured their first victory of the season against Empoli after struggling to hit the ground running at the start of the season.

Roma drew their first game of the season and lost their last two Serie A games back-to-back before thrashing Empoli 7-0.

Seven goals were scored in the game, with Paulo Dybala scoring two goals, Renato Sanches scoring one and an own goal from Alberto Grassi.

Bryan Cristante, Romelu Lukaku and Gianluca Mancini also got on the score sheet as Roma claimed their first victory of the season.

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As it happened 

Roma manager Jose Mourinho made six changes to his side that lost 2-1 at home to AC Milan before the international break.

Empoli manager Paolo Zanetti on the other hand made three changes to his side that lost 2-0 to Juventus.

The game started with Mourinho’s team dominating the proceedings and winning a penalty in the first two minutes of the game.

Paulo Dybala wins the battle of wills and sends an unstoppable penalty past Etrit Berisha into the top left corner.

Six minutes later, Roma doubled their lead with a nice lofted pass into the box by Rasmus Kristensen and was pounced on by Renato Sanches. His close-range header flashes past Etrit Berisha and into the left of the goal. 

As the game continued, Roma made it three after Alberto Grassi scored an own goal and became very comfortable before the referee blew the half-time whistle.

Lukaku scores Roma's sixth goal of the game || Credit: Imago
Lukaku scores Roma's sixth goal of the game || Credit: Imago

Both teams returned for the second half and Roma continued from where they left off and added the fourth goal.

Paulo Dybala gets in a good position after an exceptional individual run and releases a powerful shot that flies precisely into the bottom left corner.

Roma continued to score as Bryan Cristante got to the ball on the edge of the box and fired in a first-time shot without any hesitation. The strike was excellent and went straight into the top left corner

Romelu Lukaku and Gianluca Mancini also added their names to the score sheet before the referee blew the final whistle.