Roma Demolish Lecce 4-0 in Dominant Away Victory

Roma dismantled Lecce 4-0 at Stadio Ettore Giardiniero - Via del Mare to claim three points with a performance that reflected the scoreline and underlying numbers.

The visitors were clinical. Donyell Malen opened the scoring after four minutes, converting from close range without an assist to give Roma an early lead. He doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute when Wesley picked him out in the box, and Malen finished first time with his right foot. By the 25th minute, the game was effectively over: Matias Soulé collected a loose ball on the counter and bent a left-footed finish into the far corner. Rodrigo Mora completed the scoring in the 65th minute, nodding in from a Gianluca Mancini assist after Lecce failed to clear a set piece.

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Roma generated 7 big chances to Lecce's 2. They accumulated 41 touches in the opposition box compared to 13 for the home side. Their xG of 3.35 came almost entirely from open play (3.35), while Lecce's 0.74 included 0.32 from set pieces. The visitors fired 15 shots with 8 on target; Lecce managed 7 with 3 on target. Roma completed 596 accurate passes at 88% accuracy, dominating the opposition half with 277 passes in Roma's attacking third.

Lecce set up in a 3-5-2, using three centre-backs and five across midfield to compress space. The approach forced several Roma players into tight situations. Bryan-Cristante lost possession once, Mario-Hermoso was dispossessed once despite completing 91.3% of his passes, Gianluca Mancini lost the ball once while maintaining 95.5% pass accuracy, and Wesley was dispossessed once with a 78.9% pass completion rate. Mile Svilar made 41 touches and completed 80% of his passes. Daniele Ghilardi, despite not losing possession, completed 88.5% of his 77 passes in a cramped Roma midfield.

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Half-time substitutions from Lecce attempted to change the game's texture. Olaf Gorter made way for Konan N'Dri at the break, and Tiago Gabriel was replaced by Youssef Maleh. Those changes coincided with a shift: Roma's xG fell from 1.97 in the first half to 1.38 in the second, though they had already built an unassailable lead. Roma responded with their own substitutions after the hour mark. Matias Soulé and Wesley made way for Nahuel Molina and Rodrigo Mora in the 60th minute, and Donyell Malen and Manu Koné were replaced by Niccolò Pisilli and Santiago Castro in the 67th. Malen's departure came after he had registered a rating of 8.93 with three shots on target.

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Malen finished with two goals from an xG of 1.29. Soulé added one from a fast break situation worth 0.48 xG. Paulo Dybala, operating in the hole behind the striker, created without scoring, accumulating 0.41 xG without a goal. The margin of victory — four goals away from home — sits comfortably with the chance creation. Roma won 59 duels to Lecce's 37 and held 64% possession across the 90 minutes.

The result moves Roma up the Serie A table while Lecce faces questions about a defensive structure that invited pressure rather than containing it.

FotMob.