Roma's clinical edge sees off Torino as Malen and Pisilli secure away win

Roma extended their perfect start to the Serie A season with a 2–0 victory at Torino, converting a first-half period of near-total control into a lead they never relinquished. The visitors' expected-goals tally of 1.91 against 0.87 tells the same story as the scoreline: Roma created the better chances, took the clearest of them, and weathered a second-half response that never truly threatened an equaliser.

Roma lined up in a 3-4-1-2 that quickly pinned Torino's 3-5-1-1 deep. The visitors enjoyed 55% possession in the opening 45 minutes but the more revealing numbers were the 1.46 xG to 0.11 split and a 3–0 advantage in big chances. Torino managed just one shot on target before the break, while Roma's front three — Paulo Dybala, Donyell Malen and Giovanni Simeone — combined for 12 touches in the opposition box against the hosts' four.

The breakthrough arrived in the 40th minute when Malen finished a right-footed effort worth 0.98 xG, the highest-quality chance of the match. The Dutch forward had been Roma's most dangerous outlet, drifting between the lines and exploiting the space between Torino's wing-backs and central defenders. His goal settled a half in which Roma's 7 shots to 3 and 4 corners to 1 reflected territorial superiority without ever feeling like a siege.

The hosts emerged with greater intent after the interval, flipping the xG ledger to 0.76–0.45 in their favour and carving out three big chances of their own. Torino's 3-5-1-1 shifted higher, their wing-backs pushing Roma's wide midfielders back and creating overloads in wide areas. Yet for all their improved territory — 51% possession and 71 opposition-half passes to Roma's 115 — they generated only two shots on target across the second half.

Roma's defence, marshalled by Gianluca Mancini in the centre of the back three, absorbed the pressure without conceding a clear sight of goal. The visitors' foul count rose to 11 in the second period (20 total) as they disrupted Torino's rhythm, picking up two yellow cards in the process. The game's pattern settled into a familiar rhythm: Torino probing, Roma countering.

The decisive moment came in the 90th minute when substitute Niccolò Pisilli, introduced for the final quarter-hour, collected a loose ball on the edge of the area and drilled a low right-footer past the goalkeeper. The goal carried just 0.04 xG — a speculative effort that found the corner — but it encapsulated Roma's efficiency on a night when they needed only two high-quality attacks to kill the contest.

Dybala, who operated as the attacking midfielder in Roma's 3-4-1-2, contributed 0.12 xG without scoring but linked play effectively, completing 82% of his passes and drawing fouls that relieved pressure. Simeone led the xG chart with 0.73 from his forward position, though his three big chances went unconverted. For Torino, the lack of a focal point in their 3-5-1-1 was evident: no home player registered more than 0.2 xG, and their 13 box touches across 90 minutes told the story of a side that reached promising areas but lacked the final pass or finish.

FotMob.