Roma edge Atalanta in stoppage time; Balerdi makes Serie A debut

Roma made it three straight wins in Serie A, but it didn’t come easily against Atalanta. The match looked set to end with the visitors ahead, until the closing stages: after conceding for most of the second half, the hosts equalised on the 90th minute and then completed the turnaround with goals right at the end.

Decisive in the final moments

As reported by L'Équipe, Atalanta had managed the game with a coherent defensive approach. They were backed by Marco Carnesecchi, who made eight saves, and by Ederson scoring with opportunism in the 47th minute. For Roma, despite heavy pressure—39 shots with 10 on target—finding the net took a long time.

The comeback started at the finish: Mario Hermoso headed in from a corner on the 90th minute, instantly shifting momentum. From there, the hosts kept pushing while Atalanta’s hopes started to fade.

Balerdi’s Serie A debut

In the second-half changes, Leonardo Balerdi made his Serie A debut, though he wasn’t the player who delivered the final blows. L'Équipe points out that the real impact came from the other substitutions: Santiago Castro hit the post twice, and then on 90+3, Matías Soulé produced a low, ground-level strike to seal the 2-1.

With the rest of matchday three still to come, Roma are level at the top with Inter on nine points, while Atalanta sit a little lower with six.