Lorenzo Pellegrini, Saud Abdulhamid, and Mario Hermoso were on target as Roma secured a morale-boosting 3-0 win over a 10-man SC Braga, reigniting their Europa League campaign.
The Giallorossi, fresh from their first victory under Claudio Ranieri—a 4-1 thrashing of Lecce—had to cope with several challenges. Artem Dovbyk and Leandro Paredes were sidelined by flu, while Bryan Cristante was unavailable due to injury.
Bowever, the match marked the return of captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, who last featured in Ranieri’s debut against Napoli on November 24.
Pellegrini’s comeback was nothing short of impactful. Roma’s captain broke the deadlock when Nicola Zalewski darted down the left, outwitted two defenders with a clever cut-back, and laid it off for Pellegrini to sweep home from the edge of the box.
The captain’s joy was evident as he ran to the sidelines to share an emotional embrace with Ranieri.
Pellegrini nearly doubled the advantage soon after, his header glancing off the crossbar and another effort deflected narrowly wide.
Matias Soulé also came close, curling an effort just past the post. SC Braga’s goalkeeper Matheus was kept busy, making crucial stops from a deflected Pellegrini shot, an Evan N’Dicka header, and a long-range Gianluca Mancini strike.
After the break, Roma wasted no time extending their lead. Manu Koné shrugged off a challenge and slipped a precise pass for Saud Abdulhamid, who blasted into the roof of the net from a tight angle. It was the Saudi winger’s maiden goal in Roma colors.
Mancini thought he’d made it 3-0, but his effort was ruled offside after redirecting a N’Dicka shot. Zalewski also broke free and unselfishly aimed to assist Dovbyk, but a mix-up with Pellegrini saw the opportunity go begging.
Matheus continued his heroics, denying Soulé on the counter and tipping away a Mats Hummels header from a Pellegrini corner.
Despite this, Soulé was wasteful, skying a first-time effort after a surging run from Koné.
The game took a decisive turn when Abdulhamid broke through on a long pass, forcing Matheus into a costly mistake.
The Braga keeper handled the ball outside the box, earning a red card. Roma nearly added a third as Stephan El Shaarawy’s angled strike was cleared off the line by Zalazar.
The substitute keeper then made successive saves from Dovbyk’s solo attempt and Zalewski’s rebound.
However, Roma sealed the result in stoppage time. N’Dicka’s shot from distance was parried, but Mario Hermoso reacted quickest, slotting home the rebound to cap a comprehensive performance.
