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GENOA, ITALY – MARCH 8: Junior Messias of Genoa (center) scores a goal on a penalty kick during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and AS Roma at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on March 8, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Getty Images)
Daniele De Rossi stunned his beloved Roma to give Genoa a much-needed victory, allowing Como to catch the Giallorossi in joint fourth place.
The Giallorossi were gearing up for the Europa League Round of 16 tie with Bologna, but also knew they needed a result here to hold onto fourth place. Paulo Dybala and Evan Ferguson found out this week they required surgery, with Matias Soulé, Mario Hermoso and Artem Dovbyk out too, plus Wesley suspended. Lorenzo Venturino therefore got his first start aged 19 against his parent club. Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa lost Roma-owned Tommaso Baldanzi to injury, with Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Sebastian Otoa not fully fit either.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
Evan Ndicka received an early yellow card for a push on Jeff Ekhator and will be suspended when Roma take on Como next week.
Donyell Malen squirmed away from three for a shot deflected wide, while Junior Messias misplaced the pass that would’ve sent Ekhator clear on goal.
Malen was booked after going for the acrobatic volley on a Gianluca Mancini cross, but only catching Leo Ostigard on the head instead.
Genoa had a huge chance on the stroke of half-time, as Caleb Ekuban came sliding in and got to the Messias cross before Mancini, turning over from seven yards.
Bryan Cristante came on for the restart, but Lorenzo Pellegrini slipped and crashed into Mikel Ellertsson for an inevitable penalty, which was converted centrally into the roof of the net by Messias.
Ekuban fired over from a promising position moments later, but Roma equalised on a corner kick of their own. Mancini’s header was nodded away by Messias, but only into the path of Ndicka for a looping header into the empty net. It was the defender’s third consecutive Serie A match on target.
Malen had the ball in the net just two minutes later, but was offside when gathering the Neil El Aynaoui pass through the middle. Malen’s diving header also went over from 10 yards on another Mancini cross.
A Lorenzo Colombo overhead kick failed to trouble Mile Svilar, but Genoa restored their advantage after a throw-in. It was knocked down by Colombo for Ruslan Malinovskyi, who sent Patrizio Masini down the left, rolled across for Vitinha to come sliding in to tap into an empty net from six yards.
Kostas Tsimikas got into the box and could’ve gone for goal, but instead pulled back from the by-line into an area with no Roma teammates.
Malen saw his strike deflected just wide in the final minute and there was a scramble on a corner, then Svilar made a desperate save one-on-one with Malinovsyki on the counter-attack.
Genoa 2-1 Roma
Messias pen 52 (G), Ndicka 55 (R), Vitinha 80 (G)
08-03-2026 17:00
MatchDay 28
Stadio Luigi FerrarisGenoaRoma
Live2 – 1
Player statistic
| 12' | Evan Ndicka |
| Patrizio Masini | 16' |
| 40' | Donyell Malen |
| Junior Messias | 52' |
| 55' | Evan Ndicka |
| Vitinha(Assist: Patrizio Masini) | 80' |
| 89' | Bryan Cristante |
Genoa
Roma
Starting lineups
16
Justin Bijlow
Goalkeeper
27
Alessandro Marcandalli
Defender
22
Johan Vásquez
Defender
5
Leo Östigard
Defender
20
Stefano Sabelli
Defender
32
Morten Frendrup
Midfielder
73
Patrizio Masini
Midfielder
18
Caleb Ekuban
Attacker
75′
21
Jeff Ekhator
Attacker
64′
10
Junior Messias
Attacker
64′
77
Mikael Egill Ellertsson
Attacker
79′
99
Mile Svilar
Goalkeeper
2
Devyne Rensch
Defender
70′
5
Evan Ndicka
Defender
23
Gianluca Mancini
Defender
84′
12
Konstantinos Tsimikas
Defender
19
Zeki Celik
Defender
84′
7
Lorenzo Pellegrini
Midfielder
56′
17
Manu Koné
Midfielder
61
Niccolò Pisilli
Midfielder
14
Donyell Malen
Attacker
20
Lorenzo Venturino
Attacker
46′
Substitutes
39
Daniele Sommariva
Goalkeeper
1
Nicola Leali
Goalkeeper
70
Maxwel Cornet
Attacker
14
Jean Onana
Midfielder
15
Brooke Norton-Cuffy
Defender
13
Nils Zätterström
Defender
4
Amorim
Midfielder
99
Mamedi Doucouré
Defender
17
Ruslan Malinovskyi
Midfielder
64′
29
Lorenzo Colombo
Attacker
64′
9
Vitinha
Attacker
75′
3
Aarón Martín
Defender
79′
92
Stephan El Shaarawy
Attacker
95
Pierluigi Gollini
Goalkeeper
97
Bryan Zaragoza
Attacker
4
Bryan Cristante
Midfielder
46′
8
Neil El Aynaoui
Midfielder
56′
87
Daniele Ghilardi
Defender
70′
24
Jan Ziolkowski
Defender
84′
78
Robinio Vaz
Attacker
84′
