In a massive showdown for the final Champions League spot, Como 1907 continued their fairytale season with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over AS Roma on Sunday evening. The win at a sold-out Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia sees Cesc Fabregas’ side leapfrog the Giallorossi into 4th place, marking their fourth consecutive league win.
For Roma, it was a night of "what ifs." Despite leading at the break, a controversial red card flipped the script, leaving Gian Piero Gasperini’s men empty-handed ahead of their crucial Europa League second leg.
The Match Story: The Momentum Shift
The Early Strike (7’)
Roma started with the intensity of a team fighting for their lives. Just six minutes in, Stephan El Shaarawy pounced on a loose square pass from Sergi Roberto and was brought down in the box by Diego Carlos. Donyell Malen—who has been a revelation since his January arrival—stepped up and hammered the penalty low into the corner for his 7th goal of the campaign.
The Greek Connection (59’)
Como emerged for the second half with renewed purpose after Fabregas introduced Anastasios Douvikas at the interval. The change paid dividends almost immediately.
Álex Valle threaded a pinpoint through-ball that breached the Roma offside trap, allowing Douvikas to slot his 10th goal of the season past Mile Svilar.
The Turning Point (64’)
The game’s decisive moment arrived five minutes later. Roma’s Wesley, already on a yellow card, was judged to have fouled Assane Diao. Referee Davide Massa brandished a second yellow, reducing the visitors to 10 men in a decision that left Gasperini fuming on the touchline.
The Redemption (79’)
With the numerical advantage, Como poured forward. After Svilar produced a string of acrobatic saves to deny Nico Paz and Martin Baturina, the pressure finally told.
Diego Carlos, making amends for conceding the early penalty, pounced on a rebound from six yards out to lash home his first-ever Serie A goal and seal the comeback.
Key Stat: The territorial dominance was undeniable. In the second half, Como enjoyed 66% possession and outshot Roma 22 to 3, finishing with an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.22 to Roma's 0.86.
Tactical Perspective: The "Fabregas Tweak"
Cesc Fabregas’ halftime tactical shift proved masterly. Recognizing that Roma were flood-filling the central areas, he moved Martin Baturina wider to create 2-on-1 situations against the Roma full-backs. This stretched the Giallorossi defense and opened the vertical passing lanes that Álex Valle exploited for the equalizer.
Once Roma went down to 10 men, Como’s use of a "False 9" in Nico Paz pulled Roma’s center-backs out of position, directly leading to the chaos in the box for the
winning goal.