Malen and Dybala Combine to Open the Scoring
Perfect way to kick off a new era at the Olimpico. Gian Piero Gasperini’s first competitive game in charge of Roma ended in a rout, and it was built almost entirely around one devastating partnership. Roma had the better of the first half from the start, De Gea denying Rodrigo Mora a well-struck effort at one point, and the pressure eventually told in the 27th minute — Paulo Dybala danced through with a brilliant individual run and squared for Donyell Malen, who finished coolly to put the hosts 1-0 up at the break, Roma’s best chances of the half all coming from that front pairing.
Gasperini had gone with a front three of Dybala, Malen and young Mora to start, while Fiorentina boss Roberto Grosso left out Moise Kean entirely, opting for Edoardo Pellegrino flanked by Mastantuono and Atta instead. Whatever the plan was, it didn’t survive the second half.
Malen Completes His Hat-Trick
Roma doubled the lead early in the second half, and it came from almost identical source material — Hermoso found Dybala with a long ball into the right channel, Dybala squared it again, and Malen steered it in for 2-0 in the 52nd minute. Eight minutes later, it barely needed a finish at all — Dybala did the hard work with another clever pass, and Malen simply had to turn the ball home from close range to complete his hat-trick and make it 3-0. Three goals, three Dybala assists, and by that point the Olimpico crowd were in full voice, giving Dybala a standing ovation as he was withdrawn for El Aynaoui.
Fiorentina never really threatened a way back into it at any stage. Roma controlled the game throughout, extending their dominance of this specific fixture — only three defeats in their last 52 home meetings with Fiorentina in Serie A, a run stretching back to 2018.
Pisilli Rounds It Off Late
Roma weren’t finished piling on either. In the 86th minute, substitute Niccolò Pisilli picked up a fortunate rebound off Mandragora on the edge of the box, held his composure, and beat De Gea from close range to make it 4-0, completing a perfect scoreline for a perfect opening night under the new manager.
What It Means Next
It’s about as emphatic a start as Gasperini could have hoped for, following on from a Roma side that finished third last season and closed the previous campaign with five straight wins — the momentum, clearly, hasn’t gone anywhere. For Fiorentina, under new boss Roberto Grosso, it’s a chastening opening-day defeat, and they’ll need to find a response fast as the rest of the Serie A season gets underway.
Match Summary
Roma 4-0 Fiorentina Serie A, Matchday 1 — Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy Monday, 24 August 2026 Referee: Matteo Marcenaro
Goals: 27′ Donyell Malen (Roma) 1-0 (assist: Paulo Dybala) 52′ Donyell Malen (Roma) 2-0 (assist: Paulo Dybala) 60′ Donyell Malen (Roma) 3-0 (assist: Paulo Dybala) 86′ Niccolò Pisilli (Roma) 4-0
Result: Roma thrash Fiorentina 4-0 on the opening day of the season, with Donyell Malen scoring a hat-trick off three Paulo Dybala assists in Gian Piero Gasperini’s first game in charge.
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