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'One nil' - that's how Roma kill
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 06.05.25. | 18:02
Except for their outstanding 19-game unbeaten run in the Serie A, the Giallorossi won six out of their last eight league matches and each time it was - 1-0
Roma have lately been the "hit" of Serie A, as the Wolfess is on a 19-game unbeaten run in the league. And, of course, nothing of that wouldn't have happened without the experienced Claudio Ranieri, who revived the club from the capital, moving it from the relegation battle to the battle for the Champions League.
Scoring few goals and relying on sturdy defence was never the Italian's manner. After all, his Leicester - which made one of the greatest achievements in football history, winning the Premier League in the 2015/2016 season - was anything but a defensive crew.
The Foxes heavily relied on Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Shinji Okazaki, and Leonardo Ulloa and their goal-scoring capabilities. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, so Ranieri's Roma became a team with a fortress in front of their own goal.
That fortress and its "guards" - the custodian Mile Svilar, Mats Hummels, Gianluca Mancini, Zeki Celik, and Evan Ndicka - have been magnificent since Ranieri's arrival, as the Giallorossi conceded just 15 goals in 23 games under the 73-year-old. Before Claudio, for instance, their keeper had to pick up the ball from his net 17 times in 12 Serie A rounds.
1-0 - #Roma have won 1-0 nine times in the current Serie A, more than any other team in the Big five European Leagues 2024/25: eight of these under Claudio Ranieri. Streak. #RomaFiorentina pic.twitter.com/xNRNwaqeI0
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 4, 2025
In the last eight league clashes, Roma triumphed six times and on each occasion, the result was the same - 1-0. Analyzing the entire season, the Wolfess noted nine 1-0 wins - more than any other side from the TOP 5 European leagues - and eight of them came under Ranieri.
Interestingly, only four different players scored winners in those nine victories - Matias Soule and Artem Dovbyk three times each, Paulo Dybala twice, and Eldor Shomurodov once.
In the end, despite being fantastic lately, Roma's remaining three Serie A duels will be decisive for their UCL ambitions - two away games against Atalanta and Torino and the clash against AC Milan at Olimpico.
Three victories would almost certainly guarantee a spot among the European football elite, and no one supporting the Wolfess would mind if only one goal in the rivals' nets decided those matches. "One nil" - that's how Roma kill.
