AS Roma Defeats Lazio, De Rossi: We Have Spirit Derby Della Capitale

AS Roma player Gianluca Mancini celebrated a goal in the Derby della Capitale match against Lazio. (X/@OfficialASRoma)

JAKARTA - AS Roma proved to be the ruler of the Italian capital. In the Derby della Capitale in the Italian Serie A competition at the Stadio Olimpico, Saturday, April 6, 2024 evening WIB, Roma beat Lazio 1-0.

The derby match is not easy for both teams. Even Roma coach Daniele De Rossi felt different and heavier pressure than when he was a player.

In his career as a player and as a pillar of Rome, De Rossi has played 31 times on the derby. As a result, he led the team to win 14 times, drew seven times and lost 10 times.

Even De Rossi was expelled in a duel between fellow Roma City teams in November 2012. And, at The Rome Derby last time he captained in 2019, Roma lost 3-0.

When starting as a coach, De Rossi reaped satisfactory results in the derby because Roma won. The result made Roma increasingly close the distance between points with Bologna who was ranked fourth.

Roma, who have points 55 and remain in fifth place, are only two points behind Bologna. However, Bologna still has one game against hosts Frosinone.

Meanwhile, Lazio are still standing in seventh place. Now, Igor Tudor's team, who previously defeated Juventus 1-0, pocketed 46 points.

"The derby match feels different as a coach. When the team loses, the coach faces more pressure. We also feel tremendous pressure when trying to achieve higher targets," De Rossi was quoted as saying by Football Italia.

"The pressure was extraordinary when I was a coach. On the sidelines, I always asked the fourth referee if the clock had stopped beating. Because time seemed to never pass," he said again.

De Rossi vented his emotions when the game ended. He did not fail to praise the players who played exhaustively from the first minute until the end of the match. They showed their spirit and attitude when playing derby.

"We really should play like that. We show excellent attitudes and games from the start until the end of the match. When we see our game, the spirit of the players is different against Lecce," said De Rossi.

The match itself went evenly. Roma had a good chance in the early minutes of the match through Leandro Paredes. Only half a volley he still bounced over the crossbar.

Next, it was Biancoceleste's turn to put pressure on it. However, the Ciro Immobile striker attack still failed.

Meanwhile, a shot from a close range by defender Nicolo Casale hit Roma player Diego Llorente so that it widened.

After repeatedly the efforts of Roma players to fail, finally their patience paid off. Defender Gianluca Mancini successfully broke into Lazio's goal in the 42nd minute.

The goal started with Paulo Dybala's corner which was greeted by Mancini. The Italian national team player's header managed to penetrate Lazio's goal.

This is Roma's first goal in a derby match since March 2022. Previously, Roma could never score against Lazio in either Serie A or Coppa Italia. The 1-0 score itself lasted until the end of the match.