There were protests outside the stadium following the firing of Jose Mourinho.
Inside the Stadio Olimpico, new Roma coach Daniele De Rossi — the former Giallorossi captain — was greeted by loud cheers. Yet there were also numerous banners saluting Mourinho.
It was a unique atmosphere for De Rossi’s debut as Roma quickly shed Mourinho’s defensive style for a more offensive approach in a 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday.
Romelu Lukaku and Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini scored six minutes apart during the first half, with both goals set up by Stephan El Shaarawy.
Michael Folorunsho pulled one back for Verona with a long, swerving shot midway through the second half after teammate Milan Djuric missed a penalty kick, setting up a nervy finale for Roma.
The victory moved Roma within two points of the top four and the Champions League zone — the objective De Rossi was charged with when he signed a six-month contract.
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Verona, which beat Roma 2-1 in August, remained 18th.
Later, third-place AC Milan was visiting Udinese on a weekend with only six Serie A matches because of the Italian Super Cup being held in Saudi Arabia.
The first half was a demonstration of De Rossi’s attacking intent, as his team swarmed forward toward Verona’s goal in a 4-3-2-1 formation with De Rossi constantly calling on his squad to move the ball faster.
El Shaarawy wove his way through three defenders to set up Lukaku’s opener from the center of the area then flicked the ball to Pellegrini for the second following a cross from Lukaku.
In the second half, a goal from Folorunsho was waved off for a pushing foul. Then, when a foul from Roma defender Diego Llorente was confirmed by the VAR, Djuric shot high over the crossbar.
Roma goalkeeper Rui Patricio was partly to blame for Verona’s goal, as he could only get a weak hand on the ball after Folorunsho’s shot took a sharp bend.
Mourinho, who coached Roma to consecutive European finals — including the Conference League trophy in 2022 — was let go on Tuesday with Roma languishing in ninth place and at risk of missing the Champions League for a sixth straight season.
A banner unveiled near midfield at kickoff read, “It was a privilege having you on our side — thank you Jose.”
Other banners said, “You defended our Roma and took us to victory. Eternal glory for Mourinho!” and “We did not demand trophies and laurels, but only respect for the shirt and its fans. Honour Roma and fight for its people!!”
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