Roma and Borussia Dortmund shared the spoils in a spectacular 2-2 draw on Saturday at Signal Iduna Park. A pre-season match full of lessons, with no fewer than four goals scored in the first half.
A thunderous start from the Romans
Paulo Dybala set the tone as early as the 4th minute, opening the scoring straight from kick-off. Five minutes later, Bryan Cristante doubled the lead with an assist from the Argentine, making it 2-0 in the 9th minute. Roma appeared to be in complete control of the match at that point.
The Romans' opening spell deserves to be highlighted: Dybala was particularly inspired, making his mark both on the scoreline and on the collective play within the very first minutes.
Dortmund respond, equalising before the break
Borussia were quick to fight back. Julian Ryerson pulled one back shortly after, before Serhou Guirassy levelled at the 28th minute. All four goals were therefore scored in under half an hour of play, with the scoreline remaining unchanged through to the final whistle.
Dortmund's ability to overturn a two-goal deficit represents an encouraging sign for the Germans as they approach the start of their season.
Mixed lessons for Gasperini
This match leaves Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma with two very distinct faces. On one hand, an attack capable of striking with formidable speed and efficiency. On the other, a defensive unit that conceded two goals in response and will need to become more solid before the Serie A curtain-raiser.
The match also gave Nahuel Molina his first minutes in his new colours, as he made his unofficial debut for the Roman club.
Roma leave Germany with a share of the points and two things to fine-tune: the attacking firepower is very much real, but the defensive work remains unfinished.
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