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AS Roma secured a morale-boosting three points in Serie A as Paulo Dybala’s (30) first-half strike fired the Giallorossi to a narrow 1-0 win over Torino, extending their dominant head-to-head record to just one defeat in the last 10 meetings (W7, D2).
Having fallen to a dismal 5-1 defeat against Fiorentina last time out, Ivan Juric’s side knew a positive response was needed on home soil. Roma duly came flying out of the blocks and their fast start was rewarded with a breakthrough in the 20th minute when Dybala capitalized on a loose pass from Karol Linetty, converting a low angled finish beyond Vanja Milinkovic-Savic to give the Giallorossi an early lead.
Armed with the momentum, the hosts went in pursuit of a quick-fire second as Angelino saw a sharp effort thwarted by Milinkovic-Savic while Dybala directed a half-chance wastefully wide of the target. Torino looked to gain a foothold in the contest before half-time, but Guillermo Maripan saw their best opportunity comfortably saved by Mile Svilar as Roma preserved their lead going into the break.
The early stages of the second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Dybala going agonisingly close to doubling Roma’s lead when his strike from the edge of the box rattled the woodwork. Grateful for that reprieve, the visitors probed for an equalizer heading into the final half-hour but Svilar stood firm in the Giallorossi goal, parrying behind a dangerous effort from substitute Alieu Njie.
Torino continued to commit numbers forward in the hope of finding a late leveler, but clear-cut chances came at a premium as Juric’s defence held firm under pressure to seal a valuable victory - their first in four league games. As for Paolo Vanoli’s side, they’ll be desperate to bounce back against Fiorentina on Sunday after a fifth defeat in six matches across all competitions.
