AS Roma 2‑0 Genoa: Castro and Lulli open their accounts to keep hosts unbeaten

Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli scored their first goals for AS Roma to turn a goalless first half into a 2-0 victory over Genoa and keep their side within two points of Serie A leaders Inter. Castro broke through in the 50th minute before Lulli doubled the lead in the 68th, securing Roma's fifth league win of the season.

Senza Malen Ci Pensa Santi Castro | ROMA-GENOA | HIGHLIGHTS | SERIE A ENILIVE 2026/27

Roma had drawn 0-0 away to Como in their previous league outing, and another opening 45 minutes passed without a goal here. Matías Soulé received the first booking of the match in the 43rd minute for a foul, with the teams still level at the interval.

Castro changed that five minutes after the restart. His opener gave Roma the lead they had been unable to establish before the break and proved the decisive goal. For the forward, it also marked his first goal for the club, with his side looking to turn their possession advantage into three points.

Johan Vásquez was booked for arguing a minute later, while Genoa defender Leo Østigård received a yellow card for the same reason in the 65th minute. Three minutes after that, Lulli struck to make it 2-0, leaving the visitors needing two goals to rescue a point.

The strikes came 18 minutes apart, with Lulli following Castro in opening his Roma account. Together, they supplied the second-half finishing that separated the sides after the deadlock at half-time. Genoa failed to score, and Roma followed their clean sheet at Como with another shutout.

Roma's advantage extended beyond the goals. They finished with 66% possession and 15 shots to Genoa's nine, while the difference in attempts on target was sharper still: five for the hosts and one for the visitors. Those figures supported the two-goal margin without suggesting Genoa had been denied opportunities to shoot altogether.

Both teams started in a 3-4-2-1 formation, but their attacking returns differed. Genoa registered nine attempts yet tested the target only once; Roma put five of their 15 efforts on target and scored twice. The hosts also won five corners to Genoa's three.

Niccolò Pisilli's booking for a foul in the 76th minute was Roma's second yellow card. Mikael Ellertsson received Genoa's third in the 81st minute, also for a foul. The home side committed 10 fouls to the visitors' seven, despite finishing with fewer cautions.

Victory moved Roma to 17 points from seven matches, with five wins, two draws and no defeats. Inter remain ahead on 19 points from the same number of games. Roma's second place puts them in a Champions League league-phase position, with their unbeaten league start intact.

Their home record now reads three wins and one draw, with no defeats. This result also continued their recent advantage in the fixture: across five meetings with Genoa since July 2024, Roma have won three, drawn one and lost one.

For Genoa, the defeat followed a 2-1 home victory over Fiorentina and extended a damaging away sequence. They have gone six away matches without a win and lost their last four on the road. The contrast with that latest home success leaves their travelling form as a clear problem to address.

Genoa sit 19th with four points from seven games, having recorded one win, one draw and five defeats. They occupy a relegation place but remain level on points with the first safe position, so the gap to safety is in the standings rather than the points total.

Best moments: The official Serie A YouTube channel has published match highlights. The key moments to revisit are Castro's 50th-minute opener and Lulli's second goal in the 68th minute.

Roma now have two new goalscorers contributing to an unbeaten league campaign, rather than relying on the same names to finish the job. Genoa's immediate challenge is more basic: translate results such as their win over Fiorentina into points away from home, where four successive defeats are holding back their effort to leave the bottom three.

Questions

Were these Castro and Lulli's first goals for AS Roma?

Yes. Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli both scored their first goals for AS Roma. Castro opened the scoring in the 50th minute, and Lulli added the second in the 68th.

How close are AS Roma to the Serie A leaders?

AS Roma are second with 17 points from seven matches, two points behind leaders Inter. Roma remain unbeaten, with five wins and two draws.

What does the defeat mean for Genoa?

Genoa are 19th with four points from seven matches, in a relegation place but level on points with the first safe position. They have lost four consecutive away matches and are winless in six away games.

What is a clean sheet?

A clean sheet means a team finishes a match without conceding a goal. Roma kept one in this 2-0 win, following their 0-0 draw at Como.