Roma Edges Parma in High-Scoring Serie A Clash

Parma’s 3-5-2 and AS Roma’s 3-4-2-1 produced a wild, high-event contest at Stadio Ennio Tardini, ending 2-3 in Roma’s favour in Serie A’s Regular Season - 36. Roma led 0-1 at half-time and twice saw their advantage pegged back before finally settling the game deep into stoppage time. The statistical profile is stark: Roma’s 66% possession, 15 shots (7 on target) and 2.58 xG underlined their territorial and chance-creation control, while Parma relied on verticality and late chaos, generating 11 shots (3 on target) from just 34% of the ball and 0.71 xG.

I. Scoring Sequence & Disciplinary Log

Roma struck first on 22', exploiting their front three’s rotations. D. Malen finished a move supplied by P. Dybala, the 14’s movement across the Parma back three dragging markers out of line and allowing Malen to attack the inside-right channel.

Parma reset at the interval and equalised almost immediately after the restart. On 47', G. Strefezza, assisted by H. Nicolussi Caviglia, converted Parma’s early second-half pressure into 1-1, a classic transition moment with the front two attacking Roma’s high line.

Discipline then began to shape the rhythm. The full card log, in chronological order:

48' Gabriel Strefezza (Parma) — null
65' Mariano Troilo (Parma) — Foul
76' Sascha Britschgi (Parma) — Foul
90+9' Sascha Britschgi (Parma) — Foul (second yellow)
90+9' Sascha Britschgi (Parma) — Foul (red card)

Parma: 4 yellow cards, 1 red card.
AS Roma: 0 yellow cards, 0 red cards.
Total: 5 cards.

The final phase was chaotic. On 87', M. Keita, supplied by substitute N. Estevez, arrived from midfield to make it 2-2, capitalising on Roma’s brief loss of compactness after multiple changes. Roma then used the bench and structure to reassert control. A potential penalty incident involving Devyne Rensch was checked and “Penalty confirmed” by VAR at 90+8', embedding technology directly into the decisive sequence. In stoppage time, Roma’s set-piece and penalty execution broke Parma. First, D. Rensch scored from a delivery assisted by D. Ghilardi, then D. Malen converted the confirmed penalty, both logged at 90', sealing a 2-3 away win.

II. Tactical Breakdown & Personnel

Parma’s 3-5-2 under Carlos Cuesta was clearly designed to compress central space and spring quickly into the channels. The back three of A. Circati, M. Troilo and L. Valenti protected Z. Suzuki with a narrow block, while wing-backs E. Valeri and E. Delprato (later replaced by F. Carboni and S. Britschgi) were tasked with double roles: pinning Roma’s wide midfielders and providing Parma’s width in transition.

In possession, the central trio of C. Ordonez, H. Nicolussi Caviglia and M. Keita tried to form a compact passing triangle to bypass Roma’s first line, with Keita the most vertical of the three. N. Elphege and G. Strefezza led the line, constantly attacking the space behind Roma’s outer centre-backs. Parma’s 11 total shots, with 6 inside the box, show that when they did break Roma’s press, they created reasonably central looks, but their 0.71 xG highlights the low average quality of those chances.

AS Roma, under Piero Gasperini Gian, leaned heavily into their 3-4-2-1 identity. The back three of G. Mancini, E. Ndicka and M. Hermoso (later D. Ghilardi) held a high line, enabling the wing-backs Z. Celik and Wesley Franca to push up and pin Parma’s wide midfielders. B. Cristante and M. Kone acted as the double pivot, controlling tempo and recycling possession, with Cristante often dropping between centre-backs to form a situational back four in build-up.

Ahead of them, M. Soule and P. Dybala operated in the half-spaces behind D. Malen. Their constant interchange forced Parma’s outside centre-backs into uncomfortable decisions: step into midfield and risk depth, or hold the line and concede free reception between the lines. The opening goal at 22' exemplified this: Dybala drifted off the front, received between the lines, and released Malen into a channel Parma’s back three struggled to cover.

Roma’s substitution pattern was explicitly tactical. At 53', D. Ghilardi (IN) came on for M. Hermoso (OUT) to refresh the left side of the back three. On 58', N. Pisilli (IN) replaced M. Soule (OUT), injecting fresh legs and more vertical running from the second line. One minute later, at 59', N. El Aynaoui (IN) came on for B. Cristante (OUT), adding energy and pressing in midfield. At 75', Roma doubled down on width and depth: D. Rensch (IN) for Z. Celik (OUT) and L. Venturino (IN) for M. Kone (OUT) retooled the right side and central running power, with Rensch later central to the decisive late sequence.

Parma’s changes were reactive and increasingly desperate. At 53', M. Pellegrino (IN) replaced G. Strefezza (OUT), swapping one mobile forward for another. On 74', F. Carboni (IN) came on for E. Valeri (OUT) and S. Britschgi (IN) for E. Delprato (OUT), effectively refreshing both flanks but also adding defensive volatility, as Britschgi later collected a yellow and then a second yellow/red at 90+9'. At 79', N. Estevez (IN) replaced H. Nicolussi Caviglia (OUT), and P. Almqvist (IN) came on for N. Elphege (OUT), shifting Parma towards a more attacking, risk-heavy shape that eventually produced Keita’s 87' goal but left them exposed to Roma’s late wave.

III. The Statistical Verdict

The statistical profile confirms Roma’s strategic superiority. With 66% possession and 568 passes, 497 accurate (88%), Roma controlled both territory and tempo. Parma, by contrast, completed 291 passes, 227 accurate (78%), reflecting a more direct, lower-control approach. Roma’s 15 shots, 7 on target, and 2.58 xG versus Parma’s 11 shots, 3 on target, and 0.71 xG underline that the visitors consistently created better chances.

Defensively, both goalkeepers faced the same raw xG against figure in the goals-prevented metric (-1.23 for each), but their workloads differed. Z. Suzuki made 4 saves behind a Parma defence that conceded 12 shots inside the box, indicating repeated collapses of the last line when Roma broke through. M. Svilar needed only 1 save, a reflection of Roma’s territorial dominance and control of shot quality rather than any lack of Parma ambition.

Discipline further tilted the balance. Parma’s 14 fouls and 4 yellow cards plus 1 red card contrasted sharply with Roma’s 8 fouls and clean disciplinary slate. The late dismissal of Sascha Britschgi at 90+9' crystallised how Parma’s structural overstretch and emotional strain in the final minutes translated into costly defensive errors, setting the platform for Roma’s stoppage-time surge and a 2-3 away victory that aligned almost perfectly with the underlying numbers.