Massara Before Como-Roma Kick-Off: ‘We Are Ready’
Roma sporting director Frederic Massara spoke to the media ahead of the Serie A meeting with como, saying the club was prepared and outlining the squad situation before the 29th-round clash. The match produced an early penalty converted by Malen and a contentious red card later in the second half.
Massara Sets the Tone Before Kick-Off
Massara described the fixture as significant for the standings and framed the challenge in terms of the season’s broader ambitions. “This is a very important match for the standings, with the points at stake weighing heavily. The season is long, but we’re ready to face this challenge, ” he said.
He also addressed the club’s financial and transfer posture, linking continental competition income to future activity: “As with all teams in the world, the impact of Champions League revenue is huge and can help in the future. Roma will always make transfers consistent with its ambitions and the club’s prestige, thanks to its ownership. ” On squad matters, Massara highlighted attacking options and injury issues: “Malen can combine well with several players, and that helps. The attack is suffering from a lot of injuries, but we have other players available, and El Shaarawy’s return is important. “
Como v Roma: Early Penalty and Controversial Sending-Off
The match, played in the 29th round of Serie A, opened decisively in the seventh minute when Roma took the lead after a penalty converted by Malen. The incident followed a back-pass by Caqueret that left Diego Carlos out of position; Diego Carlos was late to challenge El Shaarawy, who went down and prompted referee Massa to award the spot-kick.
Commentator Luca Marelli, speaking on DAZN, supported the referee’s call: “It was a trip, and it was a non-penalised SPA, with Massa therefore not showing Diego Carlos a yellow card. It was not, however, a DOGSO, in which case the referee would have had to show a red card. ” The decision settled the early scoreline and set the tone for a game marked by tight margins and debate over officiating.
Later in the match, in the 65th minute, como launched a counter-attack finished by Diao after Baturina’s involvement. The striker won a 50-50 challenge against Rensch, who held him back but could not stop him. Wesley intervened to stop the move but had already been booked and was subsequently sent off.
Marelli expressed doubts about the red card after viewing replays: “From the front-on replay, it looks as though Wesley didn’t make contact, whilst Rensch was holding onto his shirt. For Massa, the foul was committed by Wesley. ” The sequence added another layer of controversy to a match that featured decisive refereeing moments early and late.
The contest combined Massara’s pre-match framing of the fixture’s importance with match incidents that will be discussed in post-game analysis: an early Malen penalty that broke the deadlock and a sending-off that split opinion on replays.
