Roma vs Salernitana: Mourinho's men score late to earn draw

Bellotti scored for Roma against Salernitana || Imago

Roma vs Salernitana: Mourinho's men score late to earn draw

Faruq Ibrahim 19:47 - 20.08.2023

Andrea Bellotti's late strike helps Jose Mourinho's side to their first point of the season.

AS Roma started brightly and scored early, but were pegged back, conceding twice; however, a late strike from Andrea Bellotti helped the Giallorossi snatch a draw.

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Last season's Europa League finalists started their league campaign by hosting Granata at the Stadio Olimpico. They were without two of their best players, Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini, but they managed to get a draw.

How it happened 

As Pulse Sports previously reported, Jose Mourinho protested the law that forces him to go into the first game of the season without Dybala and Pellegrini.

The duo, who are arguably two of Roma's best players, picked up suspensions in the final game of the previous season.

Despite the handicap, Roma started brilliantly and even scored inside the first ten minutes of the game thanks to an Andrea Bellotti strike, but VAR ruled out the goal. 

Bellotti scores header for Roma against Salernitana || Imago
Bellotti scores header for Roma against Salernitana || Imago

The Italy international would not be denied the second time when he got on the end of a Diego Llorente assist to fire the Giallorossi ahead.  

The visitors soon played their way into the game and found an equaliser in the 36th minute when Antonio Candreva scored the first of his brace. 

He scored the second just after half-time to pull Granata ahead for the first time in the game. 

Roma pushed aggressively for an equaliser from that point on, with attack after attack, and were rewarded for their industry in the 82nd minute, with Bellotti scoring his own brace. 

The hosts had a late flurry of attacks in an attempt to get maximum points, but Paulo Sousa's side held on to a point. 

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