Serie A: Lacklustre Roma Slump to 2-0 Loss at Bologna

AS Roma suffered a 2-0 defeat at Bologna when a Nikola Moro strike and Rasmus Kristensen’s own goal saw the fired-up hosts climb to fourth spot in Serie A on Sunday.

Roma, missing several key players such as forwards Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala due to injuries and suspension, struggled to match Bologna’s aggression, failed to retain possession and were never able to control the match.

“Without Paulo, there is no quality in this squad. Without Romelu, there is no physicality in this squad. Without either of them, I knew it would be tough for us,” Roma manager Jose Mourinho told DAZN, adding that he wanted to stay with the club beyond the end of the season when his contract expires.

“I will tell you something I have not yet said, because I did not want to say it. I want to continue at Roma. I want to continue here,” Mourinho said.

The victory took Bologna to 28 points from 16 games, a point above Napoli and Fiorentina, while Roma are seventh with 25.

Bologna broke the deadlock eight minutes before halftime when Moro netted first time after Dan Ndoye pulled the ball back from the byline.

Four minutes into the second half the hosts went further ahead when the ball deflected off Roma’s Kristensen into his own net after Lewis Ferguson’s cross was missed by Ndoye.

“I could tell obviously the players wanted to do better but if we had no tactical problems – when they scored the first goal, it was a very balanced match – we did have huge difficulties on a physical level,” Mourinho said.

“Bologna have players with intensity, engine and legs, whereas we do not have those characteristics.”

Roma will host Napoli in Serie A next Saturday, while Bologna’s next fixture will be against Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia round of 16 on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)