Roma vs. Verona: Winners and Losers from Serie A Game

Roma celebrated Francesco Totti's 38th birthday with a tenacious 2-0 win over Hellas Verona at the Stadio Olimpico.

A strike from Alessandro Florenzi on 75 minutes, followed by a wonderful effort from Mattia Destro shortly after, made the difference in an encounter that had looked set in stalemate thanks to the visitor's determined defending and disruptive tactics. 

The victory means it's five from five for the Giallorossi, halfway towards the record of 10 consecutive wins they set at the start of last season. It also keeps them at the front of the race for the Scudetto, joined with Juventus on 15 points and just behind the Bianconeri on goal difference. 

Winner: Rudi Garcia

Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Andrea Mandorlini looked to have the measure of Roma in this game, but full credit is due to Rudi Garcia who stuck with his usual game plan and trusted his players to deliver. And deliver they did. 

Roma never gave up piling on the pressure, and eventually an infuriating stalemate was turned into an impressive 2-0 win. His side are now top of the table, provisionally at least, and later in the season if they're still in the Scudetto race, it will be thanks to hard-earned results like this one.  

"

#Garcia: "If you muster 20 shots, sooner or later you'll open them up. We did that with two great goals by Florenzi and Destro" #RomaVerona

— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) September 27, 2014"

Loser: Andrea Mandorlini

Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

Even in defeat, Andrea Mandorlini's Verona make an impression. The visitors enjoyed just 28 percent of possession at the Stadio Olimpico, and yet for 75 minutes they managed to deny one of the league's most potent attacking forces. 

The man behind Hellas' return to the first division last summer won't have expected much from this encounter. And he can take solace from the fact that, if his players can cause the Giallorossi this much trouble, they'll be a lot more successful against most of their other opponents. 

Some could point to Roma's statistical dominance and say they wouldn't have deserved a draw, but there's more than one way to succeed in football and Mandorlini is shrewd enough to know that he'll never beat Roma at their own game. Verona are well-drilled and play to their strengths. And for much of this game, that worked perfectly. 

In that sense, the 54-year-old from Ravenna is a "Loser" here only because for three quarters of the match his side looked like they might escape from the capital with a precious point.

Winner: Alessandro Florenzi

Alessandro Florenzi is a player you want to succeed. A Romanista since childhood, the 23-year-old continues to impress in spite of the fact that the Giallorossi's packed roster of attacking talent means he doesn't always get the chance to start. 

Along with Gervinho, Florenzi's introduction made the difference against Verona. Few players bring as much energy and determination to a game, and more recently he's added an eye for goal, making him the ideal player to unlock a match such as this one. 

Coming from deep, Florenzi's early ball found Miralem Pjanic, who in turn passed between Gervinho and Radja Nainggolan. The Belgian initially lost possession but his typical doggedness forced a hasty clearance from Panagiotis Tachtsidis—formerly of Roma—that found Florenzi in space and ready to pounce.

Team-work, endeavour, perseverance and confidence. It was a goal that sums up Garcia's Roma perfectly. 

Winner: Mattia Destro

With most of the Stadio Olimpico still busy celebrating Florenzi's timely opener, Mattia Destro unleashed all of his frustration with a speculative shot from distance that is a certain contender for goal of the season.

The former Siena forward chested down Morgan De Sanctis' goal kick on the turn, and then, to the surprise of everyone, struck the ball on the half volley from 36 metres out. The hapless Pierluigi Gollini was way off his line in the Hellas box, and though he scrambled to save it, there was nothing he could do. 

It was a singular moment of cheeky brilliance that left the home crowd stunned almost to silence. It also completely changed the perspective of Destro's performance. 

The 23-year-old didn't have a bad game, but despite his crisp passing and a number of shots, he didn't look to be on his best form. Goals change everything for strikers, though, and being able to pull something special out of nowhere on an otherwise exasperating evening is the mark of a great striker. 

Loser: Ashley Cole

Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

Roma's victory will deflect some attention from Ashley Cole, but the former Chelsea star had a poor game and looked well off the pace throughout. 

Cole is still one of the game's best full-backs when he's on form, but against Verona he was exposed too often and allowed Juanito Gomez far too much room throughout.

The Englishman will have to do a lot better against Manchester City in the upcoming Champions League game. 

Winner: Frederik Sorensen

Riccardo De Luca/Associated Press

Verona's right-back Frederik Sorensen was lively throughout this game, both in defence and going forward. 

The Dane made an important clearance to deny Francesco Totti getting on the end of Adem Ljajic's cross, and supplied a perfect low delivery to Nene minutes before Florenzi scored at the other end, only to watch the Brazilian blast one of his side's few opportunities over the bar. 

You win and lose as a team in football, but the 22-year-old Juventus-owned defender can hold his head high after this game, even in defeat. 

Losers: The Rest of Serie A

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

For 75 minutes, the Mastini looked like being the banana skin upon which Roma slipped, and the Giallorossi's competitors must have been rubbing their hands with glee. 

Comparing best XIs, there was little in the difference between Roma and Juventus last season. The Bianconeri's advantage came from their resilience and their uncanny ability to win no matter what. This game was proof that Roma have now closed that gap. 

For the rest of the chasing pack, Verona's approach might have seemed like the perfect game plan with which to approach Roma. Instead, Florenzi's strike has sent them back to the drawing board. 

Winner: Walter Sabatini

Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images

It was another victory for Roma's squad depth, and credit for that must go to Walter Sabatini. 

The Giallorossi's talent hunter has been instrumental to their resurgence since joining the club in 2011, and his work this summer has allowed Garcia to deal with a congested fixture list without sacrificing style or substance. 

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Kostas Manolas continue to shine and Roma's defence has suffered nothing from the fact that Leandro Castan is still sidelined with injury.

The France and Greece internationals were low-key acquisitions, but on recent performances it's surprising that there wasn't more interest in their signatures over the summer.

Coupled with the astute loan move for Italy international Davide Astori, and the damage done by Mehdi Benatia's departure has been completely negated, in much the same way as the Moroccan's arrival last season strengthened the team even as the sensational teenager Marquinhos left for Paris Saint-Germain. 

Farther up the field, Seydou Keita has fit into the midfield perfectly, filling in for the injured Daniele De Rossi. Once the Roman returns and is joined by Kevin Strootman, the Lupi will have an embarrassment of riches in the centre of the park. 

Winner: Bastian Schweinsteiger

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger used the game to enjoy some time away from the Bundesliga.

It's unlikely the welcome he found at the Olimpico will be quite so warm when he returns with Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich later in the year for their crucial Champions League game with the Giallorossi. 

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Bastian Schweinsteiger ospite speciale oggi all'Olimpico per #RomaVerona: qui il saluto con Totti e De Rossi pic.twitter.com/LY6b9owwH6

— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) September 27, 2014"

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