Roma got back on track beating Daniele De Rossi’s Genoa 2-0 thanks to the first goals for the club from Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli.

The Giallorossi drew their last two Serie A games and fumbled a 3-1 lead in the final minutes for a 4-3 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday night. Donyell Malen was suspended after his red card against Como, with Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante injured, so there were seven changes from Europe.

It was an emotional return to the Stadio Olimpico for ex-Roma stars Daniele De Rossi and Stephan El Shaarawy, fresh from Genoa’s first Serie A victory of the season against Fiorentina. Lorenzo Colombo, Alex Amorim, Djibril Sow, Franz-Ethan Meichtry and Lorenzo Venturino were carrying knocks, but Italy Under-19 international Samuel Wiafe got his first Serie A start.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 17: Daniele De Rossi, Manager of Genoa CFC and Gian Piero Gasperini, Manager of AS Roma, embrace before the Serie A match between AS Roma and Genoa CFC at Stadio Olimpico on October 17, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

El Shaarawy almost made an immediate impact, Pierluigi Gollini parrying with his legs at the near post after nine minutes, while Matias Soulé swept far too centrally first-time from the edge of the area.

Roma came so close on the half-hour mark, as Leonardo Balerdi nodded a Niccolò Pisilli corner kick onto the crossbar. Moments later, Rodrigo Mora’s header was well parried off the line by Justin Bijlow, with Santiago Castro offside on the rebound.

Moments later, Genoa also rattled the woodwork with El Shaarawy’s first-time strike bouncing off the bar from the edge of the area after a decisive block on Milutin Osmajic.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "Serie A | Roma 2-0 Genoa: First time special for Castro and Lulli" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Champions League metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

Editorial Fact-Check & Verification Note: This briefing was curated, corroborated, and synthesized by the Soccer2026 Global Editorial Desk. Readers following "Serie A | Roma 2-0 Genoa: First time special for Castro and Lulli" are encouraged to review the full primary source coverage linked below for complete historical context, direct quotes, and official statements.