Matias Soulé etched his name in Roma’s history books by scoring the fastest ever Serie A goal for the club, finding the net in just 22 seconds. This lightning-quick strike proved decisive, securing a 1-0 victory for Roma against Empoli, who were missing several key players.
Coming off a thrilling Europa League win against Athletic Club and boasting an impressive run of eight wins in their last 11 games, Roma coach had to rotate the squad. Key players like Paulo Dybala and Zeki Celik were rested ahead of the return leg in Bilbao. Empoli, despite having eliminated Juventus from the Coppa Italia, were struggling in Serie A, with only three draws in their previous 12 league matches. Their injury woes deepened with Youssef Maleh joining a lengthy list of absentees.
Roma couldn’t have asked for a better start. Just 22 seconds into the game, after Empoli lost possession in midfield, a cross from Anass Salah-Eddine found Soulé in the box. Soulé controlled the ball and unleashed a left-footed shot into the net, marking the quickest goal Roma has ever scored in Serie A.
Empoli’s goalkeeper, Mile Svilar, reacted well to deny Mattia De Sciglio’s low shot, while Lorenzo Pellegrini’s effort went just wide following a pass from Eldor Shomurodov.
Roma should have doubled their lead in the 36th minute. Pellegrini skillfully controlled the ball and set up Shomurodov, but his powerful shot from close range cannoned off the crossbar.
Shortly after, Manu Kone broke free from the offside trap thanks to a Soulé through ball, rounded Empoli’s goalkeeper Marco Silvestri, but unfortunately struck the outside of the post from a tight angle.
Shomurodov missed another clear chance, heading a Soulé cross straight at Silvestri from point-blank range.
In the second half, Silvestri made a good save to keep out Pellegrini’s header from Saud Abdulhamid’s cross. Tommaso Baldanzi also tested Roma’s goalkeeper against his former team.
Late in the game, Artem Dovbyk had an opportunity to seal the win for Roma after being played through by Baldanzi, but Silvestri made a crucial save to deny his chip.
Empoli almost snatched a late equaliser when Christian Kouame’s header grazed the post in the dying moments of the match.
Empoli 0-1 Roma
Goal: Soulé (1′) for Roma
Match Statistics
Possession: Empoli 36% – Roma 64%
Total Shots: Empoli 3 – Roma 16
Shots on Target: Empoli 1 – Roma 7
Shots off Target: Empoli 1 – Roma 6
Blocked Shots: Empoli 1 – Roma 3
Corners: Empoli 1 – Roma 9
Offsides: Empoli 1 – Roma 1
Fouls: Empoli 12 – Roma 10
Starting Lineups
Empoli
- Marco Silvestri
- Giuseppe Pezzella
- Liberato Cacace
- Luca Marianucci
- Mattia De Sciglio (Substituted at 46′)
- Saba Goglichidze (Substituted at 86′)
- Alberto Grassi
- Liam Henderson (Substituted at 66′)
- Emmanuel Gyasi
- Lorenzo Colombo (Substituted at 46′)
- Sebastiano Esposito (Substituted at 66′)
Roma
- Mile Svilar
- Anass Salah-Eddine (Substituted at 65′)
- Evan Ndicka
- Mats Hummels
- Saud Abdulhamid (Substituted at 64′)
- Victor Nelsson
- Leandro Paredes (Substituted at 65′)
- Lorenzo Pellegrini
- Manu Koné
- Eldor Shomurodov (Substituted at 72′)
- Matìas Soulé (Substituted at 81′)
Substitutes
Empoli
- Tyronne Ebuehi
- Federico Brancolini
- Jacopo Seghetti
- Devis Vásquez
- … (and others)
Roma
- … (and others)