Verona starting XI (3-4-2-1): Montipò, Dawidowicz, Hien, Magnani,
Terracciano (subbed for Faraoni), Hongla, Duda (subbed for Bonazzoli), Doig, Folorunsho (subbed for Saponara), Ngonge (Serdar), Djuric (Mboula)
Bench: Perilli, Berardi, Amione, Coppola, Cabal, Cisse, Braaf
Goals: Duda 4’, Ngonge 45+3’
Roma starting XI (3-5-2): Rui Patricio, Mancini, Smalling, Llorente (subbed for El Shaarawy), Kristensen (subbed for Spinazzola), Pellegrini, Cristante, Paredes (subbed for Aouar), Zalewskì (subbed for Karsdorp), Belotti, Dybala (subbed for Solbakken)
Bench: Svilar, Boer, Ndicka, Celik, Bove, Pagano, Pisilli.
Goals: Aouar 56’
To add injury to insult, Paulo Dybala and Nicola Zalewski went off injured.
Verona, who avoided relegation only through a play-off last season, were surprisingly 2-0 up at halftime following goals from Ondrej Duda and Cyril Ngonge.
Roma coach Mourinho was still out due to a touchline ban, leaving stand-in coach Bruno Conti to make a triple change at the break.
One of those substitutions, Houssem Aouar, had an almost immediate impact as he netted his first Serie A goal in the 56th minute.
Roma almost snatched a draw after Verona defender Isak Hien was sent off for a second yellow card six minutes from time.
From the resulting free kick, Lorenzo Pellegrini struck the underside of the crossbar, the second time Roma hit the woodwork in the match, but it was not to be.
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AAP
