AS Roma maintained their unbeaten start to the Serie A season (W6, D3), scoring twice late on to secure a thrilling 4-2 victory over Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico.

Elia Caprile was called into action inside the opening five minutes, keeping out a header from Gianluca Mancini. However, the home crowd was stunned when Roma conceded a penalty. Michel Adopo flicked a header towards goal from a corner, and Niccolo Pisilli handled the ball

M’Bala Nzola stepped up and sent Pierluigi Gollini the wrong way to give the visitors the lead. It was only the second first-half league goal Roma had conceded all season.

The Giallorossi responded quickly, though, as Nahuel Molina delivered a cross that teenager Emanuele Lulli headed home for his second goal in as many appearances. The 19-year-old continued to influence the game, setting up Santiago Castro for a header that narrowly missed the target before helping Roma take the lead. Pisilli made amends for conceding the penalty by finishing neatly to put the hosts ahead.

Caprile then denied a free-kick from Matias Soule, while Cagliari threatened to equalise. Gollini kept out Adopo’s effort before Nzola fired narrowly wide, allowing Roma to carry their advantage into the second half.

Both goalkeepers remained busy after the restart. Caprile dealt with another attempt from Castro, while Alieu Fadera broke through one-on-one, only for Gollini to come out on top

Cagliari continued to push for a way back into the contest, with Gollini producing another save to deny Juan Rodriguez before making an even better stop against Paul Mendy’s low drive.

The visitors finally appeared to have earned a valuable point when Adam Obert found Daniel Maldini, who produced an excellent finish into the bottom corner to make it 2-2 with nine minutes remaining.

Caprile subsequently denied Soule as Roma searched for another goal, but Cagliari could not hold on. Two substitutes combined in the 85th minute, with Daniele Ghilardi delivering a cross for Rodrigo Mora, who powered a header into the net to restore Roma’s lead.

Substitute Donyell Malen then made sure of the victory just two minutes later. Having scored nine goals in his previous 10 matches, Malen was in the right place to convert the rebound and seal a 4-2 win for the Giallorossi.

The result moves Roma to within four points of city rivals Lazio at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Cagliari have now suffered three consecutive league defeats and remain in mid-table.