Como and AS Roma played out a goalless draw in their Serie A encounter at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Sunday, with Roma reduced to 10 men following Donyell Malen’s dismissal.
The match, played in the sixth round of the Italian league, saw both sides struggle to find the breakthrough despite creating several scoring opportunities.
Roma came close to taking the lead in the sixth minute when Paulo Dybala received a pass from Malen but failed to beat Como goalkeeper Jean Butez with his effort from inside the penalty area.
Lorenzo Pellegrini also came close for the visitors in the 11th minute, but his low shot from outside the box struck the post.
Como responded with opportunities of their own, while goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini made important interventions to keep the hosts at bay.
Roma’s chances of securing all three points suffered a setback in the 53rd minute when Malen was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Kaiki.
The dismissal left Gian Piero Gasperini’s men with 10 players for the remainder of the contest.
Despite their numerical advantage, Cesc Fabregas’ side failed to capitalise, with Assane Diao setting up Máximo Perrone for a shot that lacked the power to trouble Gollini shortly after the dismissal.
The result left Roma two points behind league leaders Inter Milan, while Como remained five points off the top.
The draw also marked the first goalless match of the Serie A season after 54 games.
Roma will now turn their attention to their next fixture against Genoa, while Malen will miss the encounter following his red card.
