Roma gained a measure of revenge for their Europa League elimination by securing a convincing 2-0 victory over Bologna, with goals from Donyell Malen and Neil El Aynaoui, as Paulo Dybala made his long-awaited return from injury.
The fixture came just weeks after the two sides produced a thrilling Europa League Round of 16 tie, which ended 1-1 in Bologna and 3-3 in Rome, before the Rossoblu edged through 4-3 after extra time.
It was also Roma’s first outing since the dismissal of special advisor Claudio Ranieri following a reported disagreement with Gian Piero Gasperini.
The Giallorossi were boosted by the return of Wesley and Devyne Rensch, while Dybala was back on the bench after three months out, though they were still without key names including Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson.
Bologna, missing Federico Bernardeschi, Lukasz Skorupski, Thijs Dallinga and Nicolò Casale, surprised many by lining up with a back three.
Roma needed less than seven minutes to strike first. Wesley initiated the move before El Aynaoui threaded a precise pass through for Malen, who calmly finished past advancing goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia.
The Dutch forward nearly added a second shortly after, latching onto another Wesley assist but narrowly missing with a delicate chipped effort.
Bologna responded midway through the first half when Mile Svilar produced a strong save with his legs to deny Riccardo Orsolini at the near post.
Eivind Helland then came to Bologna’s rescue with a vital block to stop Malen, but Roma doubled their lead against the run of play.
After Wesley overhit a pass intended for Malen, the striker recovered brilliantly, retrieved the ball, and delivered a cross that El Aynaoui met with a composed six-yard volley.
Bologna pressed after the break, with Orsolini firing over on the counter and Jens Odgaard seeing a powerful effort blocked. Orsolini came agonisingly close just after the hour mark, smashing a fierce strike off the underside of the crossbar.
The visitors suffered a setback when João Mário was forced off with a muscular injury, while Roma welcomed Dybala back to action after his lengthy spell on the sidelines.
In stoppage time, Bologna nearly pulled one back when Odgaard teed up Lorenzo De Silvestri unmarked in the box, but Svilar reacted sharply to tip the effort away and preserve Roma’s clean sheet.
