Five-League Drama! Late Equalizer in the 89th Minute, Winner in the 93rd, Last Season's Third-Place Team Roma Complete 2-1 Comeback to Go Top

39 shots, two efforts hitting the woodwork, and incredible saves from the opposing goalkeeper. Roma trailed 0-1 until the 88th minute. Then, within four minutes, the entire story changed.

In this match between Roma and Atalanta, a game that seemed almost lost was turned into a 2-1 victory in the final moments. Last season's Serie A third-place team sent themselves to the top of the table in a remarkable fashion.

Before the match, both teams had won their first two games. Roma scored four goals in each of their opening two rounds, with an 8-0 aggregate score that drew attention across Serie A. Atalanta's wins were less dominant, 2-1 and 1-0, but they still had six points. In this top-of-the-table clash, the winner would continue with a perfect record.

When the lights came on at the Stadio Olimpico, the home supporters probably did not expect they were about to endure nearly 100 minutes of tension.

In the 16th minute of the first half, Cristante headed inside the box and Atalanta goalkeeper Carnesecchi saved it. Ndicka followed up with a rebound finish. Before Roma could celebrate, the assistant referee raised the flag for offside and the goal was ruled out.

The decision felt like a sign that Roma would not have much luck on this night.

Over the next half hour, Roma pushed Atalanta deep into their own half. Dybala's shot missed the target, Mancini's header was saved by Carnesecchi, Mora's curling effort went just wide of the post, and Malen's low shot was also stopped. At halftime, the score remained 0-0. Roma supporters likely did not expect the harder part was still to come.

Two minutes after the second half began, Atalanta launched a fast attack down the left. The ball was crossed into Roma's penalty area. Roma failed to clear twice, and the ball fell to Ederson da Silva, who drove into the box and fired a powerful shot. Goal. 0-1.

After controlling the match for nearly 50 minutes, Roma conceded from one mistake. The expressions on the Roma players' faces said everything.

Gasperini stood on the sideline constantly signaling instructions. Roma had no choice but to push forward. Atalanta knew exactly what they were doing, dropping deep and almost giving up possession completely, relying on Carnesecchi to protect the goal.

Roma's attacks came wave after wave. Castro's shot struck the left post and bounced away. Dybala's curling effort hit the right post. Soule's volley was safely collected by Carnesecchi. Time kept running, and Roma fans grew increasingly anxious.

In the 77th minute, Cristante headed again but missed. Before the fourth official raised the stoppage-time board, Roma still had one more chance.

In the 89th minute, Roma won a left-side corner. Soule stood at the corner, ran up, and delivered a curling ball into the box. Hermoso burst through the crowd, reached the near post, and glanced a header. The ball looped over Carnesecchi's fingertips and into the net. 1-1.

The Olimpico erupted.

But Roma players did not celebrate for long. They knew there was still time.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Dybala received the ball near the edge of the box. The Argentine spotted Soule on the right and played a pass. Soule controlled it, cut past a defender, and fired a left-footed shot into the near corner. The ball raced into the net along the grass. 2-1.

Four minutes earlier, Roma were still behind 0-1. Four minutes later, the score was 2-1.

Soule, the 23-year-old Argentine forward, produced an assist and a goal within four minutes. After the match, he was officially named the best player of the game.

In the final moments, Atalanta midfielder Gaetano was sent off with a red card for verbally attacking the referee. But it could no longer change the outcome.

The statistics told the story: Roma had 39 shots and Atalanta had six. Possession was 66% to 34%. Nobody counted exactly how many corners Roma had, but both sets of fans remembered Carnesecchi's saves clearly.

Roma manager Gasperini said after the match that if they had lost, he would not have known how to evaluate the performance. He added that the team never abandoned its tactical structure, which was the key reason they completed the comeback. Regarding shot quality, he said they lacked some ruthlessness and power.

The victory gave Roma three straight wins to start the season. After three rounds, Roma and defending champions Inter Milan both had nine points, but Roma topped the table with a +9 goal difference compared with Inter's +5. They had scored 10 goals and conceded one in their first three matches.

On this Serie A third-round night, all four matches featured comebacks, with the team scoring first losing every time. Inter came back from 0-2 down at home to score three goals, with Lautaro Martinez scoring a stoppage-time winner against Napoli. Roma produced another late turnaround.

Roma fired 39 shots, scored twice in the final four minutes, and faced a goalkeeper making outstanding saves. One Roma fan wrote after the match: 40 shots, two posts, two late goals, and a goalkeeper playing incredibly well against us, yet we won. This is football.

A question for those who watched the match: can Roma's style of producing nearly 40 shots per game work the same way in the Champions League against teams like Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain?

Rebaocchuang Sai