COMO, ITALY — Diego Carlos rose to meet a corner and drove a right-footed shot from close range into the bottom left corner in the 79th minute, completing Como's stirring 2-1 comeback victory over AS Roma at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia in front of 11,977 supporters. The hosts, sitting fourth in Serie A with 54 points, overturned an early deficit to claim three points that further tighten the grip on their European ambitions, while sixth-placed Roma — reduced to ten men midway through the second half — were left to rue a collapse that their early dominance had never suggested was coming.
Roma had looked sharp from the first whistle. Donyell Malen stepped up to convert a penalty in the seventh minute, slotting a composed right-footed effort straight down the centre of the goal to hand the visitors an early advantage. It was a confident, assured finish from the Dutch forward, and it set Roma's travelling contingent dreaming of a result that would close the gap on their hosts in the table. Como, however, refused to buckle. They pressed, probed, and created chances throughout the first half, with Jacobo Ramón rattling the left post with a right-footed effort from the centre of the box after Lucas da Cunha delivered a teasing cross — a moment that underlined the hosts' intent even when the scoreboard was against them.
The tactical picture shifted dramatically in the second half. Cesc Fàbregas sent on Assane Diao and Tasos Douvikas at the interval, and the double substitution injected immediate energy into Como's attack. Douvikas drew the hosts level in the 59th minute, latching onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Álex Valle and guiding a composed left-footed finish from the left side of the box into the centre of the goal. The equaliser was well-crafted and well-taken, and it visibly lifted the Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
Then came the moment that changed everything. Wesley, already on a yellow card after a 48th-minute booking, was shown a second yellow in the 64th minute for another bad foul, leaving Roma to navigate the final quarter of the match with ten men. Roma's coaching staff responded with a flurry of changes — Devyne Rensch had already come on for Stephan El Shaarawy in the 56th minute, and Niccolò Pisilli replaced Lorenzo Pellegrini and Robinio Vaz came on for the goalscorer Malen at the 67-minute mark. Kostas Tsimikas and Jan Ziólkowski also entered the fray in the 70th minute as Roma tried to reorganise. But the numerical disadvantage was telling.
Mile Svilar did everything he could to keep Roma in the contest. The goalkeeper was called into action five times across the evening, producing sharp stops to deny Assane Diao — whose left-footed effort from the right side of the box was tipped onto the top centre of the frame — and Ivan Smolcic, who saw his right-footed attempt from the right side of the box pushed away. Lucas da Cunha even struck the crossbar with a left-footed effort from the centre of the box, assisted by Diao, as Como pressed relentlessly for the winner. Svilar's performance was heroic, but ultimately insufficient.
The statistics reflected the tight nature of the contest: possession was split exactly 50%-50%, and Como's five attempts saved by Svilar underscored just how hard the hosts had to work to find the net twice. Roma's goalkeeper finished the evening as arguably his side's best performer, yet the final scoreline told a different story — one of Como's resilience, tactical flexibility, and clinical edge when it mattered most. Daniele Ghilardi collected a yellow card in the 77th minute as Roma's frustration spilled over, and Maxence Caqueret had been booked for Como in the 63rd minute before being replaced at the 67-minute mark.
The scoreboard resets; the table does not. Como's win lifts them firmly into fourth place with 54 points, while Roma remain sixth on 51, the gap between them now three points. Both sides return to action on March 22 — Como travel to face Pisa, while Roma host Lecce, a fixture that will demand an immediate response from a side that let a winning position slip away on the shores of Lake Como.