Roma Plays Cagliari to Scoreless Draw in Season Opener

While almost all teams experience last-minute transfer uncertainty after the season officially begins, the club's top player isn't typically involved this late into the transfer window. But that's precisely the predicament in which Roma found themselves ahead of today's season opener against Cagliari. With one foot in Rome and the other in Saudi Arabia, Paulo Dybala, last season's leading scorer and assist-maker, sat on the bench as Daniele De Rossi's men took the pitch in Sardinia.

With so much uncertainty and controversy enveloping the team over the past several days, an actual match provided a much-needed reprieve for the Giallorossi. Absent Dybala, De Rossi rolled out a 4-3-3 featuring all three of the club's marquee summer signings: Matías Soulé, Artem Dovbyk, and Enzo Le Fée. Despite the lack of La Joya, Roma fans had ample reason to be excited for today's fixture.

Unfortunately, that excitement didn't extend to the players on the pitch. With Dybala on the bench, Roma was always likely to struggle creatively, especially against a Cagliari team with little incentive to leave their defensive third. Thanks to that compact defense and no spark in the middle of the pitch, when Roma got the ball, they immediately looked to Soulé, hoping their new wunderkind could work his magic in the wide spaces. While Soulé had a few nice moments in the first half, he was frequently walled off by multiple Cagliari defenders, who were all too eager to invade his personal space, effectively nullifying his dribbling ability.

So dull was the action that the two clubs reeled off a combined three attempts on goal after 30 minutes. In fact, the best attempt of the half wasn't an attempt at all: Cagliari keeper Simone Scuffet momentarily took his eye off a back-pass, barely recovering in time to pull it off the line, sparing the home side an embarrassing and potentially match-deciding gaffe.

Things got a bit spicier in the waning moments of the first half, with Cagliari firing two stinging efforts at Mile Svilar, only to be turned away by Roma's shot-stopper. Roma managed two decent looks late in the half for their part: a cracking 20-yarder from Lorenzo Pellegrini and a rushed attempt in the box from Dovbyk, neither of which required an actual save from Scuffet.

After 45 minutes, two things were apparent: Roma was incredibly rusty, and, yes, they missed Dybala dearly.

While they didn't find the back of the net immediately after the second half began, Roma was better organized, more aggressive, and displayed more fluidity in the opening 10 minutes than the entire first half. Soulé had the first look of the half, forging ahead on his own, creating a chance, and firing a rebounded effort at Scuffet. It didn't necessarily trouble the Cagliari keeper, but it was a signal of intent from Roma.

But the best chance in this period came thanks to Nicola Zalewski, who slowly asserted himself on the left flank throughout the evening. After cutting in slightly, Zalewski played a curiously slow ball towards the point of the box, seemingly trying to find Dovbyk, who was camped out in the area. However, the Ukranian forward left it for Pellegrini, who was making a late run into the box but miss-hit the ball, making for an easy save.

De Rossi would flip the switch at the hour mark, pulling off Le Fée in favor of Tommaso Baldanzi, presumably to up the creativity level, though Le Fée was otherwise solid in his Roma debut. With his side still struggling to break down the defense, De Rossi brought Paulo Dybala into the fray in the 69th minute, replacing Zalewski.

Dybala made his presence felt almost immediately, drawing a foul at the edge of the box in the 74th minute. After a lengthy delay caused by the Cagliari wall bickering with the official, Dybala's ensuing free-kick was parried away, but it still had that trademark Ja Joya curl.

Dybala nearly brought the house down in the 80th minute when he reeled around the right edge of the box, quickly turning around and whipping the ball toward Dovbyk at the opposite post. Unfortunately, Roma's new striker caught more of the upright than the back of the net, but it was proof once again, if it was even needed, of how instrumental Dybala could be.

Cagliari hit the post in almost the next breath, with Marin flicking a shot off the post from 18 yards. Making matters worse for the home side, Piccoli's rebound attempt was off the mark, stripping the Islanders of a late match-winner. Pellegrini would score moments later, being sprung into space by Dovbyk, but his goal was almost immediately disallowed thanks to a narrow offside called.

With time winding short and Roma desperate for a goal, De Rossi went to the bench one final time, bringing Tammy Abraham and Stephan El Shaarawy into the action. Outside of a desperate, last-second attempt from SES, neither late sub had a chance to make an impact, and the match ended in a scoreless draw.

We'll miss you, Paulo... dearly.

Roma hosts Empoli on August 25th