Thanks to Valentin Mihaila and a Hernani penalty as Parma finally ended their incredible 17-round winless streak with a surprise 2-0 victory over Roma.
Roma’s sanction claims for Hernani’s high-risk tackle on Lorenzo Pellegrini were quickly dismissed.
Instead, with Dennis Man catching a long ball down the right flank and laying it off to an unmarked Valentin Mihaila, who fired in from 12 yards, Parma took the lead thanks to a combination of two Romanians.
A volley from Stephan El Shaarawy and a free-kick from Lorenzo Pellegrini were saved by Luigi Sepe, but the Giallorossi failed to generate chances.
Parma almost made it 2-0 right after the restart with a well-executed pass down the left flank, a fast Giuseppe Pezzella give-and-go, and a cross for Man to force a Pau Lopez save.
at the other end, El Shaarawy’s curler was deflected just wide, but Parma split on the counter and Roger Ibanez went into a high-risk tackle as Pellè was pulling the trigger, which the referee ruled as a foul. Pau Lopez was sent the wrong direction by Hernani, who converted.
Paulo Fonseca made a number of improvements, including giving American Bryan Reynolds his Serie A debut.
Gianluca Mancini nodded over from a corner, while Sepe got one hand to a Carles Perez strike and Mihaila tested Pau Lopez on the counter.
Parma – Roma 2-0
Goals: Mihaila (9), Hernani (55)
Parma: Sepe; Conti (Laurini 82), Bani, Osorio, Pezzella; Kurtic, Brugman, Hernani (Grassi 72); Man, Pellè (Zirkzee 61), Mihaila (Karamoh 82)
Roma: Pau Lopez; Mancini, Ibanez, Kumbulla (Cristante 60); Bruno Peres (Reynolds 60), Villar (Diawara 79), Pellegrini (Mayoral 79), Spinazzola; Pedro (Carles Perez 60), El Shaarawy; Dzeko
Bologna – Sampdoria 3-1
Goals: Barrow (27), Quagliarella (37), Svanberg (41), Soriano (70)
