Roma opened their Serie A season in emphatic style, thrashing Fiorentina 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on the opening matchday of 2026/27. Donyell Malen was the hero with a hat-trick (27', 52' and 60'), and Paulo Dybala laid on all three goals in a display that recalled Serie A's great attacking pairings.
In Gian Piero Gasperini's 3-4-2-1, young Rodrigo Mora was handed a start behind the pairing of Dybala and Malen. Roma controlled the tempo from the outset, with David de Gea denying Mora early on. The breakthrough came on 27 minutes from the combination that defined the evening: Dybala slipped the ball to Malen, who kept his composure and slotted past the Spanish goalkeeper.
Roma needed just seven minutes of the second half to double their lead, Malen collecting Dybala's pass, driving into the box and rifling his finish into the roof of the net. The hat-trick was completed on the hour: Emanuele Lulli won the ball high up the pitch, Dybala raced to the byline and pulled it back for a simple Malen tap-in. Substitute Nicolo Pisilli added a fourth in the 86th minute, profiting from a loose ball off Rolando Mandragora.