Paulo Dybala broke it: a great goal and an assist in Roma to arrive well-tuned to Lionel Scaloni’s call

One of the concerns of Lionel Scaloni with respect to Paulo Dybala He aimed for him to achieve the continuity that he had not had in recent times at Juventus. Muscular injuries and a club that stopped considering him a priority for his soccer project had stalled La Joya’s career and conspired against his chances of joining the squad of the Argentine team for the World Cup.

The change of team, from Juventus to Roma, prompted by a call Jose Mourinho to seduce him, they relaunched Dybala. Summoned by Scaloni for the friendly this month vs. Honduras y Jamaica, the Jewel will arrive toned. With many minutes and a performance that accounts for his quality and influence on the team.

Dybala’s great goal

This Monday, in 2-1 away to Empoli at the close of the sixth date of the A league, the No. 21 scored a great goal and in the position of midfielder he made a good part of the offensive game gravitate on him. At six minutes he was able to convert as a “fisherman from the area”, by taking a loose ball with a definition that he gave in a post. For a few minutes later he had something much better in store, a goal delight. At the edge of the area he took a rival clearance and outlined to take a left footed shot that entered the angle. A wonder of definition.

The @OptaPaolo account produced an interesting fact: since he made his debut in Serie A, with Palermo in 2012, Dybala has added 27 goals from outside the area and equaled the record that in that same period of time has the Belgian Dries Mertens, that this season went from Napoli to Galatasaray.

Empoli’s draw

Dybala ran to the bench to celebrate with two substitutes, Nicoló Zaniolo and the Uruguayan Matías Viña (“we always drink mate together,” he said after the meeting). It was his third goal in the tournament, after two he had scored against Monza. After that game, Mourinho, with his well-known irony, sent a message to the technical director of the national team about how he was preparing Dybala: “Maybe Scaloni will have to send me a few more bottles of wine because he will have a fantastic player”.

Active in the construction of the game and the arrival, he received a stomp from Fabiano Parisi that deserved the warning. From his panorama and fair touch two assists arose, one for Lorenzo Pellegrini, whose shot was covered by the goalkeeper, and another for Mehmet Celik, who kicked wide. Dybala also went back to look from mid-range, with a lopsided shot that went over the top in a first half that Empoli equalized with a cabezazo by Filippo Bandinelli.

Assistance of the Jewel, second of Rome

The match was getting complicated for Roma, whose irregularity had been reflected in the last two games, with a win against Udinese and a debut loss in the Europa League in front of Ludogorets. The one who put the light back on was Dybala, who with a hook on the right got rid of two rivals and crossed an assist to the far post, for the definition of the Englishman Tammy Abraham. Once again, his contribution was decisive.

Rome suffered until the end because Pellegrini wasted the chance to make it 3-1 with a penal who ran to the crossbar. With the bustle of matches -Roma will play on Thursday against HJK Helsinki for the Europa League-, Mourinho replaced Dybala 10 minutes from the end for the youthful Edoardo Bove. Roma was one unit behind the top three, and largely owes it to Dybala.

After the match, Mourinho was complimentary of the Cordovan: “The way of playing compared to last season changed because of Paulo, he is an amazing player. This year the expectation is high because Dybala arrived, that under normal conditions – he joined as a free player – he would not play for Roma. Internal competitiveness makes us grow, the great teams need it. Dybala’s room for improvement? Growth is together with the team, Individually I can’t ask for more. The second goal -Joya assisted Abraham- is an example of a game with closed eyes”.

Rome last won the scudetto in 2001 and now the expectation is growing among fans. In a chat with Sky Sports after the victory, Dybala was measured: “I said it on the day of the presentation, we have to be calm, there is a lot of desire from everyone. We have one of the best coaches in the world, incredible players who have won a lot and have experience, but I think we have to be calm, play every game to win. Creating this winning mindset; we came from two defeats that did not help us, everyone had doubts, but this is where you see the great teams and the great players. I don’t want to say that our goal is to win anything in particular, because otherwise tomorrow’s title is ‘Roma wants to win the Europa League’ or ‘Roma wants to win the championship’. We have to go little by little and know how to approach each match with the right mentality”.

match highlights