De Rossi Hails Genoa Resilience as Castro’s Masterpiece Sinks Roma

FolioPitch.com – 18 October 2026 | Daniele De Rossi returned to the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday and, for 50 minutes, threatened to haunt the club where he is revered. Instead, he watched Santiago Castro produce a moment of brilliance that broke Genoa‘s resistance and set Roma on course for a 2-0 Serie A victory. Speaking after the match, De Rossi acknowledged that De Rossi Genoa made it difficult for Roma until masterpiece from Castro decided a contest his side had contested with discipline and spirit.

“We acknowledge that Roma are a strong squad, we accept the result, but if we just went into every game against a stronger squad expecting defeat, it would be a serious problem,” De Rossi told Sky Sport Italia. “After all, Roma were stronger than us last season too, but we still beat them. I think we played a balanced match for 50 minutes until that masterpiece from Castro. I liked the spirit of the team, that goal knocked the wind out of our sails, and we still stayed in the game to the end.”

The narrative of De Rossi Genoa made it difficult for Roma until masterpiece from Castro was evident in the first half, when Genoa pressed aggressively, closed down spaces, and won individual duels. Stephan El Shaarawy, another former Roma player returning as an opponent, struck the frame of the goal, signaling Genoa’s intent. But the visitors faded after the break, allowing Roma an extra second on the ball, and Castro’s audacious chip changed the complexion of the game. Emanuele Lulli added a second to secure the points.

De Rossi reflected on the tactical shift: “The way we worked so hard to close down the spaces and win the individual duels in the first half allowed us to create spaces, but maybe we got a bit stretched out after the break, allowed Roma an extra second on the ball, and that can ultimately make the difference.”

The pressure remains on De Rossi, who had scraped just one point from the opening five Serie A games before a 2-1 win against Fiorentina. Yet he sees this performance as a building block. “I was talking to the directors and I feel this performance gives a sense of consistency to the win over Fiorentina, not in terms of result, but when it comes to determination, attitude, and also performance. We will have a different gameplan for each encounter, but I am satisfied with the attitude of the lads this evening.”

Genoa’s cause was not helped by the absence of Tommaso Baldanzi, who did not feature against his parent club. “We all have great faith in Baldanzi, he wasn’t injured exactly, but he felt a twinge in training yesterday and again today, so we decided to rest him. He was meant to come off the bench, but with this adductor concern, we didn’t want to risk it and hope he’ll be available next week,” De Rossi explained.

Instead, Italy Under-19 international Samuel Wiafe was handed his first Serie A start. “Wiafe was considered a youth team player over the summer, he was meant to go on loan somewhere, but he really impressed us, he’s physically strong, he has talent and knows how to play the ball. We don’t want to pile too many expectations on him, but I really like this kid.”

Ultimately, the story of De Rossi Genoa made it difficult for Roma until masterpiece from Castro encapsulates a match in which Genoa’s organization and resilience were undone by a single moment of quality. De Rossi’s side showed character, but in Castro they encountered a player capable of deciding games in an instant. For Roma, the win relieves some pressure; for Genoa, the performance offers hope that better results are around the corner.