Ferguson's Long-Awaited Goal Secures Roma Victory
Roma strengthened their position at the top of Serie A with a commanding 3-1 away victory against Cremonese, a match marked by the long-awaited return to scoring form of Irish striker Evan Ferguson. Coming on as a second-half substitute, Ferguson ended his nearly 13-month goal drought at club level, providing a crucial moment in a hard-fought contest.
Match Analysis: Roma's Dominant Display
The visitors took control early when Matías Soulé opened the scoring in the 17th minute during an action-packed first half that saw a Roma goal disallowed for offside and a Cremonese penalty award overturned after a VAR review. The match's pivotal moment arrived when Ferguson, who had been sidelined for Roma's previous three games with an ankle injury, entered the fray on the hour mark.
Just four minutes after his introduction, the 21-year-old demonstrated his clinical finishing. After Cremonese failed to clear their lines, Neil El Aynaoui laid off a perfect pass to Ferguson, who showed tremendous composure to control the ball and bend a precise shot past goalkeeper Mile Svilar into the corner of the net.
The entire Roma team rushed to celebrate with the young striker, whose last club goal dated back to October 2024 for Brighton against Wolves in the Premier League. Wesley França sealed the three points for Roma just five minutes later with another goal, before Francesco Folino headed in a consolation for the hosts during stoppage time.
League Implications and European Context
This important victory moves Roma to 27 points in Serie A, keeping them in contention for the top spot depending on the outcome of the Milan derby. The win maintains their impressive league form as they look to maintain pressure on their title rivals.
Elsewhere in European football, the 19-year-old German sensation Assan Ouédraogo continued his remarkable week by scoring a spectacular goal in RB Leipzig's 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen. The midfielder, who had also scored on his Germany debut days earlier, unleashed an unstoppable left-footed shot into the top corner in the 63rd minute.
Xaver Schlager added a second goal for Leipzig in the 80th minute, securing their fourth win in five Bundesliga matches and moving them up to second place with 25 points, behind leaders Bayern Munich.
