Roma 2, Real Sociedad 0: Match Highlights

Roma is certainly no stranger to erratic results, but even by the club's usual chaotic standards, February 2023 was a doozy. After kicking off the month with a 2-1 Coppa Italia defeat at the hands of Cremonese, José Mourinho's men responded with a clean 2-0 win over Empoli before dropping points to Lecce on the road.

The Giallorossi scratched and clawed their way back to respectability by dispatching Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League Round of 16 Playoffs before (gulp) losing to Cremonese again. After that humiliating defeat, all bets were off. The club could have entered a tailspin, falling out of any European place full stop, the fans could have pelted the busses with rocks, and Mourinho could have quit football to become a sport fisherman, for all we know.

So when the calendar flipped to March and Juventus was staring them straight in the face, Roma could have laid another egg, and we couldn't blame them. After all, this was Juve we're talking about; Roma's perpetual tormenter. But not only did they topple The Olad Lady of Italian Football, they did so while playing Juve's game: get ahead, hang back, cover every blade of glass, and give Juve's stars a 90-minute headache.

Despite that elation, Roma had little time to rest on their laurels. With the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 clash against Real Sociedad on the docket today, the Giallorossi hoped to make quick work of a formidable opponent. And with a 17th-minute Stephan El Shaarawy goal effectively sealing the deal—one precipitated by a charging Paulo Dybala run and an incredibly clever dummy/turn from Tammy Abraham—they did just that.

Roma would add another goal for good measure when Marash Kumbulla converted a Dybala corner kick in the 87th minute, giving the capital club a two-goal cushion ahead of next week's trip to Spain.

If you missed a minute of the action, please enjoy the extended highlights.