Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli both scored their first goals for Roma, the former with a sensational lob, as they beat Genoa 2-0 to move back within two points of the Serie A summit.

Having seen Inter defeat Bologna 3-1 to pull clear at the top of the table earlier on Saturday, Roma saw off a stern challenge from Genoa – managed by Giallorossi icon Daniele De Rossi – to keep pace with the Nerazzurri. 

Chances were at a premium for much of the first half, though the crossbar was rattled at both ends within the space of three minutes.

For Roma, defender Leonardo Balerdi met Niccolo Pisilli's corner with a header that bounced clear off the woodwork, then Genoa's Stephan El Shaarawy – who played 348 games for the Giallorossi across two spells at the club – left the frame of the goal shaking with a thunderous 20-yard volley.

But Roma only needed five minutes at the start of the second half to make the breakthrough, and Castro's first goal for the club was certainly one to remember.

Matias Soule's inswinging corner from the right side was glanced on by Castro but ricocheted back into his path, with white shirts surrounding him. In a tight space, he spun away from two markers before scooping an incredible effort into the far corner with the outside of his right boot. 

Santiago Castro opens his Roma account  #RomaGenoa https://t.co/21jeRvQvIV

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 17, 2026

While Roma's first goal was all about the finish, it was the build-up that made their 68th-minute second special. 

Soule had two defenders for company when he received the ball up against the touchline inside his own half, but some lovely footwork allowed him to escape down the right flank, and after dribbling inside and exchanging passes with Lorenzo Pellegrini, he crossed to give teenager Lulli a tap-in.

Pierluigi Gollini had to stay alert to parry a stinging drive from Milutin Osmajic, but that was as much danger as Gian Piero Gasperini's side faced as they cruised to their fifth win in seven Serie A matches this term.

Castro and Soule strut their stuff

With Donyell Malen – who has scored a remarkable 23 goals in 28 games for the club since his January arrival – suspended following his red card against Como, Roma needed to find alternative sources of goals on Saturday.

And Castro, a €35m acquisition from Bologna, stepped up in a big way, having failed to score from seven shots in his first four outings for Roma, all of which came from the bench. 

When the ball fell to the Argentine near the right corner of the six-yard box, there were nine white shirts – plus goalkeeper Justin Bijlow – between him and the Genoa net. 

It would not have occurred to 99% of players to try a dinked finish into the far top corner, with seemingly no space for the ball to fit into, but Castro produced a magical moment to break the deadlock.

Like Castro, Lulli had never previously found the net for Roma, but his finish was a far simpler one that owed much to Soule's daring run. No player on the pitch created more chances than Soule's three, while he also led the charts for passes into the final third (30) plus dribbles attempted (five) and completed (three).

Roma now have 17 points on the board after seven games (W5 D2), marking the first time they have hit that tally by this stage of a Serie A season since 2014-15 (18 in that case).