Roma stun Inter

Roma made their intentions for the season clear with an outstanding 3-1 victory at Inter Milan on Sunday.

Roma made their intentions for the season clear with an outstanding 3-1 victory at Inter Milan on Sunday. Alessandro Florenzi gave an attack-minded Roma the lead in the 15th minute before a deflected shot from Antonio Cassano brought Inter level in first-half stoppage time. Daniel Osvaldo restored Roma's lead midway through the second half and Marquinho added a sumptuous winner 10 minutes from time. The only sour note for Roma came in stoppage time when Osvaldo received a second yellow card, earning him a one-match suspension. Much has been made of Zdenek Zeman's return to Roma, especially in view of the kamikaze football typical of his previous clubs Foggia and Pescara. Foggia finished the 2010/11 season as the top scorers in Serie C while they also had the worst defence. Similarly, Pescara's strength in their promotion to Serie A last season was based on the league-record number of goals they scored, setting off the many they conceded. Goals are therefore always to be expected when Roma are involved, and the first of this game came in the 15th minute. Francesco Totti lifted the ball into the danger area for Florenzi, who was left in too much room to head unstoppably past Luca Castellazzi. There were claims for a penalty from 11 Nerazzurri players and 50,000 spectators in the 16th minute when Diego Milito went down in the area, but Maarten Stekelenburg got the ball cleanly, making an excellent save as the Argentinian raced through. Five minutes later, Stekelenburg was alert to deny Wesley Sneijder's shot at his near post as Inter slowly started to get a foothold in the game after a bright start by the Giallorossi. Roma only just failed to defend their lead into the break as Cassano brought Inter level in stoppage time with a shot which took a wicked deflection off Nicolas Burdisso to loop over Stekelenburg. Zeman's side came out for the second half with renewed verve and Osvaldo shot wide just minutes in. The Italy international put the visitors ahead for the second time in the 67th minute thanks once again to Totti, who threaded a ball into his path which he lifted delicately over Castellazzi with just one decisive touch. Florenzi sliced a shot wide in the 75th minute as Roma created even more chances on the counter-attack as Inter committed more men forwards. Substitute Marquinho sealed Roma's victory in the 81st minute with a goal from a seemingly impossible angle, a volley from Osvaldo's pass which grazed the near post on its way in. Osvaldo spoiled an otherwise perfect night for Roma in stoppage time, though, when he deliberately handled the ball to earn a second yellow card.