Roma held at home by Genoa after losing lead three times

AS Roma were held to a 3-3 draw at home to Genoa in their first game under new coach Paulo Fonseca on Sunday after giving away their lead three times.

Cengiz Under raced past two defenders to fire Roma ahead after six minutes of their opening Serie A game of the season only for Andrea Pinamonti to finish off a sweeping move and equalise ten minutes later.

Edin Dzeko put Roma back in front on the half-hour with a superb effort, controlling a ball over the top before turning past two defenders to score, but Genoa hit back again with a Domenico Criscito penalty two minutes before halftime.

Aleksandar Kolarov gave Roma the lead for the third time four minutes after the break with a trademark free kick which crashed against the underside of the bar before crossing the line.

But Genoa, not be outdone, again replied in the 70th minute, this time with Christian Kouame heading in Paolo Ghiglione’s cross at the far post.

It all seemed rather reminiscent of last season when Roma were dogged by inconsistency and a lack of concentration which eventually cost coach Eusebio Di Francesco his job while his team missed out on the Champions League.

“We started the game really well, especially in the first 15 minutes. In attack, we really looked good,” said Fonseca.

“The problem was defensively, where we weren’t able to deal with the long balls, especially in the first half. The game was mostly played in Genoa’s half. But at the back we never found our balance.”

Lazio forward Ciro Immobile scored twice and Joaquin Correa was also on target as they kicked off with a 3-0 win at Sampdoria, Di Francesco’s new club. Immobile’s first goal was his 100th in Serie A.

Two goals from Simone Zaza led Torino to a 2-1 win at home to Sassuolo while promoted Brescia won 1-0 at Cagliari thanks to Alfredo Donnarumma’s second-half penalty.