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Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Roma fight back to beat Barcelona as Malcom impresses in debut game

- Roma defeated Spanish side Barcelona 4-2 in a pre-season match in America

- Malcom who was on the verge of signing for Roma before opting for Barca in a €41m deal made his debut during the game

- Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde substituted 10 outfield players before Roma recovered to take the game beyond the La Liga side

Serie A side Rome recovered from an early goal to beat Barcelona 4-2 in the International Champions Cup at AT&T Stadium as new boy Malcom was handed his debut by the Spanish champions.

The encounter witnessed late goals from Alessandro Florenzi, Bryan Cristante and Diego Perotti that helped the Serie A campaigners roar back from 2-1 down to topple Barca who made numerous changes in the closing moments of the game.

Ernesto Valverde substituted 10 outfield players by the time Florenzi scored to put scores at 2-2 and the Barcelona coach will be happy with what he saw before he gave the club’s B team players game time alongside new arrival Malcom.

Roma beat Barcelona from behind as Malcom shines in debut match

Roma beat Barcelona from behind as Malcom shines in debut match. Photo Credit: Getty Images

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The Serie A side were initially linked with Malcom from Bordeaux but Barcelona hijacked the deal at the 11th hour, after splashing €41 million on the Brazilian.

Ahead of the game Roma defender Kostas Manolas played down the transfer saga before the game, saying he was not aware of Malcom, but all the Roma players will have been aware of him by the end of the game.

Malcom had a decent performance in a Barcelona side that was without Lionel Messi and the other stars that played at the World Cup in Russia.

The moment Stephan El Shaarawy cancelled out Rafinha's early opener for Barca, it was expected that Malcom will restore Barcelona’s lead after good work from Ballou Tabla.

Malcom almost netted again, too, sending a free kick inches wide before seeing a shot well saved by substitute goalie Antonio Mirante.

The Spanish side with young players had started quickly after Rafinha capped a fine team move in the seventh minute to open scoring on the night.

The Camp Nou dwellers continued to pile on the pressure on Roma defence line. Rafinha almost set up Malcom for a second goal, but Robin Olsen saved.

The Spanish side held on possession but the frequency of their chances decreased as Roma began to pose a threat until the halftime break.

Goal scoring opportunities for Edin Dzeko and Florenzi were also blocked out before summer arrival Justin Kluivert set up El Shaarawy for the equalizer.

Malcom then had his moment in the 49th minute before his manager Valverde made the changes on the 60th minute mark.

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As the game continued Florenzi exploited poor defending from Barca's youngsters, who play in the third tier of Spanish football, to level before Cristante beat Jasper Cillessen after being offered too much space.

Perotti netted the fourth in the final five minutes from a penalty kick following a foul by Jorge Cuenca to end proceeding at 4-2.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously had reported that Barcelona have completed the signing of Brazil midfielder Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira in a five year deal.

The Blaugrana beat Italian Seire A side AS Roma to the signing of the 21-year-old in a deal valued around £36.5 million with £900,000 in variables.

According to BBC, the Champions League semifinalists revealed earlier this week that they had reached an agreement with Bordeaux for the player but subject to a medical and personal terms.

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Source: Naija.ng



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