Roma will face Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals after ending Serie C outfit Virtus Entella’s fairy tale cup run with a 4-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico.
The visitors made headlines in the last round when they knocked out top-flight Genoa on penalties at the Marassi, having previously seen off Robur Siena and Salernitana. However, a Patrick Schick brace and strikes from Ivan Marcano and Javier Pastore ensured Eusebio di Francesco’s side avoided an upset.
The blast of the referee’s starting whistle was still ringing in the players’ ears when Roma took the lead, as Schick’s inventive backheeled finish beat Andrea Paroni from close range to put the home side in front after just 22 seconds.
A double save from Robin Olsen stopped Entella drawing level and both sides had goals ruled out for offside, before Ivan Marcano doubled the Lupi’s lead on the stroke of half time with a close-range strike.
Schick again started sharply in the second half, bending a low shot into the corner within three minutes of the restart, before Pastore’s tidy finish put the game to bed with quarter of an hour remaining.
Schick lays down a marker
Eusebio Di Francesco admitted on Sunday that it was a toss-up whether Patrik Schick or Edin Dzeko would start up front for Roma in this match.
In the end the Czech got the nod, and this time he pounced on the opportunity in a manner that he has often failed to so far this season.
With Dzeko returning to full fitness the 22-year-old can’t afford to make any more mistakes and his performance, albeit against third-tier opposition, will encourage his coach.
His first goal showed a glimpse of the spark and inventiveness he became renowned for at Sampdoria, with a cheeky backheel confounding the Entella goalkeeper. His second showed the clinical edge he has lacked too often this term.
Much more substantial tests lie ahead for the young striker, but beginning 2019 with two goals to his name will at least give Di Francesco something to think about when picking his starting striker for the visit of Torino on Saturday.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com