Donyell Malen scored a brace, his first two goals at the Stadio Olimpico, as Roma defeated Cagliari 2-0 and moved level with fourth-place Juventus in Serie A.
Malen’s first goal for Roma at the Stadio Olimpico came shortly before the half-hour mark, when he expertly finished Mancini’s pass and beat Cagliari goalkeeper Elia Caprile with a delicate chip.
The Dutch forward’s second goal arrived 20 minutes after half-time, when he bundled home Zeki Celik’s low cross into the six-yard box.
Roma dominated the game, outshooting Cagliari 15-3 and holding 53% possession. Cagliari’s Dossena made his first appearance since March, but was booked early on for a foul on Malen.
Roma’s pressure paid off, and they kept a first-half clean sheet for the 10th time in 12 Serie A home games this term.
1⃣4⃣#RomaCagliari 1-0 pic.twitter.com/FkuMDEjGDG
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) February 9, 2026
Cagliari managed to stem the flow of chances after the break, but Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini brought on Bayern Munich loanee Bryan Zaragoza for his debut just before the hour mark. The second goal seemed to kill off Cagliari’s chances, and they were unable to mount a meaningful comeback.
Cagliari’s best chance came when Ibrahim Sulemana’s long-range effort kissed the top of the crossbar, but it was too little, too late for the visitors. Dossena poked an effort wide with seven minutes remaining, but Roma held on to secure a vital win.
Vinciamo noi 💛❤️
Decide la doppietta di Malen 🥰#RomaCagliari 2-0 pic.twitter.com/DbQtn7rO50
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) February 9, 2026
The victory moves Roma level with Juventus in fourth place, with 14 games remaining in the season. Cagliari, meanwhile, remain 12th in Serie A.
Roma will look to build on this momentum next weekend when they travel to Napoli, while Cagliari will host Sassuolo.
