September 8: Can Roma Challenge Inter Milan? Eight Straight Wins Bring Serie A Title Race Suspense

The lights at the Olympic Stadium nearly lifted the roof last night.

In the 89th minute, Soule delivered a left-side corner and Hermoso headed in at the near post for 1-1. In the third minute of stoppage time, Dybala played the ball from the right side of the box, Soule beat a defender and fired into the near corner with his left foot for 2-1.

The 23-year-old Soule came on as a substitute in the 54th minute and produced an assist and a goal within four minutes. He was named Serie A's official Player of the Match. Roma recorded 39 shots and finally broke through Atalanta.

On this night, Roma's dramatic comeback sent them to the top of the Serie A table.

Roma won their first three league matches this season, scoring 10 goals and conceding one. Combined with five straight wins at the end of last season, they have an eight-match winning streak across seasons.

Gasperini became the third Roma coach in history to lead the team to eight consecutive Serie A wins.

The previous two were Spalletti and Rudi Garcia.

Spalletti guided Roma to 11 straight wins in 2005/06 and eight in 2016; Rudi Garcia achieved 11 straight wins in 2013 and nine in 2014. Neither team won the title.

Gasperini now stands at the same historical point. He narrowly missed the Serie A title with Atalanta in 2015/16, and now has an opportunity with a Roma side built on Mourinho's foundations.

The interesting detail is that the 2-1 win came against Atalanta, the club Gasperini coached for nine years. It was his first victory over his former club as Roma manager and ended Roma's eight-game winless run against Atalanta.

Many people think Roma moving top means they have surpassed Inter, but the reality is more complicated.

After three Serie A rounds, Roma and Inter Milan are both perfect with nine points.

Roma: 10 goals scored, one conceded, goal difference +9.

Inter Milan: eight goals scored, three conceded, goal difference +5.

Roma are only ahead because of a four-goal advantage in goal difference; the two teams are effectively level.

Inter also experienced a thriller. Against Napoli at home, they trailed 0-2, Thuram equalized in the 82nd minute and Lautaro scored a stoppage-time winner for a 3-2 comeback. Chivu said he admired the team's reaction after going two goals down.

Roma scored twice in stoppage time, while Inter overturned a two-goal deficit. The Serie A title race is already taking shape as a two-team battle.

Roma's strong start is not only about emotion; the foundation is Gasperini's tactical system.

He installed his long-developed 3-4-2-1 system: three center-backs provide stability, wing-backs create width, Dybala links play as a free attacker, and Malen and Soule form the attacking unit. The core is high pressing, quick transitions and constant movement.

Summer reinforcements added more pieces to the system.

Santiago Castro joined from Bologna.

Konstantinos Koulierakis arrived from Wolfsburg, providing another left-footed center-back option.

Rodrigo Mora joined from Porto late in the window, adding tactical variety.

Donyell Malen was not a summer signing, but he has scored 17 goals in 19 Serie A matches for Roma, including a hat-trick against Fiorentina.

The attacking profile is clear: Mora 1.68m, Dybala 1.77m, Malen 1.78m, Castro 1.79m and Soule 1.82m. Gasperini has built a technical, quick attacking side. Dybala creates, Soule offers solutions on the right, Malen brings pace and finishing, Castro provides a striker option, and Mora adds variety.

Tactical flexibility is another strength. Besides 3-4-2-1, Gasperini can switch to 3-4-1-2 or 4-2-3-1 to maximize attacking power.

Roma's €150 million summer spending is most visible in their bench strength.

Against Atalanta, Gasperini introduced Soule and Castro in the 67th minute. Soule scored and assisted within four minutes and had seven shots, more than the entire Atalanta team.

Gasperini highlighted the importance of substitutions and praised Giraldi and Balerdi for helping stabilize the defensive areas and stop counterattacks.

Malen has scored five goals in the first three rounds, level with Barcelona's Raphinha atop the top-five European leagues scoring chart. Dybala has four assists, leading the assist charts in those leagues. Castro has not scored but has created threats.

This squad depth was something Roma teams under Spalletti and Rudi Garcia did not have.

Gasperini's teams usually play with high intensity, but if the pressing is not coordinated, space behind the defense appears. This is an inherent challenge of his system.

Against Atalanta, Ederson's 47th-minute low finish after a defensive lapse showed this issue. Roma needed 39 shots and more than 80 minutes of pressure before winning through a set piece and stoppage-time goal, showing room for improvement against deep defenses.

Midfield leader Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected back in mid-September after a thigh injury. Cristante and Kone must take more responsibility.

Comparing Roma and Inter reveals two interesting points.

Attack: Roma 10 goals, Inter eight. Roma have multiple threats, while Inter rely more heavily on Lautaro, who scored twice against Napoli.

Defense: Roma have conceded one goal, Inter three. Roma's back three of Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso have been solid, while Inter's defense is still adapting.

In terms of character, Roma keep pushing until late winners, while Inter fight back from adversity. Both show championship-level resilience in different ways.

Gasperini said that coming back after conceding first made the victory more meaningful and showed the team's confidence and strength.

Soule said in the dressing room that this team will never die, wants to do better than last year, and is extremely united.

The Olympic Stadium was packed, the stands were covered in red and yellow, and Italy national team coach Mancini watched from the VIP area, a perfect image of Roma's current situation.

A challenge for a legendary photo moment.