Donyell Malen was sent off with a straight red card as Roma drew 0-0 away against Como on Sunday afternoon, turning a flat result into a disciplinary argument that may now follow the Giallorossi into the next match. The dismissal came after a lunging challenge on Kaiki, and Roma were left angry that the same sort of tackle brought only a yellow card for Oussama El Azzouzi.
The timing made the decision sting more. Como and Roma produced the first 0-0 in Serie A after five full rounds of fixtures without a goalless stalemate, so the match itself already stood out before the red card became the main talking point. In a league where scoreless draws had been absent for weeks, one challenge changed the tone of the afternoon and handed Roma a suspension problem they did not want.
Gasperini did not hide his view after full-time. He said he was pleased to see his side still trying to win the game despite being down to 10 men, and he argued that play should have been stopped earlier because of a foul on Malen by Jacobo Ramon. He also went after the VAR decision-making, saying it had leaned too heavily on a freeze frame and insisting that “football is not made up of still images, it is made up of actions.”
That is where Roma’s frustration deepens. Malen’s challenge was judged a straight red card, with his leg described as firm and fully stretched, while El Azzouzi’s comparable foul drew only a yellow card even though it connected far higher up Konan Ndri’s leg, almost at knee height. Roma felt Malen had made a genuine attempt to play the ball and that he barely made contact, which is why the contrast between the two decisions has become the center of the complaint.
The practical issue for Roma is that Malen’s dismissal is unlikely to be rescinded. That leaves the club with the match result fixed at 0-0 and the broader dispute unresolved in only one sense: the punishment itself may stand, but the argument over why one similar challenge drew a straight red while another brought a yellow card is now part of the story. For Roma, that is the part that will linger after the clean sheet has been forgotten.
