Gasperini finishes Roma v Lecce with three Under-20 forwards

The three Roma strikers who finished the win over Lecce had a combined age of 55: Robinio Vaz (born in 2007, aged 19), Antonio Arena (born in 2009, aged 17) and Lorenzo Venturino (born in 2006, aged 19, turning 20 in June). The match ended 1-0 thanks to a goal from Robinio Vaz, the former Marseille player, his first for the club after arriving in January for €30 million (€25m up front plus €5m in bonuses, €3m easily achievable and €2m harder to reach).

Gasperini started with Pisilli and Pellegrini behind Malen. The first change came in the 51st minute when Vaz replaced El Aynaoui and Pisilli dropped into midfield; Vaz scored six minutes later. With fifteen minutes remaining Arena came on for Malen and Venturino replaced Pellegrini in the 80th minute, leaving three Under-20 players leading the attack in the closing stages.

Vaz was the most expensive of the three and his move was accelerated by sporting director Ricky Massara after injuries to Ferguson and Dovbyk.

roma, lecce, gasperini, robinio vaz, antonio arena, lorenzo venturino, under-20, €30m fee, ricky massara, malen