Donyell Malen Scores Twice as Roma Thrash Lecce 4-0 in Serie A

Roma’s Perfect Start: A Four-Goal Statement of Intent at Via del Mare

Tempatdonasi.com – AS Roma arrived in Lecce with one goal in mind — and they delivered it in emphatic fashion. On the evening of Monday, August 31, 2026, the Giallorossi dismantled the home side 4-0 at the Via del Mare Stadium, completing Matchweek 2 of the 2026/2027 Serie A campaign with a performance that left little room for debate about who controls this league’s upper echelon.

The result hands Roma six points from two fixtures, propelling them to the summit of the provisional table. More telling than the points themselves is the goal difference: I Lupi sit clear of Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, and Lazio, all of whom have also collected six points but trail on the secondary metric. In a league where title races are often decided by margins of a single goal over thirty-eight rounds, that early cushion carries weight far beyond the scoreboard.

A Dutch Forward Finds His Rhythm

The night belonged, above all, to Donyell Malen. The Dutch international struck twice in the first half, and both goals carried the hallmark of a player who has settled comfortably into his new surroundings. His first came in the fourth minute, born from a momentary lapse by Lecce defender Kialonda Gaspar, whose attempted clearance fell short. Malen pounced on the loose ball and drove it past goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone before the home crowd had fully settled into their seats.

Nineteen minutes later, the scoreline read 2-0. A flowing sequence involving Matias Soule and Wesley Franca culminated in a tight-area chance for Malen, who finished with a low, decisive strike that Falcone could only watch. Two goals in under half an hour, both clinical, both delivered with the kind of composure that separates a good striker from a great one.

Soule Extends the Gap; Mora Closes the Account

Roma needed just two minutes after Malen’s brace to make the contest effectively over. Soule, who had been instrumental in the build-up to the second goal, collected a pass from Malen and fired his initial effort toward goal. Falcone managed a parry, but Soule was already tracking the rebound and tapped it home to make it 3-0. The margin at the break gave Roma a comfortable platform from which to manage the remainder of the match.

The fourth goal arrived in the 65th minute, courtesy of substitute Rodrigo Mora. Having entered the fray only five minutes earlier, Mora received a short pass from captain Gianluca Mancini and placed his shot into the bottom right corner of the Lecce net. It was a goal that underscored the depth of Roma’s squad — a player coming off the bench capable of finishing a routine chance with precision.

No further goals followed before the final whistle. Roma collected all three points from the south of Italy and returned home with a clean sheet intact.

What the Result Means for the Title Race

Starting a Serie A season with two wins from two matches is not uncommon for the league’s elite clubs, but the manner of this victory — a comprehensive, multi-goal performance away from home against a side still searching for consistency — signals something more. Roma’s coaching staff have clearly installed a high-pressing, possession-dominant identity, and the players appear to have absorbed it quickly. The combination of Soule’s movement, Franca’s link-up play, and Malen’s finishing creates a front three that will test any back four in Italy.

For Lecce, the evening was a reminder of the gulf between mid-table ambitions and top-flight survival. Sitting in 13th place with three points after two rounds, the Salentini face a season that will demand immediate improvement if they are to avoid the drop zone. The Via del Mare crowd, accustomed to passionate home support, will expect more than a 0-4 shellacking from their own side in the coming weeks.

Looking Ahead

Roma’s next assignment will test them against a different caliber of opposition, but the foundation laid in Lecce is difficult to dismiss. Six points, a +4 goal difference, and a forward line clicking into gear give the Giallorossi the kind of early-season momentum that, in recent years, has separated genuine title contenders from pretenders. The question for the rest of Serie A is no longer whether Roma can score; it is whether anyone else can keep up.