AS Roma seemed to feel right at home in
Wrigley Field's friendly confines Sunday.
The Italian side piled up four first-half
goals and dominated Zaglebie Lubin most of the way in a 4-0 victory that marked
the return of soccer to the landmark ballpark after an absence of nearly 28
years.
But Roma manager Zdenek Zeman said his team
— making its first stop in a three-city U.S. tour — could have played much
better.
"I'm not very happy with the game we played,"
Zeman said. "We were good enough to convert the first three chances that
we had, but as far as the game is concerned, I'm not very satisfied."
The Friendly at the Confines international
soccer clash drew an announced crowd of 22,181, including vocal partisans on
both sides.
Roma forward Pablo Daniel Osvaldo scored in
the first minute and three teammates added separate goals over the next 42
minutes in an effort the Polish side couldn't match.
Osvaldo, Roma's 2011-12 scoring leader with
11 goals, took a short cross from Bojan Krkic and punched a short shot past
Zaglebie Lubin goalie Marek Koziol, making his debut with the Polish squad's
first team.
Midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis added a
tally 17 minutes later after a steal as he looped a long shot over Koziol.
Forward Erik Lamela made it 3-0 in the 30th minute, assisted by midfielder
Miralem Pjanic and Michael Bradley.
Krkic added a goal to his production in the
43rd minute with a short shot angled to Koziol's right.
Team captain Francesco Totti, a second-half
substitute, had an open look in the 69th minute but his shot hit the right
post.
Bradley, the U.S. national team veteran and
newest Roma acquisition, was in the starting lineup and played until the 67th
minute.
"He played well," Zeman said .
"He knows Italian football and that helped the team a lot."
Zaglebie Lubin had several near-miss
opportunities and others were handled by veteran Roma goalie Maarten
Stekelenburg, who recorded seven saves.
Stekelenburg said the Wrigley Field turf, including
an infield converted to grass, felt dry and uneven.
"I have played on better fields,"
he said. "(But) it was nice, a lot of people came to this game and it was
a nice day."
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