Roma began their Champions League Group E campaign with a 5-1 victory over CSKA Moscow.
Juan Iturbe fired the Giallorossi ahead, before a double from Gervinho and a strike from Maicon saw the hosts take a four-goal lead into the break.
They scored a fifth soon after half time when Sergei Ignashevich sent the ball into his own net, before Ahmed Musa pulled a goal back for CSKA in the closing stages.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Stadio Olimpico.
Match Statistics:
ROMA:
Shots14
On Target 8
Possession 67%
Corners 4
Fouls 9
CSKA MOSCOW:
Shots 18
On Target 5
Possession 33%
Corners 6
Fouls 5
Was the result fair?
Roma produced an outstanding performance this evening and they could have won the game by an even bigger margin. From the moment that Iturbe opened the scoring in the sixth minute, there was only one team that would claim the three points. They completely dominated the midfield and got in behind their opponents' defence with consummate ease. CSKA may have had more shots on target, but most of those efforts came when they were already 5-0 down, in what was a thoroughly disappointing evening.
Roma's performance
Rudi Garcia would have been desperate for his team to get off to a good start on their return to the Champions League and they were on top from the kickoff. Iturbe and Gervinho had far too much for the CSKA defenders to deal with. Brazilian fullback Maicon also showed the resurgence that he has undergone in Rome with a powerful display on the right wing. It was vital that Roma won tonight's match, with tricky ties against Manchester City and Bayern Munich to come, and it will have sent out a message that they are a force to be reckoned with in Europe this season.
CSKA Moscow's performance
It was a poor night for everyone involved with CSKA, as their side were comfortably beaten. They were opened up far too easily throughout the 90 minutes and allowed their opponents plenty of time and space to punish them. It took them an hour to finally start playing, but by then it was too late. One of the players that will come away with some credit though is Musa, who had a decent game and scored a well-taken goal eight minutes from the end.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Giovinco: The Ivorian winger may have his critics, but he was in brilliant form this evening. Having set up Iturbe for the first goal with a fine through-ball, he scored Roma's second with a precise finish into the corner. His second goal came following a wonderful solo run and he laid on plenty of other chances for his teammates as they ran riot.
Biggest gaffe
There were so many mistakes this evening that it is hard to pick just one. Igor Akinfeev is well remembered for the error that he made for Russia in the World Cup and he had another moment to forget after letting Maicon's shot slip through his grasp for Roma's third goal. Further up the pitch Seydou Doumbia had a golden chance to score for CSKA when they were 2-0 down, but after running through on goal, he stumbled and saw a weak effort easily saved by the keeper.
Referee's performance
David Fernandez Borbalan had a quiet evening and did not hand out any bookings. The Spaniard may have been forced into a tricky decision late on after Georgi Milanov's shot hit the bar and appeared to bounce over the line, but it was not spotted and with the score at 5-1 it would have made little difference to the outcome.
What next?
Roma: Roma host Cagliari in their next Serie A match on Sunday.
CSKA Moscow: The Russian outfit face a derby against rivals Lokomotiv Moscow on Sunday.
Alex Meyers
