AS Roma could not break down an organised Benevento side and had to settle for a draw after drawing a blank against lowly hosts who moved ten points clear from the relegation zone.
Despite playing the majority of the second half with ten men, Benevento held on to deny their hosts, who rose to third place, one point ahead of Atalanta in third.
The game began in a very feisty fashion with both teams not afraid to get stuck in, resulting in the referee awarding two yellow cards in the opening so minutes, first to Pasquale Schiattarella in the 13th minute and later to AS Roma’s Federico Fazio.
Apart from the yellow cards, which were up to three by the 45th minute as Benevento’s Kamil Glik was cautioned, both teams offered very little going forward, with Gianluca Lapadula’s 33rd-minute goal disallowed for offside the only goal scored in the first period.
But the second half began in a more dramatic fashion, though when referee Luca Pairetto sent off Kamil Glik for a second bookable offence following a poorly timed tackle by the Polish midfielder.
But Paulo Fonseca’s side was unable to make their numerical advantage count in the game, which was few on quality chances. Even a late drama that saw Benevento coach Filipe Inzaghi sent to the stands and a certain Roma penalty overturned by VAR in the 97th minute couldn’t change the course of the game as both teams had to settle for a draw.
Benevento play Napoli next in the Serie A while AS Roma will be looking to secure their Europa League future when they host Brage on Thursday.
