LECCE, Italy (Jan. 6, 2026) (Interstat) — AS Roma opened its Serie A campaign with a 2-0 road victory over Lecce on Tuesday, defying pregame projections with a win fueled by second-half substitutes.

Evan Ferguson broke a scoreless deadlock in the 14th minute, assisted by Lameck Banda. Substitute Artem Dovbyk sealed the result in the 71st minute, finishing a pass from Bryan Cristante. The goals overcame a match that saw four yellow cards.

The result at Stadio Comunale Ettore Giardiniero was an upset. Statistical models heavily favored Lecce, projecting a draw and giving the home side a 76% probability to win. Roma begins the season 1-0, while Lecce starts 0-1.