AS Roma came into the trip to Newport County carrying the memory of a 4-1 defeat to Cardiff City the previous weekend. They left Rodney Parade with the same scoreline in their favour, a controlled 4-1 friendly win that said more about the gap in quality than the novelty of the occasion.

Rodney Parade made the night feel bigger than a friendly

This was never just another summer fixture for Newport. It was a sell-out Rodney Parade crowd, with some Exiles fans dressed as Roman soldiers or gladiators, and Newport wore special cream-and-red shirts inspired by Rome and the Roman fortress and baths at nearby Caerleon.

BBC Sport described it as one of the most glamorous summer games in Newport's history, and the scene backed that up. Hayden Mullins still had reason to enjoy the evening in part, even if the result did not go his way. It was a first home defeat for the new County boss, who had started his reign with a 2-1 friendly win at Yeovil on 1 August.

Roma's response was the more important part

The scoreline was already settled before the late consolation. Kyle Cameron headed home Newport County's only goal five minutes from the end, but by then the match had long since moved Roma's way. Newport were only 1-0 down at the break before Roma pulled away in the second half.

That second-half control fits a side that finished third in Serie A on 73 points, scoring 59 league goals and conceding 31. Roma's recent form also points in the same direction, with five wins from their last five competitive matches in the supplied standings. Mario Hermoso and Matías Soulé were among the names linked with the squad for this match, and the wider point was clear enough: this was a strong team reminding everyone that the Cardiff result was the outlier.

Roma did not need the occasion to flatter them. They just needed a clean response, and they got one. Newport's night still worked as an event, but on the pitch the visitors were comfortable winners, and the final whistle left Mullins with his first home defeat already on the record.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →