ROME — Paulo Dybala scored his first hat trick for Roma as the home side beat Torino 3-2 in Serie A.
On a day that Chris Smalling started for Roma for the first time since September, Dybala took all the plaudits.
It was Dybala´s first club hat trick since October 2018, when he was with Juventus. His ninth, 10th and 11th goals in the league lifted Roma four points clear of city rival Lazio, which played Fiorentina late.
Torino remained in 10th place.
Dybala got the opener from the penalty spot three minutes before halftime and Duvan Zapata equalized for the visitors two minutes later when he headed home a corner kick from the left.
Dybala score a splendid second goal after 58 minutes, swerving a 30-yard shot low past goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
The Argentine striker capped a fine performance when he worked a neat one-two with substitute Romelo Lukaku and slotted home from a tight angle.
Smalling´s substitute, Dean Huijsen, conceded an own goal at the end, AP reported.
Antonio Sanabria also fired well wide from a free kick and saw a shot deflected off Smalling, but Toro lost Matteo Lovato to a left calf strain early on.
The Granata remained dangerous on the counter-attack, Raoul Bellanova standing up a cross to the back post for the Samuele Ricci half-volley onto the side-netting.
However, substitute defender Saba Sazonov was late on Azmoun and trod on his foot just inside the box for an inevitable penalty, which Dybala converted sending Vanja Milinkovic-Savic the wrong way to put Roma in front.
It lasted barely 120 seconds before Torino got a deserved equaliser, as Bellanova put in yet another cross from the right and Duvan Zapata’s header bounced just in front of Mile Svilar to nestle into the far bottom corner.
They nearly went into the break leading; as Svilar got down to beat away the Nikola Vlasic scorcher from distance.
After the restart, Svilar was again tested by Valentin Lazaro at the base of the near post, while Gianluca Mancini couldn’t keep the header down on an Angelino cross.
Roma restored their advantage with a gem of a goal from Dybala, who was a good 25 metres out when he curled a left-foot strike that dipped viciously into the bottom corner beyond Milinkovic-Savic.
Dybala wasn’t done yet, as he completed a double give and go with substitute Lukaku to burst down the left and beat Milinkovic-Savic from the tightest of angles with his left foot. It was his first Serie A hat-trick since October 2018 for Juventus.
Vlasic kept trying and fired straight at Svilar, while Dybala tried to set up Edoardo Bove for a tap-in, denied by the Sazonov interception.
It wasn’t over, as Dean Huijsen accidentally prodded a Ricci pull-back from the by-line into his own net from point-blank range.
This set up a tense finale, Duvan Zapata going over surrounded by defenders after a rapid counter-attack.
