Roma were wasteful in their first Serie A match of the new season on Sunday, but still beat Salernitana 1-0 away as Bryan Cristante's goal proved decisive.

The Giallorossi had a busy transfer window, signing Paulo Dybala, Nemanja Matic and Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer to bolster their squad.

Roma were aggressive from the beginning as Zaniolo's effort hit the post in the opening minutes before his volley was denied by goalkeeper Luigi Sepe.

The away side broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute when a loose ball fell for Cristante whose attempt took a slight deflection to go beyond Sepe.

Dybala also had chance but only saw his low strike bounce off the upright, and Tammy Abraham's follow-up was blocked.

Roma were still dominant after the break and Wijnaldum found the net in the dying minutes but it was ruled out for offside.

"I liked everything I saw. Obviously I would have been even happier to not have any worries, if the scoreline had been 4-0 or 5-0. But, nevertheless, I enjoyed watching a team that showed the maturity and knew how to see out the game," said Roma coach Jose Mourinho.

Fellow capital outfit Lazio also registered an opening-day win, coming from behind to beat Bologna 2-1 with both sides having a man sent off.

Also on Sunday, Fiorentina edged past Cremonese 3-2, while Spezia beat Empoli 1-0.

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