Cardiff City produced a stunning display to thrash Roma 4-1 and round off their pre-season preparations in emphatic fashion at Cardiff City Stadium.
Cian Ashford struck twice, while Yousef Salech and Ollie Tanner were also on target as Brian Barry-Murphy’s side swept aside the Serie A giants with an aggressive, high-energy performance.
Paulo Dybala pulled one back for Roma after the break, but Tanner restored Cardiff’s three-goal advantage just five minutes later to cap an hugely encouraging afternoon ahead of the competitive campaign.
Cardiff made the perfect start and were ahead inside three minutes. Tanner raced down the right and sent a low ball into the area, where Salech failed to convert before Roma’s attempted clearance struck Ashford and looped over Mile Svilar.
The hosts continued to play with confidence, with Chris Willock forcing Svilar into a flying save and Gabriel Osho making several important interventions at the other end.
Their pressing was rewarded again on the half-hour. Wesley Franca underhit a backpass towards Svilar and Salech refused to give up the chase, blocking the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance and watching the ball fly into the empty net.
Roma were handed an immediate opportunity to respond when Perry Ng brought down Franca inside the penalty area, but Nathan Trott comfortably saved Matias Soulé’s poor spot-kick.
Trott then denied Soulé again from a tight angle before Cardiff struck for a third in the 39th minute.
Tanner created the opening with another dangerous cross from the right. Salech won the initial header and Ashford reacted quickest inside the six-yard box to prod past Svilar for his second.
Barry-Murphy made one change at the break, with Harry Tyrer replacing Trott, but Cardiff continued to threaten after the restart.
Roma finally found a route back into the contest in the 58th minute when Dybala drifted into space around the penalty spot and swept home a low cross from the left.
Any hopes of an Italian comeback were extinguished almost immediately.
Cardiff broke forward at speed and Tanner found himself one-on-one with a defender. The winger initially appeared to have lost the opportunity, but recovered possession and calmly slotted past Svilar to make it 4-1.
There were angry scenes after the goal as Dybala and Bryan Cristante confronted the referee over an earlier challenge involving Calum Chambers and Santiago Castro, but Cardiff were not distracted.
The Bluebirds remained disciplined as Barry-Murphy introduced a string of substitutes, with Ronan Kpakio, David Turnbull, Eli King, Isaak Davies and Callum Robinson among those given minutes.
Tyrer produced a fine full-stretch save to deny Soulé late on, while Chambers impressed with several well-timed defensive interventions.
Roma came closest to another consolation in stoppage time when Daniele Ghilardi headed against the post, but Cardiff comfortably saw out the remaining moments.
It was only a friendly, but the manner of the performance will provide a major boost before Cardiff begin their competitive campaign against Swindon Town in the Carabao Cup next weekend.
Cardiff City XI: Trott (Tyrer 46); Ng (Kpakio 67), Osho (Moreno 82), Chambers, Bagan (Anyadike 82); Robertson (King 77), J. Colwill (Tankiewicz 82); Tanner, Ashford (Turnbull 72), Willock; Salech (Robinson 77).
Subs: Turner, Mafico, Davies.
Roma XI: Svilar; Mancini (Ghilardi 46), Ndicka, Hermoso (Ziolkowski 72); Rensch (Reale 82), Cristante (Panico 87), Bah (Mannini 29), Wesley (Lulli 72); Soulé (Cherubini 82), Dybala (Vaz 72); Castro (Malen 67).
Subs: De Marzi, Gollini, Nardin.
Attendance: 10, 705