AS ROMA NEWS – Hands up who would not have signed for a draw at the Do Dragao on the eve of the Europa League playoff first leg against Porto. Roma should therefore be satisfied with the final 1:1 with which it prepares for the decisive match at the Olimpico, scheduled in exactly one week’s time. Instead, the draw leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the Giallorossi, who had controlled the challenge on Portuguese soil for large stretches.
Ranieri faces the challenge by sending out a very different eleven than expected: out are the “vacationers” Hummels and Paredes, in are the highly criticized Celik and Cristante. Pellegrini wins the ballot with Pisilli, while in attack Dovbyk sends Shomurodov back to the bench. Roma faced the challenge with personality, keeping the ball of the game in their hands, attacking the Portuguese and managing to render them inoffensive. The best chances belonged to the Giallorossi, who struck before halftime with the least expected player: Celik stopped the role of central third and wore that of the outside, fitting perfectly into the box and taking advantage of a Dovbyk rebound to beat Diogo Costa with a powerful right-footer.
In the second half, Porto tried to up the pace, but Roma, left without Dybala due to a knee injury, did not flinch and slowly regained control of the match. And that’s when the challenge took an unexpected turn: the Giallorossi conceded a counterattack after taking advantage of a corner: Diogo Costa was quick to defer long and accurate, Pepe found himself thrown into the grasslands and Moura was lucky to find Baldanzi’s deflection that deceived Svilar. Then Cristante ends up in the meat grinder of Stieler, mad dispenser of yellows (no less than 8 cautioned among the Capitolini), and gets two cards within a handful of minutes that earn him red.
Roma gritted its teeth and withstood Porto’s maximum thrust without any particular worries. The 1 to 1 is a good result, but it still leaves the qualification open and a bitter taste in the mouth: Ranieri’s team showed that it was superior to the Portuguese, a young and immature formation, but it risked being mocked after leading the match. Furious Ranieri at the end of the match. In the technician’s crosshairs was the refereeing direction of the home side Stieler: “He did not deserve our salute. But how did Rosetti make such a designation? For me the referee was waiting for something to happen in the area so he could win the game.” In a week it’s replayed: the Olimpico will be bedlam.
Giallorossi.net – Andrea Fiorini
The article ROMA, PARI AND RAGE comes from Giallorossi.net, exclusive news, news and soccer market.
