Italian heavyweights As Roma secured a spot in the semi-final of the incumbent UEFA Europa League by defeating local rivals AC Milan across the double-legged quarter-final tie.
Club legend Daniele De Rossi has more than changed the club’s fate since he arrived at the dugout in place of Portuguese gaffer Jose Mourinho.
Roma already established a comfortable 4-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in their first leg round 16 tie. Eventually running out as victors on an aggregate 4-1 score as Danny Welbeck pulled one back for the Seagulls.
Italian duel in Milan and Rome
The all-Italian affair added more drama and thrill prior to the game and it did live up to expectations at the end of the day.
Against Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan, Gianluca Mancini in successive games found a goal for himself planting his header from Paulo Dybala’s cross past Mike Maignan.
The Rossoneri, looking particularly shabby in the encounter, credited Roma with an opportunity to establish a first-leg lead. Mike Maignan conceded a corner attempting to keep out a Stephan El Shaarawy strike.
Mancini converted from Dybala’s ensuing corner kick. Roma continued to establish a dominance of sorts in the encounter but didn’t however dismiss AC Milan from conjuring their attempts.
Yacine Adli’s strike was uncomfortably palmed on to the post by cup goalkeeper Mile Svilar whose player-of-the-match deserving performance saw him thwart four different long-range attempts from Tijani Rejinders.
Concluding chapter at Stadio Olimpico
The second leg at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome saw Gianluca Mancini continue his fine form with a 3rd goal in four games. He pounced on a loose ball in the area in the 12th minute to send Roma 2-0 up on aggregate that evening.
Roma started on the strong foot with Italian midfielder Pellegrini hitting the post from a distant effort. Mancini’s goal came from that ensuing rebound. Ruben Loftus-Cheek also pulled a similar fortune just minutes later.
The Rossoneri’s worries were compounded as Paulo Dybala added a second on the stroke of the 22nd minute as Romelu Lukaku muscled his way into the 18-yard box. Romelu Lukaku picked up an injury while trying to create Dybala’s goal and was replaced by English forward Tammy Abraham in the 28th minute.
Abraham, who also joined Roma from Chelsea like Lukaku marked his 3rd appearance fresh off recuperating from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Both gaffers had their hands forced into changes before the break as full-back Mehmet Zeki Celik who lunged into a nasty challenge on Rafa Leao was sent off. Paulo Dybala was sacrificed for former Leeds defender Diego Llorente on the Roma path. Stefano Pioli chose to take off Algerian midfielder Ismael Bennacer for extra offensive power in Luka Jovic.
Milan’s attempts to get back in the game were continuously thwarted by Roma’s low block.
Even with 10 men, Roma still managed to muster chances of their own — Leandro Spinazzola embarked on a solo run and had his tame effort comfortably saved by Mike Maignan.
Gabbia’s 85th-minute strike was not enough to spark comeback motivation for the Milan-based outfit with head coach Pioli expected to exit the club at the end of the incumbent season.
On managing the game with ten men, “It was not easy, as Milan are a very strong team who play good football,” De Rossi remarked after the game. “We saw yesterday even Real Madrid sat back and defended, we did too when it was the right moment to do so. To beat this Milan, we needed excellence”.
“We needed great heart, as once we were down to 10 men, we had to play with intensity, but with intelligence and tactical knowledge. Just running around is not sufficient.”
The unending drama from the all-Italian affair ended in favour of Daniele De Rossi’s outfit.
De Rossi movie set to continue
The legendary midfielder has now put pen to paper to stay on as head coach for the coming season following a whole load of inspiring performances.
The club’s statement on his extension read “The positive impact that his leadership has brought to the entire club has told its own story”.
“We are delighted to announce he will continue as head coach of AS Roma after this season and for the foreseeable future,” reads the statement.
“Daniele leads with respect and courage, while his strength and deep-rooted belief in the club are truly aligned with Roma’s values, city, and unparalleled fans.”
“We will continue to work together as hard as we possibly can to deliver a future that AS Roma’s fans deserve. We couldn’t be happier to build a long-term project with Daniele.” It concluded.
Roma continue their fine campaign on the back of last season’s disappointing run. Then under the instructions of Jose Mourinho, the club lost on penalties to Spanish side Sevilla FC.
Their triumph over the quarter-final foes has special credits deserving to goalkeeper Mile Svilar and Gianluca Mancini with his important goals across either leg.
Familiar foes clash again
Roma will settle for a tie against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Daniele De Rossi has tweaked the boring 3-5-2 system employed by Jose Mourinho into a more entertaining and eye-appealing system. As is no surprise, Roma tickets are in high demand ahead of an exciting clash with a side yet to taste domestic and continental defeat this season. It would be interesting to see if the Italians can knock the Germans off their perch.
Angelino and Tommaso Baldanzi joined in the winter transfer window to help shore up the side and have been quality additions in the meantime.
It will be a worthy battle between both sides as both young gaffers continue to find a way to sort their feet in the managerial world. Roma’s resurgence coincides with a period in which Italy has picked up an extra slot for the next season’s Champions League campaign.
The other tie will see Olympique de Marseille square up to another Italian side in Atalanta BC.