First half. Second half. Two different teams. Roma started bright and created some clear chances, but Dzeko failed to convert.
Not so clinical the bosnian. Instead, he looked better playing behind the strikers than as centrefoward, some great passes, eventually serving a great one for Cengiz Under to put Roma in the lead. Another turkish delight.
Roma went on in the second half with the same approach, until a silly move upfront triggered Shakhtar’s counter, Florenzi did not block and Manolas got fooled. 1-1. Roma’s game ended here.
Shakhtar increased the pace of the match, Roma went in clear difficulty with continuous mistakes in every corner of the pitch, and escaped conceding more goals thanks to Superman Alisson, once again superb. Until Fred’s free kick went in, unstoppable. 2-1
From there on, a siege in the Roma half, unable to regain control. The final miracle in the dying seconds, with Alisson and Peres saving Roma from a heavy defeat. Thankfully it stayed 2-1, chances to go through are still alive but a different attitude and attention is required in the second leg.
A tough defeat, yes, another unexplicable blackout, resounding last year encounter with Lyon. Pity, lots of work to do now but first Milan on Sunday. As always Forza Roma.