In a match which showed how dominant this Roma squad can be, it came down to a Paulo Dybala equalizer in the dying moments of the game to push the game to additional time. A completely outplayed Feyenoord were then dealt the final blows by goals from El Shaarawy and Pelligrini to send Roma through to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Jose Mourinho’s men looked to constantly be on the hunt and played some of the most creative football Roma has seen under him. A genius Lorenzo Pellegrini performance saw him bag the most crucial assist of the game to Paulo Dybala before finishing up the job with an extra-time goal to make the scoreline 4-1. Feyenoord on the other hand, saw all their hard work from the first leg being undone as the visitors hardly ever looked like they were getting into the game, even with fast breaks and attacking football from both sides.
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Match Analysis
Roma, playing in their characteristic 3-4-2-1 formation saw Andrea Belotti start up front along with Wijnaldum and Lorenzo Pellegrini while Dybala found himself on the bench. Both Wijnaldum and Chris Smalling had to unfortunately be substituted due to injuries during the game. Roma were faced with a solid 4-2-3-1 by Feyenoord as the Eredivisie leaders, led by their talisman Santiago Gimenez started off the game strong and managed to hold on well till half time.
It was only in the 60th minute that a Leonardo Spinazzola shot found its way to the bottom right corner to give the hosts a fighting chance. The game though swung back into Feyenoord’s favor with impact sub Igor Paixao slotting in an equalizer and almost handing his team the tie. An 89th minute stunner from the edge of the penalty box by Paulo Dybala is what it took for Roma to push their way into 30 additional minutes.
Roma’s struggle didn’t last much longer though with Shaarawy finding the net 11 minutes into extra-time before the star of the show Lorenzo Pellegrini wrapped up the game in the 109th minute before Santiago Gimenez’s sending off to hand Roma a 4-2 win on aggregate.
Star Performers
Roma
Paulo Dybala- 8
Unreal impact from the bench as he gave Roma the breathing space to push into extra-time. Accurate in every aspect throughout the minutes he was involved.
Stephan Al Shaarawy- 8
The man who slotted in the winner to send the visitors packing, a mix of elegance and brute attack throughout. Shaarawy playing higher up the pitch ended up being a very refreshing sight.
Lorenzo Pellegrini- 9
Involved in 2 of the most decisive goals of the game and brilliant output both in the attacking and defensive phases of the game. The best player on the pitch during the 90.
Feyenoord
Igor Paixao- 7.5
The man who was deemed to win it all for them. A fantastic passer of the ball and a constant threat on goal and it truly showed tonight.
Sebastian Szymanski- 7
A big chance missed but overall a solid game. A very integral part for the attack down the middle.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh- 7
Managed to win most his duels against a solid Roma defense, managed to create a few chances here and there.
Man of the match- Lorenzo Pellegrini
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