Europa League. Playoffs. First round. First match
Porto. – – – Roma" 1:1
Goals: Moura 67 – Celik 45+4
"Porto": Diogo Costa, Joao Mario, N. Perez, Otavio (Namazo 75), Djalo, Moura (Sanusi 85), Eustaquio, Varela (Vieira 63), Mora (Pepe 63), Borges, Omorodion (Gul 85)
Roma: Svilar, Saelemaekers (El Shaarawy 46), Celik, Mancini, Ndika, Angelino, M. Kone (Pisilli 46), Cristante, Dybala (Baldanzi 40), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Sule 67), Dovbik (Paredes 75)
Yellow cards: Varela 20, Moura 45+1, Otavio 71 – Lorenzo Pellegrini 18, Celik 28, M. Kone 34, Saelemakers 45+1, Cristante 63, Paredes 90+3, Baldanzi 90+3
Removal: Cristante 72 (second yellow)
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Germany)
Judging by the names, the history of the clubs, the strength of the squads, we should have seen a meeting of some of the favorites of the Europa League. But judging by the current state, we watched a meeting of disappointments. Failures in their leagues, knocked out of their cups, having reached this stage of the Europa League playoffs not without problems. Having changed coaches, and Roma – twice. Porto also sold their main stars in the winter – Galeno and Nico Gonzalez.
Even the fans at the empty Dragão were tired today and did not support as they should have. More like booing. Both their own and the enemy's. The result of the team's bad season, the squabbles between the current and previous management. At Roma, the squabbles in the management have stopped, and they look pretty good. But there have been no three-win streaks in a season in all competitions. And away from home, there are still problems.
Both teams looked tired, which played into the hands of the visitors. Before his fourth match in Porto and in European teams, 39-year-old Martin Anselmi said that he wanted to see control of the game, high pressure, and ball winning from his players. This did not happen. And 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri, who is in his third term at Roma, wanted to see confident, solid, and organized play from his team. I saw one just like that.
In the first half, the hosts made only two shots at goal. Both were Borges, both were blocked. The first attempt, right at the start, was dangerous. Soon, Porto lost the ball, Dovbyk broke through, but shot before entering the penalty area and it turned out badly. In the 18th minute, Dovbyk with his back to the goal laid out Dybala, but Costa pulled his shot. Cristante also headed the ball slightly inaccurately.
This half deserved no more than 0:0. But Baldanci broke through to the locker room, passed not through to Dovbyk, but to the flank, from there Saelemakers crossed to Artem, but behind him, he tried to get it, and it is unclear whether he or the opponent touched the ball. In any case, the ball bounced forward to Celik, and he scored point-blank.
The second half was almost completely under Roma's control and to the whistles of the local fans. The score for shots on goal in the match as a whole in the 72nd minute was 14:4. Pellegrini shot a little inaccurately from the penalty line. Pisilli shot, but from the center. Cristante headed the ball again – Costa saved it with great difficulty. Although Moura shot from close range, and Svilar had to parry it.
The hosts found a goal. Costa's long pass found Pepe, who seemed to get confused with two defenders, but passed it back on the penalty line, and there Moura shot with a ricochet. Soon Cristante received a second yellow card for disrupting an attack by holding the shoulder from behind, and the game turned around. Porto began to press, Ranieri replaced Dovbyk with a defensive midfielder. But even on target the “dragons” we didn't get there in those minutes.
Roma have failed to win in their 10th consecutive Europa League match outside Italy. But six of them have been draws. They have conceded in their 12th, but only one goal. They are also unbeaten in 11 of their last 13 on all pitches in all competitions. They are going to the Stadio Olimpico, where they are feeling great, having won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions, with one draw.
"Porto"? He failed to capitalise on home advantage, failing to win his fourth match at the Dragão in all competitions in a row. And he didn't even feel the home atmosphere. And he didn't even capitalise on a numerical advantage. He failed to lose his fifth match on all pitches in all competitions in a row, but four of them were draws. Will he be able to magically find winning form in a week?
Dovbyk was left without away goals for Roma in the Europa League and with two in the tournament for them on all pitches. He only shot on goal once. If you attribute an assist to him, it was rather clumsy. But he distinguished himself by participating in the game much more actively than usual. 30 touches of the ball and 23 passes in 75 minutes – a lot for him, even very many and decent against the background of the whole team. That means – worked hard.
He made three passes for a shot, participated in eight duels (although he won only two), lost the ball seven times, which is very little compared to his teammates. The percentage of accurate passes is 83. He touched the ball in the opponent's penalty area six times – the best on the field in this.
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