A lot of effort, but in the end the three points arrived. There Rome eliminates Bergamo and Leverkusen with a victory that came at the end of a tough match, full of pitfalls. Genoa never intended to go on Roman excursions, for the rossoblù the same rule as in Milan applied: fight until the end, without looking anyone in the face. De Rossi’s gang, however, managed to snatch three points that keep their Champions League hopes alive, even if the calculations to be made are quite complicated: Atalanta will have to win on Wednesday and finish fifth, otherwise there will be no magic plot.
Few emotions
The Griffin already safe, he didn’t want to make concessions even to a Roma team still dazed by the defeat in Bergamo. Gilardino’s team withstood the blow by perfectly managing the ball and chain exits, while the Romans struggled to find a dull Lukaku, who was not very reactive in the last sixteen metres. Among the most lively was Tommaso Baldanzi, but in the 23rd minute the former Empoli player was unable to surprise Martinez with a first-choice conclusion after the triangle with Pellegrini. Long range shots didn’t bring the desired results, even the rossoblù didn’t show up much in Svilar’s area, only a header from Vasquez and a shot from Retegui worried the Roma goalkeeper.
Lukaku decides
The recovery slipped away in the name of confusion and lack of precision. Lukaku once again had the best opportunity after the first fifteen minutes, but the Belgian was blocked by the usual Martinez. Genoa tried to take advantage of the counterattacks, the Romans instead relied on Paulo Dybala and El Shaarawy, the two who entered in the second half gave greater vigor to the attacking maneuver.
In the 72nd minute Paredes decided to complicate his team’s life by protesting for a foul that wasn’t called, immediately after the yellow came the red card for a few too many words towards Manganiello. It took 79 minutes to find the right invention, it was El Shaarawy himself who scored the ball for Lukaku’s 1-0, perhaps the last goal of his short Giallorossi career. Svilar instead saved the result in full injury time with a great save from Malinovskyi’s left foot. Now the ball goes to Goddessotherwise it will be the Europa League again.
Relive the live text of Roma-Genoa on TuttoMercatoWeb.com!