CSKA Sofia closed the gap after going down by three goals, but Roma held on after a dominating performance. Thanks to an assist by Zorya Luhansk, which held Bogo/Glimt to a tie, the Giallorossi finished in first position in their European Conference League group. They will have one fewer game to play in the knockout stage, entering directly in the Round of 16.
Roma were the superior side from the get-go. It took them just 15 minutes to open the scoring. They were particularly assertive on the flanks, and each generated a goal in the first half. On the initial one, Borja Mayoral found the streaking Rick Karsdorp, who served Tammy Abraham with a square ball for a tap-in. Instead, Matias Vina was instrumental in the second one. He motored down the left wing on a great long-ball by Edoardo Bove and teed up Mayoral with a low-driven cross, who hit the net with a back-heel flick. The Spaniard missed an opportunity to bag his second right before halftime. He skied it from excellent position after waltzing through defenders.
The script did not change in the second half, and Roma produced another goal in the same fashion. Karsdorp bent the defense with a run and connected with Abraham in the box for a comfortable finish. The Giallorossi pulled the plug a little too early, allowing the opponents to come back, although the second CSKA Sofia goal came very late. Hamza Catakovic found the target at the 75th minute with precise shot after a scamper by Yohan Bai on the left flank. Yanich Wildschut further cut into the lead in the stoppage time with a lefty piledriver right in the top corner. Nicolò Zaniolo played only a handful of minutes due to an apparent thigh injury.