Roma hauled back a halftime deficit to draw 1-1 with Feyenoord in the first leg of their evenly-poised Europa League knockout playoff tie. Daniele De Rossi’s side put on a resilient performance at the iconic De Kuip to set themselves in a decent position to crash the Dutch outfit out of European competition for the third season on the spin.
Despite being knocked down from a three-game winning streak under the new manager by Inter at the weekend, Roma showed no signs of frustration in Rotterdam. Giallorossi faced an in-form Feyenoord side at full bore, with Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala leading the line.
However, missed chances in the opening half-hour of play returned to haunt Roma toward the end of the first half as Igor Paixao headed home an inch-perfect cross from Quilindschy Hartman to fire Feyenoord in front on the stroke of halftime.
Midway through the first half, the Italians replied through Lukaku. The Belgian continued his formidable form in the Europa League, latching onto Leonardo Spinazzola’s cross to put his fortunate header beyond Timon Wellenreuther’s reach and restore parity.
Roma seemingly settled for a draw down the final stretch, allowing Feyenoord to assume control of proceedings in search of an all-important second goal. But De Rossi’s charges fended off the Dutch champions to leave the tie on a knife-edge ahead of next week’s return leg.
Let’s look at our Roma ratings.
Roma (4-3-3)
Mile Svilar – 7.5
There wasn’t anything he could’ve done to thwart Paixao’s header, but he was nothing short of impressive for the rest of the match, pulling off as many as four saves to make sure Roma walked away undefeated.
Leonardo Spinazzola – 7
Back to the starting XI at the expense of winter arrival Angelino, the Italian wing-back enjoyed a superb game, picking up an assist for a scintillating performance on the left flank.
Diego Llorente – 7
Though roughly 90% of his passes went straight back to the keeper, the Spaniard’s no-nonsense defending and risk aversion helped Roma endure the siege, especially in the latter stages.
Gianluca Mancini – 7
Unlike his center-back colleague, the Italy international wasn’t afraid to carry the ball forward and seek his attackers with diagonal balls. Dominant in the air as ever!
Rick Karsdorp – 6
Despite his commendable defensive effort, the Dutchman was again a marginal figure in the front third, though he found himself in several promising positions after the break.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 7.5
Tonight’s showing perhaps best illustrates the captain’s renaissance under De Rossi as he established himself as the beating heart of this Roma side.
Leandro Paredes – 7
Unlucky to see Wellenreuther fingertip his thunderous mid-range attempt to crossbar, the Argentine delivered one of his best performances this season. His long balls were impeccable.
Edoardo Bove – 6
Far less influential than his midfield comrades, yet his tireless runs in the center of the park proved essential in breaking Feyenoord’s build-up play and initiating counter-attacks.
Nicola Zalewski – 5.5
De Rossi’s gamble with the Pole acting as a left-winger didn’t pay off, as the youngster’s attacking limitations came to the fore on multiple occasions in the first half.
Paulo Dybala – 6
The ex-Juventus talisman might have had more possession than any other Roma player, but this wasn’t his night by any stretch of the imagination. Too many misplaced passes and a wayward final touch let him down more than once.
Romelu Lukaku – 7
After coming close to breaking the deadlock in the first half, the robust striker found the net for the second time of asking to return to the scoresheet following a three-game scoring duck.
Substitutes
Stephan El Shaarawy – 5
Zeki Celik – 5.5
Bryan Cristante – N/A
Tommaso Baldanzi – N/A
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