Roma maintained a 100% start to their 2023/24 Europa League campaign with a straightforward 2-0 home triumph over Slavia Prague. Giallorossi’s quick-fired double inside the opening 20 minutes of play put this Group G top-table six-pointer, protecting the Italian side’s perfect record against Czech visitors at the Stadio Olimpico.
It took Roma less than a minute to open the scoring via Edoardo Bove’s phenomenal long-range strike into the top corner. Romelu Lukaku confirmed his red-hot form in the 17th minute with a thunderous finish from inside the box to put the game to bed.
With an eye on the upcoming Serie A clash against Inter, Roma took their feet off the gas after the break but were still closer to scoring another than Slavia to finding a breakthrough. Stephan El Shaarawy hit the post with a delightful curling effort from outside the box, while Lukaku wasted a glorious one-on-one chance.
Jose Mourinho wasn’t on the touchline. But he can be proud of his side’s performance. The Portuguese manager has less than three days to prepare Roma for a mouth-watering home encounter against Nerazzurri. He will not be in the dugout after receiving a straight red against Monza last weekend.
Let’s look at our player ratings.
Roma (3-5-2)
Mile Svilar – 6.5
Handed a rare chance to start and made the most out of it, completing several decent saves to keep a clean sheet.
Evan Ndicka – 7
Spotless defensive showing from Mourinho’s stalwart! Showed calmness and composure to help his side build from the back and barely put a foot wrong when called into action.
Diego Llorente – 7
Back to the starting lineup after a minor injury setback, the Spaniard was nothing short of impressive playing at the heart of the Roma backline.
Gianluca Mancini – 7
There’s no doubt he’s one of the most dominant aerial players in Serie A. He demonstrated his tactical prowess again, forging an unpenetrable defensive unit with his fellow defensive comrades.
Nicola Zalewski – 6
Playing under pressure after being involved in the illegal betting scandal hinders the Polish wing-back’s progress. Another unconvincing performance from the youngster!
Edoardo Bove – 7.5
His early deadlock-breaker must be in contention for the ‘best goal of Europa League Matchday 3.’ He took his shot brilliantly, leaving the Slavia goalkeeper without the slightest chance to make a stop. Apart from the goal, he was outstanding in the middle of the park.
Houssem Aouar – 7
Despite failing to bolster his stats, the skilled playmaker was crucial for Roma tonight, distributing the ball around the pitch with top-notch precision.
Bryan Cristante – 6.5
The Italian’s return to the midfield didn’t produce the desired effect as he struggled to impact the play. Missed a clear-cut chance to make it 3-0, trying to lob the keeper from point-blank but couldn’t chip the ball high enough.
Zeki Celik – 6
Like his colleague on the left, the Turk wasn’t at the top of his game this evening. Roma missed his trademark runs down the right flank. Defensively, though, he was impeccable.
Stephan El Shaarawy – 7.5
A man-of-the-match performance from the versatile forward! In addition to setting up both goals, came close to scoring one himself but was unlucky to see his stunning curler rattle off the crossbar.
Romelu Lukaku – 7
Breezed past his marker and hammered the ball into the roof of the net with his potent left foot. Caused Slavia all sorts of problems and was agonizingly close to doubling his tally in the second half, sending the ball a whisker wide of the post.
Substitutes
Leandro Paredes – 6.5
Came on for Bove and helped Roma routinely preserve a two-goal cushion.
Rick Karsdrop – 6
Looked far more threatening than Zalewski as he constantly drifted behind the enemy lines, taking every inch of space to venture forward.
Andrea Belotti – 5
Roma had already settled for a two-goal lead before his introduction as he had no chance to prove his scoring potential.
Riccardo Pagano – N/A
Luigi Cherubini – N/A
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