In a frustrating Europa League encounter at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma succumbed to a 1-0 defeat against Lille. The Italian side lacked the necessary cutting edge to overcome an early goal by Icelandic forward Haraldsson, which proved decisive for the visitors.
Dovbyk`s Penalty Nightmare
Manager Gian Piero Gasperini attempted to inject new life into the game with substitutions, notably bringing on Artem Dovbyk for Evan Ferguson. The Ukrainian striker had a golden opportunity to equalize when Roma was awarded a penalty, but in a dramatic turn of events, he failed to convert not one, but two attempts. Both penalties had to be retaken due to encroachment, with Matias Soule stepping up for the third try, only to see his effort also saved by Lille`s goalkeeper Ozer, who emerged as the hero of the match.
Player Ratings
Roma: Svilar 6.5, Celik 6, Ndicka 6, Hermoso 5.5 (Mancini 6), Wesley 6; El Aynaoui 6, Cristante 5.5 (Kone 6), Tsimikas 5 (Rensch 6), Soule 5, Pellegrini 5.5 (El Shaarawy 6), Ferguson 6 (Dovbyk 4)
Lille: Ozer 8.5; Meunier 6.5, Mandi 6, Mbemba 6.5, Verdonk 5.5 (Perraud 6); Bentaleb 6.5 (Andre 6), Bouaddi 7, Correia 6.5; Haraldsson 7 (Pardo 6.5), Sahraoui 6, Giroud 6 (Igamane 5.5)
The match highlighted Roma`s struggles in front of goal, with Dovbyk`s performance particularly disappointing. Lille`s resilient defense, anchored by the outstanding Ozer in goal, managed to withstand Roma`s relentless attacks and secure a valuable away victory in the Europa League group stage.