A fixture between two European heavyweights played in a 73,000-seater stadium will always be a spectacle.
AS Roma hosted FC Barcelona at the home of their Europa Conference League winning male counterparts: the Stadio Olimpico.
Both home and away support turned out in their thousands to support their teams in the quarter-final first leg of the UEFA Women's Champions League; rocking the Italian capital all night long.
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Story of the Match
The visitors kicked off this game in a forceful attacking manner, with Caroline Graham Hansen proving a technical nightmare for Roma's defensive players.
Roma stayed strong defensively amid the flurries of Barcelona attacks. Le Giallorosse’s two attackers, Valentina Giacinti and Andressa Alves, made consistent attacking runs forwards, yet sloppy play from their teammates meant the ball would rarely be received in a high position.
Barcelona, however, proved why they are arguably the most feared team in Europe. Small, intricate passes between the lines and into the feet of their attackers made life particularly uncomfortable for the hosts.
Roma's defence, despite the pressure, remained solid, effectively breaking down runs and making superb, albeit very dangerous, sliding tackles in the box.
As the half progressed, the hosts were becoming considerably outplayed. Graham Hansen and Patri Guijarro proceeded to grow in confidence with their increase in possession, finding their teammates with ease.
In the 34th minute, the deadlock was broken. Controversially, however, as Giacinti appeared to be fouled in the run-up to the goal. Nevertheless, the referee waved for play to continue, and the ball found itself flying off of Salma Paralluelo's boot, getting the better of Camelia Ceasar.
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Second half
The game resumed almost exactly as it was left.
In the space of the first 7 minutes of the second half, Roma goalkeeper Ceasar made two potentially fixture-changing saves; denying an almost certain Asisat Oshoala goal, and another from Aitana Bonmati.
Caesar’s heroics gave Roma a well-needed boost to get themselves, and the crowd, back into the game. A fantastic run from the wide position gave Giacinti the best chance of the game in order to level her team; but a blocked attempt put the ball out for a corner.
The game progressed into real end-to-end play. Roma grew with confidence as they realised they were capable of holding off the power Barcelona brings. Barca, on the other hand, could not sit comfortably with just a goal to separate - so kept a great amount of pressure on the Italian side's well-constructed defence.
Roma fought hard to take something with them to the Spanish city and never appeared content with being just one behind; a real credit to Italian boss Alessandro Spugna. With ten minutes to go, the hosts were presented with essentially an open goal, following a slipped attempt at a save from Barcelona's Sandra Panos. Giacinti, again, just could not get her shot on target.
In the closing stages, Barcelona was unusually tactically messy. The formation that had allowed them to pass so intricately at the beginning, had slowly been prized open by a persistent Roma. The hosts almost capitalised on this opportunity, as Andressa found herself free on the edge of the box; striking the ball cleanly into the air, ultimately grazing the top of the crossbar.
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Player of the Match - Keira Walsh
Never has a player been as consistently world-class as Keira Walsh.
Her passing range and accuracy mean that she can get her side out of any immediate danger; something Barcelona really struggled with at the latter stages of the game. Walsh is also a quality reader of the pitch, scanning constantly and checking her and her teammates' tactical positions.
The Lioness may not be a goalscorer or game-changer by nature, but her impact off the ball is blinding. Against Roma, her level-head and foreseeing ability kept her side ahead. The match-up between Walsh and Andressa was a fantastic watch, and one to look forward to when the pair meet at the Finalissima at Wembley on 6th April 2023.
