On another fantasy European night at the home of Italian football, Roma clinched their place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals as the club that does not know the word die progressed with an extra time win in the Eternal City.
The most exciting action of the first half was on the touchline, with a brawl breaking out between players and staff of both sides after Roma’s assistant manager Salvatore Foti looked to grab a Feyenoord player around the neck. Foti was dismissed and several other bookings were handed out by Anthony Taylor.
Both sides had a similar number of chances in the first period, with the majority coming from outside the box for the visitors as they went in scoreless at half time.
The Giallorossi only had to wait fifteen minutes to open the scoring in the second half though, Leonardo Spinazzola ready to fire a low effort past Justin Bijlow to level the scores on aggregate.
However with ten to go there was a twist in the tale. Igor Paixāo found himself unmarked in the penalty box and headed past Rui Patricio with comfort to restore the visitors’ lead on aggregate and level the scores on the night.
As their hopes seemed to be fading Jose Mourinho brought on fan favourite Paulo Dybala who paid back his manager’s confidence in him as he gave Roma the lead for the second time. He turned well from a Lorenzo Pellegrini lay off before firing a left footed effort past Bijlow to send the stadium crazy.
The game went to extra time and ten minutes into that added on period, Rome erupted again. Tammy Abraham found Stephan El Shaarawy who precisely poked under the visiting custodian to give Roma an aggregate lead.
Pellegrini grabbed the goal his play deserved after a VAR check overruled the linesman who flagged for offside on Tammy Abraham in the buildup, and that was the last goal of the night as Roma progressed through to the semi-finals.
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Story of the match
With no Feyenoord fans allowed inside the Olimpico, a stunning display of red and yellow flares and flags covered all sides of the famous stadium, a tifo raised on the Curva Sud as the teams entered the bowl with the supporters in deafening chorus.
The hosts started the brightest too, Andrea Belotti did well to find captain Lorenzo Pellegrini free on the wing but the skipper’s effort which looked to take a deflection on the way was well matched low down by visiting custodian Justin Bijlow.
Just a matter of minutes later Leonardo Spinazzola whipped in a delightful cross to Bryan Cristante who shaped his body well before firing inches wide on the volley from 12 yards out.
It took 13 minutes for the side from Rotterdam to register an effort. A pin point delivery from Alireza Jakhanbakhsh found Sebastian Szymański, Rui Patricio equal to his attempt as the Italians cleared. Quilindschy Hartman struck a speculative drive wide five minutes later.
Szymański got his head onto a cross which was deflected wide, but there was strong complaints from De club aan de Maas players about the potential of the ball striking a defending hand which English referee Anthony Taylor checked and denied with the help of VAR officials Stuart Attwell and Chris Kavanagh.
The visitors were starting to find their groove and Chris Smalling was needed to block an Orkun Kökçü strike from distance wide.
Stephan El Shaarawy replaced injured Gini Wijnaldum and struck wide before the touchline experienced some action. Roma’s assistant manager Salvatore Foti saw red for grabbing around a Feyenoord player’s neck with Diego Llorente and visiting substitute Neraysho Kasanwirjo both booked.
Cristante came close again for the side trailling by a goal on aggregate heading into the fixture as his header was caught by Bijlow, with the Dutch number one catching Pellegrini’s free kick minutes after. Home custodian Patricio was next to catch a shot, this time a venomous effort from Oussama Idrissi.
The danger man for the visitors in the opening half was Szymański who watched Rui Patricio fingertip his strike over the bar as the board went up for five minutes of added time. Despite playing five at the back, the Giallorossi defended with no width which allowed the visitors to bring their wingers into the game, a cross from Jahanbakhsh easy for Portuguese Patricio.
With barely 20 seconds gone after the restart Pellegrini made space inside the six yard box to receive a cross which the captain made good use of and connected with the ball in, striking the post.
Mourinho’s men started the second half like a house on fire attacking the Curva Sud but seemed to lack a quality final ball with the Dutch side happy to let I Lupi attack, and defend when needed.
The Olimpico erupted on the hour mark as they levelled the score on aggregate. They were controversially denied a corner by Taylor but they made the resulting throw in pay off as it was half cleared only as far as left back Leonardo Spinazzola who fired in a left footed effort that trickled past Bijlow and into the bottom corner.
Home crowd and players alike were buoyed, Andrea Belotti saw a curling shot fall just wide of the post after a deflection and from the resulting corner the former Palermo man couldn’t shape his body to tap home after Smalling headed the ball down. Confidence was booming in the home side as Belotti freed El Shaarawy who saw his looping attempt saved.
The Roma tifosi thought that they had the lead with thirteen to go, substiture Tammy Abraham headed down to Cristante who volleyed past Bijlow but their celebrations were cut short with Taylor adjudging that Abraham had pushed Gernot Trauner.
Feyenoord sub Igor Paixāo silenced the national stadium as he levelled on the night but more crucially gave Feyenoord the lead on aggregate. He was given all of the space in the world in the box to win a free header, wrongfooting Patricio to restore the Dutch side’s advantage.
Time was then running out for Roma in a stunned stadium, Cristante headed over before Paulo Dybala’s volley beat the goalkeeper but also the crossbar.
As the 90th minute was approaching, the whole of the Eternal City was woken up by the club that does not say die. Fan favourite Dybala latched on to a through ball from Pellegrini before turning and striking a fantastic left footed effort past Bijlow to restore Roma’s lead and level the scores on aggregate.
Deep into added time Bijlow was called upon again as he dived well to parry another Dybala shot away, the last chance of the second half as Taylor blew to send the game to an extra half hour.
The first chance in extra time fell to Santiago Giminez, and the whole of Stadio Olimpico breathed a sigh of relief as the Mexican could not keep his effort down.
A Giallorossi corner put them within inches of taking the lead on aggregate, but Roger Ibañez's header struck the post and Tammy Abraham could not turn the rebound home.
They didn't have to wait long for the lead as ten minutes into the extra thirty Tammy Abraham galloped down the right wing before picking out Stefan El Shaarawy perfectly who poked under Bijlow to give the Italians an aggregate lead for the first time this tie.
A good save from the Feyenoord custodian from Tammy Abraham was the last action of the first period of extra time.
Pellegrini was denied by the offside flag again, as Tammy Abraham was adjudged to have strayed past the last defender before setting up the captain to strike home, but VAR intervened and gave Roma their fourth goal of the evening and likely progression into the semi-finals.
Feyenoord were reduced to ten in the final minute with Santiago Giminez seeing red for a high challenge, as Roma saw the three minutes of injury time out to progress.
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Player of the match
Lorenzo Pellegrini (AS Roma)
The home side's captain must have felt a whole lot of pressure lift after scoring Roma's fourth, a goal that the skipper deserved based on his play over the 110 minutes building up to it.
His confidence allowed the Italians to flourish out wide, with Pellegrini also slipping into a more central position when needed to link up play and get it out to the duo of Zalewski and Cristante on the other side.