Roma took a giant step towards the quarter-finals of the Europa League. After all, on Thursday (7/3) at the Stadio Olimpico, they beat Brighton 4-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie. The goals came from Dybala and Lukaku in the first half, while Mancini and Cristante completed the scoring in the second half
With the win, Roma are in good shape, as they can lose by up to three goals in the second leg. In order to qualify for the quarter-finals, Brighton need to win next Thursday’s (14/3) home game by four goals. Or five goals to go through directly.
See the Europa League fixtures here
Roma beat Brighton with mistakes
The first half had some balance, with Brighton trying to keep possession and almost scoring with a header from Welbeck. But the English defense made too many mistakes and Roma scored twice. The first, in the 12th minute, saw Dybala unmarked on the left, enter the area, beat goalkeeper Steele and tap into the net. The move, confirmed by the VAR, showed that the Argentinian was in a good position. The second came in the 42nd minute after a mistake by defender Dunk. On the left wing, he mishandled the ball. His mistake turned into a pass for Belgian striker Lukaku to advance and hit a first-time shot.
In the second half, Broighton were keen to reduce the deficit and for 15 minutes they were all over the closed Roma team. But their shots were unsuccessful. Roma, on the other hand, were remarkably effective and scored two goals that killed the game. In the 19th minute, Gianluca Mancini headed in a cross from the left by El Sharaawy. And in the 23rd minute, after almost a minute of passing, Bryan Cristante slotted home El Sharaawy’s cross from the left.
With a 4-0 lead, Roma held their nerve, aiming to maintain the advantage that leaves them with a place in the quarter-finals in their grasp. Brighton, making their debut in European competition, are close to ending their campaign. Barring a historic result in the return leg in England
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