Real Madrid have defeated AS Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday night in the Champions League to take a huge step toward the quarter-finals.
Los Blancos scored two second half goals with Cristiano Ronaldo and substitute Jese finding the net, leaving the Giallorossi with an almost impossible task to qualify for the next round.
Roma undone by their own frailties
Going into half time, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti would have been happy. His side had worked its socks off and had completely contained Real. Yet when the final whistle blew, Roma were virtually out of the Champions League after losing 2-0 and being totally outplayed.
The Giallorossi conceded more goals than any other side in the group stages of the Champions League this season and that type of defending was evident in the second half against Real Madrid, with a fundamental flaw in Spalletti’s side, the two full-backs, exposed.
Alessandro Florenzi, who was captain on the night, is a fine player but he is simply not a defender. On the other flank, Lucas Digne was badly exposed for his defensive incapabilities. With Real particularly strong in wide areas, it was always going to be a tough task for Digne and Florenzi. Any time Real crossed the ball into the box, Roma looked like conceding with the two full-backs noticeably smaller than their opponents. It is an issue that Roma have to address in the summer.
Further up the pitch, Miralem Pjanic had a rare off day. Yet the Bosnian’s poor display exposed the lack of creativity in the Giallorossi side. Roma rely too heavily on Pjanic for a spark going forward and they looked toothless without the former Lyon man on top form. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, for all his raw pace, never really troubled the Madrid back line. On the night, Roma simply were not good enough to beat one of the best sides Europe has to offer.
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Ronaldo still Real’s main man
By their high standards of the last few weeks, Real Madrid were poor in the first half. The Spanish giants failed to register a single shot on target during the entire opening 45 minutes. That had not happened in the Champions League since the infamous semi-final against Barcelona in 2011.
Even in the first 10 minutes of the second half, Real looked off the pace. Yet in a moment of magic, Cristiano Ronaldo cut in from the left-wing and fired a shot past a helpless Wojciech Szczesny in the Roma goal. Just like that, the entire game and the tie changed. The goal extended Ronaldo’s rich vein of form with the Portuguese star scoring 20 goals in his last 15 games in all competitions – his 90th in the Champions League.
After Ronaldo’s fine effort, the result was never in doubt and Real were in complete control. They went on to miss several chances, even with Jese making it 2-0 with five minutes to go. With many of the headlines this week going to Barcelona and their front three, Ronaldo once again reminded the football world of his incredible talent and his importance to this Madrid side.
The 12th man
The off the pitch issues at Roma this season have been well documented. Fans have protested against the club’s American owners and the new strict security measures imposed at the Stadio Olimpico for home games.
As a result, Roma’s ultras have voted with their feet and stayed away this campaign. The atmosphere, with the Curva Sud closed, has suffered greatly at a stadium which, even when full, does not lend itself to noise, given its running track and thus the vast area between the pitch and the fans.
Yet for the Real game, Roma took the unpreceded step of selling tickets in the Curva Sud to other fans. The result was a tremendous atmosphere at the Olimpico. Not since the early season win against Juventus, before the protest had started, had Roma fans been in such great form.
Even after Real’s opener, the Roma faithful stuck with their side and applauded the team off the pitch despite the defeat. It may not have earned Roma a famous victory, but the atmosphere was much improved and may help to aid the Giallorossi’s push for a top three finish in the coming months.
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