A blow for Roma.
Roma faced an unfortunate home loss.
Details: In the second round of the Europa League group stage, Roma played against French team Lille in Rome.
They fell behind quickly, conceding a goal by Lille’s Hákon Haraldsson in the 6th minute. Despite their efforts to equalize, Roma struggled to find the net. Lille’s goalkeeper Berke Özer consistently stopped their attempts.
The best opportunity for Roma came in the 82nd minute when a penalty was awarded to them.
Ukrainian striker Artem Dovbyk, who had just entered the game and was Roman’s top scorer last season, took the penalty. Unfortunately, he missed the first attempt. However, the referee noticed a rule violation by Lille’s goalkeeper, allowing a retake. Dovbyk took the shot again—and missed again.
After this, it appeared that Roma’s chances were gone. Yet, the referee signaled for another penalty, stating Lille’s players had broken the rules again.
In this attempt, Dovbyk stood aside, and 22-year-old MatÃas Soulé took the shot—but he also failed to score.
These missed penalties cost Roma at least a point, as they couldn’t recover in the remaining time.
Reminder: Dovbyk’s deal with Milan fell through? He might head to England this winter.