Roma will have to wait to find out their Champions League destiny after falling 2-0 to Atletico Madrid with Bruno Peres sent off.
See how it all unfolded in this game and Juventus-Barcelona on the LIVEBLOG.
Roma will have to wait to find out their Champions League destiny after falling 2-0 to Atletico Madrid with Bruno Peres sent off.
See how it all unfolded in this game and Juventus-Barcelona on the LIVEBLOG.
The Giallorossi needed only a point to be sure of qualification and Atletico Madrid knew if they didn’t win tonight, they would be out of the running for a place in the Round of 16. Diego Simeone’s men were still looking for their first European victory of the season and welcomed back Koke and Filipe Luis, but Juanfran, Sime Vrsaljko and suspended Stefan Savic forced Thomas Partey to shuffle into the right-back role. Alessandro Florenzi, Patrik Schick and Rick Karsdorp missed the trip.
Diego Perotti burst down the left and pulled back for Lorenzo Pellegrini, forcing Yannick Carrasco into a desperate block. Edin Dzeko and Gerson also had shots charged down in the box, but Carrasco’s ball flashed all the way across the face of goal, with Koke and Fernando Torres unable to get the tap-in.
Antoine Griezmann was jeered by his own fans last week after failing to score for two months and showed a lack of confidence by blasting off target.
Augusto Fernandez had the ball in the net on 41 minutes, but the whistle had already blown for his handling offence.
Carrasco’s counter-attack was blocked off by sheer force of numbers and Angel Correa came off the bench, his stinging strike charged down within 30 seconds.
Carrasco saw his angled drive deflected wide for a corner, but Radja Nainggolan almost scored a bizarre goal when his cross-shot surprised Jan Oblak to thump the near post.
Fernando Torres drilled wide from the edge of the area, but Griezmann won back the Atleti fans with his first goal in two months and what a spectacular strike it was, too. A Correa cross came in from the left and Griezmann leapt into the air, scoring with a scissor-kick volley from seven yards that was almost with his back to goal.
Alisson denied Torres a second soon after, parrying at the base of the near post, and Nainggolan’s header whistled wide.
It got even worse for Roma, as Bruno Peres got himself sent off for a second bookable offence, going very high on Filipe Luis’ ankle.
Moments later, Kevin Gameiro ran on to a Griezmann through ball to spring the offside trap and steered his finish past Alisson from the tightest of angles to double Atleti’s lead.
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Roma
Griezmann 69 (A), Gameiro 85 (A)
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Thomas Partey, Gimenez, Lucas Hernandez, Filipe Luis; Koke (Gabi 63), Augusto (Correa 58), Saul Niguez, Carrasco (Gameiro 67); Torres, Griezmann
Roma: Alisson; Peres, Manolas, Fazio, Kolarov; Nainggolan, Gonalons (El Shaarawy 78), Pellegrini (Strootman 61); Gerson (Defrel 70), Dzeko, Perotti
Ref: Kuipers (NED)
Sent off: Bruno Peres 83 (R)