Roma beat Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 and had a goal incorrectly disallowed, but the French side went through to the Europa League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate.
See how the dramatic night unfolded on the Liveblog.
Roma beat Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 and had a goal incorrectly disallowed, but the French side went through to the Europa League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate.
See how the dramatic night unfolded on the Liveblog.
The Giallorossi had to fight back after a 4-2 first leg defeat in France, though they had been 2-1 up at half-time. Emerson Palmieri was not 100 per cent fit and Clement Grenier cup-tied, so Luciano Spalletti moved to a 3-4-2-1 with Mario Rui on the left. Memphis Depay was cup-tied for Lyon, who opted for a 4-2-3-1 with Maxwel Cornet, Mathieu Valbuena and Corentin Tolisso in more advanced roles. The ultras continued to boycott the Olimpico over the barriers, but the Curva Sud was nonetheless packed with over 40,000 in the stadium.
After just 36 seconds Radja Nainggolan put in a cross from the left and Mactour Diakhaby made a decisive interception with Edin Dzeko ready to tap in.
Antonio Rudiger had a fantastic chance on six minutes, as he controlled a corner and turned to smash it on to the underside of the crossbar, then Mohamed Salah’s rebound header was acrobatically fingertipped over the bar by Anthony Lopes.
The goalkeeper had to come sprinting off his line to block as Salah ran on to a Bruno Peres long ball, clattering into teammate Diakhaby in the process.
However, Lyon took the lead with their first chance of the game and it was a carbon copy of the goal in the first leg. Mathieu Valbuena curled in a free kick from the right side of the box and Diakhaby was allowed a totally free header from six yards.
The situation lasted just 60 seconds, as Daniele De Rossi put another set play into the area and Kevin Strootman at full stretch prodded it over the line at the back post to equaliser.
Roma also had penalty appeals for a Tousart handling offence, but it was judged to be involuntary, as it bounced off his foot first. Nainggolan’s volley from the edge of the box took a strange looping swerve just past the far post with Lopes stranded. Strootman should’ve had his second when Salah flicked on a loose ball, but fired straight at Lopes from point-blank range both on the original shot and the rebound.
Dzeko turned on the edge of the penalty area, but his finish was too weak to trouble Lopes. Within 60 seconds of the restart, Lopes was again decisive with a flying one-handed save on Nainggolan’s header at the near post.
Salah had penalty appeals for a Diakhaby tug on his arm, but after yet another poor choice of pass or cross, Bruno Peres was yanked off to make way for Stephan El Shaarawy.
It was an immediate and extraordinary impact. El Shaarawy showed great determination to win back possession near the corner flag and his cross was deflected off the shin of Tousart to bounce into the net for an own goal.
Roma knew a 3-1 victory on the night would send them through on away goals and the pace if anything stepped up several gears. El Shaarawy had the chance to make it 3-1, but his angled drive flashed wide after committing Morel, then Cornet shinned over from a Morel pull-back.
Dzeko thought he had his ninth Europa League goal of the season on 74 minutes when Lopes fumbled an El Shaarawy volleyed cross and he turned into the empty net, but the offside flag was raised – incorrectly. The Bosnian was level.
Lyon were always dangerous on the counter and Alisson flew to palm away a Tolisso scorcher, not dissimilar to the goal he scored in the first leg.
Diego Perotti also came on, rode two tackles and helped set up a chance that Dzeko saw deflected over from close range. Lyon went on a counter with three against one from a Roma corner, but Alisson performed a stunning save to pluck the ball off Cornet’s foot one-on-one.
El Shaarawy could only volley a corner over when nudged off balance. There were five minutes of stoppages awarded and Dzeko nodded a Perotti cross on to the roof of the net, while Alisson was decisive on a Fekir counter.
Totti took a corner short and El Shaarawy’s strike was charged down in the six-yard box, but it was ultimately too big a mountain to climb.
Roma 2-1 Lyon (4-5 agg)
Diakhaby 16 (L), Strootman 17 (R), Tousart og 60 (R)
Roma: Alisson; Rudiger, Fazio, Manolas; Peres (El Shaarawy 59), De Rossi (Totti 84), Strootman, Mario Rui (Perotti 76); Salah, Nainggolan; Dzeko
Lyon: Lopes; Jallet, Mammana (Yanga-Mbiwa 77), Diakhaby, Morel; Tousart, Gonalons; Cornet, Tolisso, Valbuena (Rafael 90); Lacazette (Fekir 84)
Ref: Kassai (HUN)