Roma failed to score for the first time in 33 UEFA fixtures and it proved costly, as RB Salzburg snatched a late winner with Nicolas Capaldo.
The Giallorossi were still missing Leonardo Spinazzola and frozen out Rick Karsdorp, while the Austrians had Dijon Kameri and Bryan Okoh injured, plus Daouda Guindo, Samson Tijani, Lawrence Agyekum, Justin Omoregie and Karim Konaté not in the Europa League squad. They dropped down to this play-off after finishing third in the Champions League group behind Chelsea and Milan.
Noah Okafor fired over the bar and Chris Smalling made a decisive block on Fernando, as the hosts poured forward from the start, but after 20 minutes Roma began to push.
Nicola Zalewski caught a volley well after a cleared corner, charged down by a crowd in the box, and Tammy Abraham’s header was straight at the goalkeeper on Stephan El Shaarawy’s cross.
Bryan Cristante’s first-time pass over the top found Abraham to shake off Strahinja Pavlovic and force a desperate save from the on-rushing goalkeeper just before half-time.
Paulo Dybala was substituted at half-time with a thigh issue, a deflected Capaldo snapshot could’ve gone anywhere and Nicola Zalewski hesitated, failing to make the most of a promising counter-attack.
Cristante went very close on 73 minutes when his header from a Lorenzo Pellegrini corner clipped the outside of the near post.
Gianluca Mancini did well to clear a dangerous low Capaldo ball from the right that made it into the six-yard box, but Roma were unlucky not to score when Smalling’s header found Andrea Belotti for a flick from point-blank range and astonishing reaction save from Philipp Kohn.
Pavlovic was booked for his lunge on Belotti and will therefore be suspended for the second leg, a big loss for RB Salzburg.
However, he made his mark on the tie anyway, as Pavlovic’s cross from the left found a Nicolas Capaldo header to open the scoring in the final minutes.
RB Salzburg 1-0 Roma
Capaldo 88 (S)
Player statistic
| Strahinja Pavlovic |  |
84' | ||
| Sekou Koita | |
86' | ||
| Nicolás Capaldo (Assist: Strahinja Pavlovic) |
 |
88' | ||
| Oscar Gloukh | |
90+4' | ||
| 90+2' | |
Roger Ibañez |
Match statistic
