The return of tricolor derby of the Europa League smiles on the Giallorossi, who make the most of the few opportunities given by Milan in the first half. There are 10 of us left, De Rossi’s boys resist the Rossoneri’s assault, gaining their ticket to the semi-final. Let’s see how the protagonists of Roma-Milan fared.
ROME (4-3-3)
Miles Svilar 6 – Rarely called upon but always attentive and precise.
Zeki Celik 4 – After a careful game, the bad move on Leao costs him an avoidable expulsion. Tafazziano.
Gianluca Left-handed 6 – Lucky in the 1-0 tap-in, grits his teeth after the knee problem. When Roma goes into the trenches, he is reliable like few others.
Chris Smalling 6 – Not an easy duel with Giroud but the Englishman has the right experience to handle it best. In the second half he gives security to the department.
Leonardo Spinazzola 6 – His crosses are very dangerous, a clear improvement compared to previous matches. He wastes the very opportunity in the second half when he is face to face with Maignan. He suffers a bit from Chukwueze’s aggression.
Edward Ox 6 – He makes a number on the midfield, giving a hand to Paredes. When Roma fall back, he struggles a bit to find his position. He holds up well despite some hard contact. From 81′ Angelino sv
Leandro Paredes 6,5 – When he filters in midfield better than when he helps in defense. With Roma with 10 men he often becomes fundamental in defense.
Lorenzo Pilgrims 7 – As soon as he sees the goal, he shoots: he does very well. When Roma are left with 10 men they go into the trenches like the rest of the Giallorossi. Useful in tackling but also in defense. From 81′ Renato Sanchez sv
Stephan El Shaarawy 7 – Not very involved at the start, after Celik’s expulsion he goes back to lend a hand in defence. As soon as he has space, he returns to show his quality going forward. He fights and sacrifices himself until the end, when he just doesn’t have it anymore.
Romelu Lukaku 6,5 – When he shakes off Gabbia before the 2-0 he shows how fundamental he can be for this Roma. Just when it seems like it used to be back, muscle discomfort appears. Bad lucky. From 27′ Tammy Abraham 6 – He tries to get the team up by playing with their backs to goal: that’s not his job and it shows. Generous in pressing and even in defence. He was a mess when he wasted a great chance in the 65th minute.
Paulo Dybala 7 – Touched hard by Calabria, he takes revenge with a splendid goal. Called back to the bench when Roma suffer. From 42′ Diego Llorente 6.5 – He makes little or no mistakes, even when dealing with terrible players like Pulisic and Leao. Providential several times in the second half.
Daniele De Rossi 6,5 – Roma started better but, once they found the goal, they were crushed by Milan. When the 2-0 score arrives on the counterattack he continues to push until Celik is sent off. From then on, a lot of suffering but the Giallorossi remained orderly and precise.
MILAN (4-2-3-1)
Mike Maignan 6 – Not guilty on both goals, otherwise normal administration.
Davide Calabria 5 – Foul on Dybala, slept on Mancini’s tap-in, a few too many sparks with Paredes. From 46′ Tijjani Reijnders 5 – Not an ideal start, a little tight; he misses passages that other times he would do with his eyes closed. Pretty dull match, not from him.
Matteo Cage 6 – Aggressive on Lukaku but too light to withstand his physicality. The block on Pellegrini which cost him a yellow card was avoidable. Half a point more for the flag goal.
Fikayo Tomori 5.5 – Careful in the first half, not always positioned in the best position. When Milan have numerical superiority, they get too nervous and commit too many fouls. Pardoned a couple of times by Marciniak.
Theo Hernandez 5 – It seems like one of his subdued evenings but as soon as he has space he becomes very dangerous again. In the second half more dynamic but never decisive. The mistake on El Shaarawy was stupid and caused him a scare at the red.
Ismael Bennacer 5 – Hunted by Roma’s midfielders, he is unable to play with his usual personality. Pioli calls him back in the 40th minute to introduce Jovic. From 40′ Luka Jovic 5.5 – Struggled to find spaces forward in the first half. Better in the second half, even if he has very little space and never finds the right move to reopen the game.
Yunus Musah 6,5 – Wider than usual, dynamic, also helps in defense. When it moves in the strait it’s scary; Too bad the aim isn’t that of the best days. From 68′ Alessandro Florenzi 6 – It’s never easy for him to return to the Olimpico but he still tries to do his part in front of his former fans, especially with his crosses.
Christian Pulisic 7 – It’s hard at first, then it gets better; she pops up everywhere, varying greatly. She has the personality to take charge of the team. Less effective in the second half, when Roma closed down. From 68′ Noah Okafor 5.5 – Pioli throws him into the fray to do what he does best: score during the match. Tonight, however, nothing is happening.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek 6,5 – When Milan goes up, they make their weight felt, hitting the crossbar. He doesn’t lack desire and personality, more precision would be needed. From 46′ Samuel Chukwueze 7 – On the wing he puts quality, quantity and a lot of leg but it’s even more scary when he concentrates. It’s a shame that her crosses never find teammates ready to put her back on goal.
Rafael Leao 5 – Inaccurate, wastes a lot of balls but when he tries to switch on he causes the red which reopens an already closed game. For the rest he doesn’t do much.
Olivier Giroud 5.5 – Smalling stamps it but always finds a way to lend a hand. In the second half she finds little space and gets a little sad.
Stefano Pioli 5 – Conservative approach at the start but the goal changes everything. With Milan stretched, the 2-0 seems to close the score. Once in numerical superiority, the Rossoneri became aggressive but a little confusing again. The ultra-offensive AC Milan deceived themselves for about ten minutes in the second half before breaking down on the Roma defence. Once again he badly loses the tactical challenge with De Rossi.
Szymon Marciniak 6 (referee) – Perhaps the red card given to Celik was a tad exaggerated, especially given that the foul was in mid-field. He has control of a game that was in danger of slipping out of hand. Well helped by VAR which prevented Theo Hernandez from making an error on the red.
However, performance is more than sufficient.
Tags: RomaMilan report cards Pellegrini Dybala top Milan incisive
