Roma attacked, dominated and looked lively in their UEFA Europa League game at Feyenoord Rotterdam, but Daniele De Rossi’s team poor backline put the team in trouble, needing the attackers to salvage something out of the game. Thankfully for the Italians, Romelu Lukaku struck in the second half to give the Giallorossi a decent 1-1 draw to take home.Once again, Roma showed they’ve got a lot of talent but also many weaknesses and a crippling lack of confidence needed to control games and make their pressure count during games. These two teams have faced each other in European competition for the third season in a row, with the Dutch side Feyenoord facing the psychological hurdle of being eliminated by the Italians on both prior occasions. Feyenoord had the first real opportunity to score, when Igor Paixao came close with a shot that went just wide of the post, with Roma’s goalkeeper Mile Svilar unable to move.🏟️ 17 games⚽ 20 goalsRomelu Lukaku is on fire in the Europa League 😍 pic.twitter.com/Leeks85DgL— Mail Sport (@MailSport) February 15, 2024 Despite Feyenoord’s pressure, the hosts failed to convert their chances, and Roma almost took the lead before halftime. Leandro Paredes’s 30-yard strike was headed for the top corner, but a flying save from Feyenoord’s goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther turned it onto the crossbar. Just before halftime, Feyenoord scored their first goal of the match, with Quilindschy Hartman’s delivery headed home by Igor Paixao. This was the first time Roma had trailed at halftime in 15 consecutive Europa League matches, which was a wakeup call for Rossi’s side. In the second half, Roma started to dominate, and Leonardo Spinazzola’s cross found Lukaku’s head, but his attempt was saved by Wellenreuther. However, Feyenoord couldn’t keep Lukaku quiet for long, and he eventually scored the equalizer with a header that nestled in the bottom corner.##NAJAVA_MECA_7872781##With the score level, Roma seemed content to take the drawback to Rome for the second leg. Feyenoord tried to break down Roma’s defence, but Luka Ivanusec’s free-kick hit the post in stoppage time. The match ended in a draw, meaning that Feyenoord and Roma will play a winner-takes-all game in Rome to decide who advances to the last 16.🚨🚨| GOAL: Ndiaye gives Marseille the lead!!Shakhtar 1-2 Marseille pic.twitter.com/DQkVaLuHNF— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) February 15, 2024 Galatasaray snatched a 3-2 lead over Sparta ahead of the second leg thanks to a last-gasp winner from Mauro Icardi. The Argentine scored a classy finish to wrap up a frantic 90 minutes in Istanbul in which the Czech club pushed the Turkish giants all the way in front of a noisy crowd.Illman Ndiaye thought he’d given OM a late win over Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk in their game on neutral ground in Germany, but Gennaro Gattuso’s team conceded in the added time to leave the tie wide open ahead of the return leg in Marseille.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUEPlayoff roundThursdayFeyenoord – AS Roma 1-1 (1-0)/Paixao 45+1 – Lukaku 67/Galatasaray – Sparta Prague 3-2 (1-0)/Demirbay 45+1, Krejci 61 og, Icardi 90+1 – Preciado 47, Kuchta 65/Shakhtar Donetsk – Olympique de Marseille 2-2 (0-0)/Matviienko 68, Eguinaldo 90+3 – Aubameyang 64, Ndiaye 90/Young Boys – Sporting CP 1-3 (1-2)/Ugrinic 42 – Amenda 31 og, Gyokeres 41 pen, Inacio 48/23:00: (1.65) AC Milan (4.00) Rennes (6.00)23:00: (2.00) Lens (3.50) Freiburg (4.10)23:00: (1.40) Benfica (5.00) Toulouse (9.00)23:00: (1.37) Braga (5.20) Qarabag (10.0)***odds are subject to change***
