The Roma by Daniele De Rossi wins the first round against Stefano Pioli’s Milan in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals. The match was decided by a goal from Gianluca Mancini assisted by Dybala. Among the ranks of Roma all promoted with the goalscoring defender, Dybala, Mancini and Smalling the best on the pitch. Among the Devil’s ranks Leao is disastrous but even Theo Hernandez doesn’t push as he should. Giroud struggles and misses a goal from a few meters away. Here are the scores from the San Siro match.
Milan’s report cards
Mike Maignan 6,5: Not to blame for Roma’s goal, he has little else to do but is always on top of his game even when playing out. He makes a great save on El Shaarawy’s shot deflected by Gabbia.
Davide Calabria 6: Run, run, how much he runs. A heartfelt match from the Milan captain who earned a well-deserved passing.
Matteo Gabbia 6.5: He grows from game to game and even today against Lukaku he clearly wins the duel.
Malick Thiaw 5,5: Often late and a bit cumbersome. Luckily for him, Roma’s strikers were unable to sting but his performance can be reviewed.
Theo Hernandez 5: Like Leao, he too doesn’t turn on and El Shaarawy suffers in defence. One of his worst matches for the Rossoneri.
Tijjani Reijnders 6.5: Indeed his shots towards Svilar’s goal are central but at least he tries.
Ismael Bennacer 5.5: It’s a lot of effort against a compact Roma midfield. As always he puts his heart into it and runs for two but this evening it wasn’t enough (from the 60th minute Yacine Adli 6.5: He comes in and at least tries to make his way through the Giallorossi defence. He comes close to scoring with a cross shot but Svilar tells him no)
Christian Pulisic 5,5: He too doesn’t play an unforgettable match but at least he tries with some gusts and some crosses (from the 78th minute Samuel Chukwueze 6,5: He does more in 17 minutes including recovery than Leao in 78 minutes of play. Giroud needs an assist for the kiss and he wastes it from two steps.
Ruben Loftus Cheek 5: He doesn’t put in the physique and he doesn’t put in the usual quality. A step back compared to the latest outings for the Rossoneri
Olivier Giroud 5: He struggles against the Roma defenders who don’t let go of him for a second and don’t give him an inch. In the 88th minute, however, he has the chance to strike and score the equalizer but from three meters he hits the crossbar with his less noble foot
Rafael Leao 4: A ghost. It’s there but you never see it. Abusive, distracted, listless. As he leaves the field the public buries him with boos (from 78′ Noah Okafor
Coach Stefano Pioli 5: His Milan plays with little courage and little quality especially in the first half but also in the second half they rely more on individuality than on the collective.
Roma’s report cards
Mile Svilar 6.5: Good and careful to block Reijnders’ shots from outside but also very good, and lucky, on Adli’s cross shot. The young goalkeeper has now become an irremovable starter
Zeko Celik 6.5: Watch out for the right out. He annihilates, even with the help of his teammates, Rafa Leao this evening in a horror version
Gianluca Mancini 7.5: Perfect match from the Giallorossi centre-back who scored another heavy goal after the one scored in the derby a few days ago. Attentive in defense, he doesn’t concede anything and cancels out Giroud
Chris Smalling 7: Like his teammate, he played a high-level performance full of physicality, anticipation and attention.
Leonardo Spinazzola 6.5: When he puts the turbo on he is irrepressible but also in defense he holds up very well against Pulisic
Bryan Cristante 6: Valuable player in both phases with his positional sense and intelligence. He will not be there in the return leg due to disqualification and this is not good news for De Rossi
Leandro Paredes 6.5: His dirty work in front of the defense is precious and this evening more effective than ever (from the 89th minute Edoardo Bove sv)
Lorenzo Pellegrini 6: As always, he puts in a lot of quality but this evening he also plays a game of quantity (from 89′ Houssem Aouar St)
Stephan El Shaarawy 6,5: Constant thorn in the side of Milan’s defense for almost the entire match. The great ex of the match doesn’t sting but it still hurts
Paulo Dybala 7: Total match for Joya who dispenses football at San Siro. Roma’s winning goal was born from his magical foot, but not only that, given that all the Giallorossi’s plays were initiated by his feet. (from 81′ Tammy Abraham 5,5: He comes in to provide physicality but there is too little time to judge him even if he risks a lot due to his clumsy hand-head intervention which could have given Milan a penalty in the 91st minute)
Romelu Lukaku 6: He plays a lot from the bank but can never find the opportunity to shoot. Generous match but from someone like him we would expect much more (from the 92nd minute Diego Llorente sv)
Coach Daniele De Rossi 7: His Roma is tough and also plays good football. The victory at San Siro is all thanks to the Roman strategist.
Referee Clement Turpin (France) 6.5: He authoritatively directs a complicated match.
On the two handballs from Gabbia and Abraham he decides that it is not a penalty and the VAR agrees with him.
