• Thursday, May 02, 2024
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BusinessDay

Europa League: Roma overpower AC Milan to book last four ticket

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Roma secured their spot in the Uefa Europa League semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Serie A rivals AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Stadium.

Gianluca Mancini set the tone for the hosts, opening the scoring just 12 minutes into the match. Paulo Dybala extended Roma’s lead with a clinical finish 10 minutes later, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win.

Daniele de Rossi’s side faced a setback when Mehmet Zeki Celik received a red card for a reckless challenge on Rafael Leao, reducing them to 10 men.

Although Matteo Gabbia pulled one back for Milan late in the game, it was too little, too late.

Defender Mancini displayed sharp reflexes to tap in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s rebounded shot after it struck the woodwork.

World Cup champion Dybala added to Milan’s woes with a superbly executed effort that sailed over Mike Maignan in goal, giving Roma a comfortable cushion.

Tammy Abraham, the England international returning from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, made a significant impact coming off the bench in the 28th minute, replacing the injured Romelu Lukaku.

Roma will play Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta face Olympique Marseille in the Europa League semi-finals, while Fiorentina take on Club Brugge in the Conference League.

There are three Italian teams still in the running for UEFA silverware this season, so mark your calendars for the upcoming semi-finals.

Roma are up against Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen, who knocked West Ham United out 3-1 on aggregate tonight.

The first leg will be at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, May 2 at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT), with the decider in Germany on May 9.

Atalanta are also in the Europa League and had to wait until discovering their opponent, as Olympique Marseille only managed to eliminate Benfica after a penalty shoot-out.

The first leg will be in Marseille on May 2, with the return at the Gewiss Stadium on May