Revenge Mission Burns AS Roma's Spirit

In this match, Mancini often got freedom from Roma Coach Daniele De Rossi to step up to help attack. Therefore, even though he plays as a defender, in several moments Mancini can be positioned parallel to the attacker. His presence in the attack line means that Roma's attackers are not outnumbered by Milan's defenders.

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Rome widened their lead once again through Paulo Dybala's curved kick. This goal cannot be separated from Romelu Lukaku's physical superiority in keeping the ball from the challenge of Milan's defender. The ball rebounded from the Milan defender was converted into a goal by Dybala.

Leading by three aggregate goals, Roma actually lost Zeki Celic who received a red card after tackling Rafael Leao. With a reduced number of players, De Rossi decided to replace Dybala with a new defender, Diego Llorente, to maintain their lead.

Even though they had a superior number of players, Milan failed to take advantage of it to take the lead. The team made by Coach Stefano Pioli dominated the match with 20 shots, four of which were on target. However, only Matteo Gabia's header at the end of the match could be converted into a goal.

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Until the end of the match, the score of 2-1 was held for Roma. They secured a spot in the semifinals with an aggregate advantage of 3-1. "We leave this tournament with regret. Roma showed better quality and determination in the two meetings. So, they deserve to advance," said Pioli as quoted by Football Italia.

Holding a grudge

There is no other goal behind Roma's participation in the Europa League this season except for revenge. Roma was a strong contender for the tournament title last season under the leadership of veteran coach Jose Mourinho. However, an anticlimax occurred in the final match. Roma painfully lost to the owner of the Europa League, Sevilla.

I am very proud to be the coach of a team like this. It is not easy because Milan is a very strong team and plays good football.

Controversy over the referee's leadership colored last season's final match. Mourinho felt that Roma deserved to win if the referee could be more careful. The Portuguese coach strongly protested the referee's decision not to give a penalty to Roma when Gianluca Mancini's shot hit Sevilla player Loic Bade's hand.

The two teams drew 1-1 in normal time and Roma ultimately lost 1-4 in the penalty shootout. Roma's dream of lifting the Europa League trophy for the first time was dashed.

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The dark memory still lingers in the minds of the Roma players. They are on a mission of revenge and redemption for their failure in the final of last season. To achieve this ambition, they must start again from the bottom. Under the guidance of their new coach, Daniele De Rossi, Rome has progressed smoothly and managed to reach the semifinals.

”I am very proud to be the coach of a team like this. It was not easy because Milan is a very strong team and plays good football. We saw yesterday that even Real Madrid defended and defended. "We also did it at the right time to do it and qualify for the semifinals," said De Rossi.

In the semifinals, Roma will meet Leverkusen who have been named the champion of the German League. Xabi Alonso's team advanced after holding English representative West Ham to a 1-1 draw at home. Leverkusen qualified because they have an aggregate goal advantage of 3-1.

The semifinal match between Roma and Leverkusen is a rematch from last season. At that time, Roma won 1-0 at home and successfully held Leverkusen to a 0-0 draw away. This similar situation clearly reminds Roma's players of their journey in the Europa League last season.

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Using an identical route to reach the final, Roma wants to prove that their failure in last season's final was not due to a lack of quality. However, it was more of bad luck.

However, Leverkusen is certainly not an easy opponent to overcome. So far, they have played 44 matches in all competitions without suffering a defeat. This achievement even surpasses the record set by Juventus in the 2011-2012 season, where they remained unbeaten for 43 matches.