Feyenoord 1-1 Roma - Romelu Lukaku strikes again to grab draw for visitors in UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off
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Updated 15/02/2024 at 23:38 GMT
The UEFA Europa League clash between Feyenoord and Roma in the knockout round play-off was always going to be a hard-fought encounter in Rotterdam. The hosts were the first to get on the scoresheet in the first-leg contest as Igor Paixao struck on the stroke of half-time. Roma managed to level through Romelu Lukaku in the 67th minute and ultimately seal a draw with the home advantage coming up.
‘He loves this competition!’ – Lukaku strikes again in Europa League for Roma
Romelu Lukaku’s second-half equaliser ensured that AS Roma escaped Rotterdam with a hard-earned 1-1 draw ahead of next week’s UEFA Europa League play-off second leg against Feyenoord in Rome.
Last year’s beaten finalists are among the favourites for the competition this time around, but Daniele de Rossi’s side were given a stern test amidst a fervent De Kuip atmosphere in this Europa League knockout play-off tie.
Feyenoord threw everything at the Italian visitors in a breathless first-half that saw chances come at both ends, with the hosts taking the lead on the cusp of half-time thanks to an excellent header from Igor Paixao.
The Dutch hosts deserved their lead on the balance of play, but Roma tightened up after the break and grabbed the equaliser off the shoulder of Lukaku to deny Feyenoord the home-leg advantage that they strained so hard to acquire.
The hosts enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure late on and hit the post in the final moments of the game, but will head to Italy knowing that they need a famous result in order to make it into the round-of-16.
Talking Point – Advantage Roma
There aren’t many tougher away tests than Feyenoord at De Kuip and the hosts threatened to blow Roma away at times in a thrilling end-to-end fixture.
The task for the visitors was to get out of Rotterdam with the tie still alive, and they certainly did that thanks to Lukaku’s equalising goal, which makes them favourites ahead of the return match in Italy next week.
Whoever makes it out of this tie will fancy their chances of going a long way in this competition – on tonight’s evidence these are two extremely handy sides.
Player of the Match – Igor Paixao (Feyenoord)
The home side were relentless with their energy and few players displayed that as much as the goalscorer Igor Paixao.
He was a constant thorn in the side of the Roma defence and he took his chance beautifully to give Feyenoord the lead.
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‘What a header!’ – Paixao brilliantly nods Feyenoord in front against Roma
Player Ratings
Feyenoord: Wellenreuther 8; Nieuwkoop 7, Beelen 7, Hancko 7, Hartman 7; Wieffer 8, Zerrouki 7, Stengs 8; Minteh 8, Ueda 6, Paixao 8. Subs: Gimenez 8, Lingr 7, Ivanusec 8, Read 7, Milambo 7.
Roma: Svilar 7; Karsdorp 6, Mancini 6, Llorente 5, Spinazzola 6; Bove 5, Paredes 7, Pellegrini 6; Dybala 7, Lukaku 7, Zalewski 5. Subs: El Shaarawy 5, Celik 5, Baldanzi 6, Cristante 6.
Match Highlights
41’ – OFF THE BAR! Paredes lets fly with a terrific shot from range that is tipped on to the bar by Wellenreuther. That’s superb from the keeper and he’s kept his side level in high-class fashion.
45+1’ – GOAL! The home side have the lead and the roof almost comes off the stadium. A beautiful cross picks out Paixao in space, and he takes a few steps back before sending an excellent looping header into the corner of the net. 1-0 Feyenoord!
67’ – GOAL! Romelu Lukaku strikes to suck the atmosphere out of De Kuip. He made a clever run across his marker and flicks the ball beyond the goalkeeper to level it up on the night. That actually came off his shoulder, but they all count and it’s an important goal for Roma.
90’ – OFF THE POST! Feyenoord throw bodies into the box for a free-kick from a wide angle, and Svilar is so concerned about coming out for the cross that he is very nearly caught out by a brilliant opportunistic effort from Ivanusec, who goes for goal and cracks the near post with the keeper well beaten.
Key Stats
- AS Roma have reached at least a European semi-final in each of the last three seasons.
- Romelu Lukaku’s latest Europa League goal puts him third in the tournament’s list of all-time scorers.
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