Here’s Ed Aarons’ report from Rome.
Good summation by Rupak here: “I get that certain managers live and die by their principles, but De Zerbi should’ve adapted and set his team up accordingly. Roma are still one of the European giants, you don’t just go to their ground on the first ever European campaign in your club’s history and expect you’ll be allowed to play as you do. There’s a reason why even Real Madrid & Liverpool focus on defending first, then hitting on transition against City. Brighton’s naivety have brought premature end to their European nights.”
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That third Roma goal, as scored by Mancini, running on to El Shaarawy’s flick back into the area, looks offside on the replays. The TNT coverage is searching for a magic bullet to see why it was given.
Full-time: Roma 4-0 Brighton
That was chastening for Roberto De Zerbi’s team. Roma were ruthless in their attacking, making use of the space allowed by an opponent who made plenty of chances for themselves. Quality and experience told, and De Rossi’s team look a highly useful collective. Brighton showed off far too much of their vulnerabilities.
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90+4 min: Zalewski presses hard, making life difficult for Estupinan. Then, at the other end, Ferguson is the target for the cross. A Roma defender falls to the floor. Was there an elbow? Brighton have dished out some rough stuff. The French ref, one of the Europe’s more liberal, waves play on.
90+1 min: Or do Roma get another? De Rossi, who seems to have mastered this coaching business at quite a lick, applauds his players as they slow play down.
90 min: Evan Ferguson is found to be chasing shadows. Story of his season, sadly. Six minutes are added on, now can Brighton get a goal to punish that tomfoolery from the Roma players.
89 min: The game is scrappy, all but done. Roma keen to break up everything so they can take a 4-0 lead to Falmer and enjoy the scenery, maybe visit Quadrophenia Alley.
88 min: El Shaarawy and Lukaku depart, both did their job well, with Big Rom’s goal a beauty. Perhaps Roma could pay £100m and ease Chelsea’s worries. Perhaps not.
87 min: Two more Roma players down, as they seek to kill the clock. This is ending the game as a spectacle. Few subs to come, too.
85 min: Pellegrini is OK to continue but then Cristante gets similar treatment. Brighton need to make sure to keep their heads, as painful as this night has proved.
84 min: Oof, Pellegrini takes one to the chops, and looks to have hurt his cheekbone after what looked a flailing elbow from Lamptey.
83 min: Diego Llorente, of Leeds fame, is on for Roma.
82 min: Can Evan Ferguson end his duck? He’s on the field for Welbeck. Wee Billy Gilmour takes his leave, and Baleba comes on.
81 min: Roma clear a corner, and Lewis Dunk, who had been up the field for it, has chance to shoot but smashes over.
79 min: Brighton have not been without chances but Welbeck can’t enough on the first of them and then Fati swings and misses the next one.
76 min: Now this is an exercise in keeping the score down.
Jeff Sax is in and dishing out hot takes: “Irrespective of the result, De zerbi is not a revolutionary in coaching and he will not succeed at Liverpool or United.”
Kári Tulinius: “I’ve seen a fair bit of Roma since De Rossi took over, and they’re good, but not so good that I expected them to blow Brighton away like that. I can’t tell if I overestimated the Seagulls or if they’re having a collective shocker.”
A bit of both is the answer, sadly for the Seagulls. So many open spaces for the likes of Big Rom to feed on.
74 min: Buonanotte’s shot is blocked, his last participation as Veltman comes in, and then Igor goes off for Estupinan, whose lack of fitness has robbed Brighton of a player who might have been of some use.
73 min: The pain continues for Brighton, Fati slipping in the area as looks to get on the ball. It was not along ago that he was causing all sorts of problems for Roma. That feels some time ago now.
71 min: Two Roma changes: Dybala, the first scorer, is off, and on comes Baldanzi. Paredes, who set up that first goal, is also off. and Bove, another youngster, comes on.
69 min: Such a big night, such a sour note for Brighton. Some footage of Tammy Abraham looking on; he’s been missed all season with injury.
Goal! Roma 4-0 Brighton (Cristante, 68)
It’s a nightmare now! El Shaarawy finds space and Igor dallies in the box, Cristante stealing in to score. This tie is over. There’s no away goal to conjure a miracle.
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67 min: De Zerbi’s big night out not going so well after all.
65 min: From the TV pictures, Mancini looked like he had gone too early. Brighton undone. Perhaps going for it when two goals down isn’t such a bad idea. The drawing of blue lines for the third goal does little to clear things up. It still looks offside.
Goal! Roma 3-0 Brighton (Mancini, 64)
Celik, perhaps relieved to not have to mark Adringra, goes all the way to the other end to force a corner. The first one is cleared. The second ball is pumped back in and a stretching Mancini angles it past Steele. Quite some finish for a defender, and though the VAR is called, that’s called a goal.
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63 min: Some atmosphere in Rome tonight. Let’s hope everyone’s keeping safe over. there.
61 min: Spinazzola is booked for hauling back Wee Billy Gilmour having lost the ball.
60 min: Gross has seen more of the ball. That’s a good sign for Brighton, as their creator supreme. Roma have started edging back, and Celik is relieved to clear the ball when he does.
58 min: Welbeck wins a header but a free-kick is called. Not sure why. De Zerbi is urging on his players to go forward. This has been a decent advert back in the homeland he seems to be not especially keen on.
57 min: Roma have released the pressure of the early second half and Brighton are taking up the cudgels. Adringra weaves on and on, and then Fati misses the chance. They have had chances and Fati is making a big difference.
54 min: More promising stuff from Brighton, Lamptey coming forward but then playing the ball to Welbeck who can only shank the ball out.
53 min: Adingra maintains his threat down the left but he can’t beat Svilar from that angle. Brighton are determined not to sit back and keep the scoreline down.
52 min: Lukaku shows – yes – a fine touch for a big man in holding the ball and flicking it to Pellegrini to shoot. Roma fancy more goals here.
50 min: This is Big Rom as we remember him at Inter, Everton, West Brom, but all too occasionally elsewhere. It helps to have Dybala and Pellegrini backing him up.
49 min: Roma seem to have such command of the central areas, but then Spinazzola, to the left, zips in a cross and Lukaku, commander of the skies, nods down and Steele can only hustle the ball away.
47 min: Fati has an early dig but a Roma defender’s limbs take the sting out of his shot. So much like De Zerbi to go for it.
46 min: We are back underway in Rome. A change is made: Ansu Fati replacing Julio Enciso. That’s an adventurous change.
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Half-time: Roma 2-0 Brighton
The scoreline perhaps doesn’t reflect what has been such an open game. Svilar in Roma’s goal has been kept busy but two long-ball goals, first for Dybala, the second for Lukaku have cut Brighton down to size. Much to ponder for Roberto de Zerbi.
45+3 min: More Brighton pressure, a fine response from them. They have a corner but Big Rom, imperious in the air tonight, heads away.
45 min: Close for Brighton! Adingra down the left, and Welbeck at the back post and that’s a fine save from Svilar! Three minutes were added on, by the way.
44 min: Two long ball goals, Brighton are in big trouble in this tie. The long ball was hooked long and Lukaku had Dunk’s beating.
Goal! Roma 2-0 Brighton (Lukaku, 43)
Pellegrini looks better already, breaking up an attack, and setting off another for Roma. The ball is given up and Enciso is given a cameo on the ball. He loses it too easily and Roma go back to front again. Lukaku – in full Big Rom mode – blasts past Dunk and wallops the ball past Steele. That’s the Lukaku who cost £100m, sadly for Brighton.
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41 min: Brighton have conceded possession and chances – and a goal – but they are very much alive in this tie.
39 min: First booking: Van Hecke, a little high on Pellegrini, who didn’t fancy that much and fell heavily. Pellegrini is up but limping.
37 min: Another Roma move. Dybala’s flick sends Pellegrini on to shoot and win a corner. There’s too much space down the centre. The corner, mind, is cleared.
36 min: Applause from Lukaku to his skipper, Pellegrini, for a pass sent into his orbit but beyond his wingspan.
35 min: Steele back with the ball. Fair to say Lukaku and Dybala aren’t chasing as hard as if they were De Zerbi players. That’s not their job, they might argue. But as the game develops, it has become so.
33 min: Lamptey, very involved, almost gets on to a lofted ball at the back post.
31 min: Lamptey times his tackle well on El Shaarawy, and Roma have a corner. It’s knocked out to Pellegrini who can only hit a wall of players. Dybala then gets space to cross and Steele stoops low to catch first time.
30 min: Jason Steele’s playing out from the back is.;..risky, but it’s also setting moves like Brighton’s latest attack, which Adringra takes on. So far, the Ivorian has done a fine impression of Mitoma.
27 min: Welbeck does well to intercept a pass meant for Paredes. Brighton really at it now. Buonanotte gets closed down and it’s Roma’s turn to go. The ball ends up with Lukaku, and when the ball comes back to him from Spinazzola he nods over.
25 min: Welbeck?! Adringra’s cross and Welbeck heads down and only Svilar stops that going in. Oh, that was close.
24 min: Gilmour and Enciso try and make things happen. Brighton pushing higher and higher, taking risks. That’s the De Zerbi way.
22 min: Brighton corner, and it’s a beauty from Gross. Van Hecke climbs but it’s knocked behind, and Gross will get another go. Dunk loops it back from the edge of the area and Pellegrini takes on a foul to clear lines.
21 min: Lukaku goes playmaker, spinning round and sending Pellegrini on one of his runs. This time, the ball is cleared and Brighton use Lamptey as the outball.
19 min: Maybe time for Brighton to go against their instincts and dig in but Gross and Gilmour try to set up an attack but take too many risks, and concede the ball.
17 min: Roma look really rather good here. Lots of attacking options, and some real experience within the team. Old-style European outfit.
15 min: That’s a sickener for Brighton, and Lamptey will take the blame for not being alert enough. It was a high line, and they were cut open by Paredes’ pass. You don’t see many goals from last man to striker, do you?
Goal! Roma 1-0 Brighton (Dybala, 13)
Roma have the ball in the net. Dybala goes beyond Steele, and slots. The offside flag is very very late. Was Lamptey playing him on? VAR is called upon. Oh, this is tight. And it’s a goal. Dybala scored, having run right through the gate.
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11 min: An outbreak of cool, though Paredes has to play back to his keeper as Brighton press very high. They haven’t come to soak up pressure.
9 min: Relentless. Pellegrini – such a good player – goes on a charge and Brighton hurriedly clear their lines. This has been excellent. All hail the Europa League. Keep it up, lads.
7 min: Brighton take the opportunity to pass the ball around, only for Lamptey to be unable to reach a ball played out wide. They’ve done well, and suddenly Adingra makes his move inwards off the left, and his shot deflects off the post. This is some game so far. Champions League? Yer avin’ a laff.
5 min: Steele makes an error in playing out, and Roma’s high press is causing havoc. Lukaku shoots wide. It looks like the bright, alert Lukaku is with us tonight. That’s a bad sign for Brighton.
4 min: It was Roma attacking at pace there, a huge warning for Brighton. From the corner, Lukaku climbs above Dunk for a second time, and Dybala can’t keep the ball down.
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3 min: Can Brighton set into a rhythm? Their game is based on speeding away at pace. Mitoma will be missed, mind you…..and Jason Steele has to make a save from Romelu Lukaku after Spinazzola’s cross. Tipped over. Wow.
1 min: And away we go in Rome. The home team begin with some possession as the home choir makes a hell of a noise.
Boos from the Roma fans for the Europa League anthem: “woah woah, woah woah woah woah wo”. You know the one.
Now comes their club anthem called, amazingly: Roma Roma Roma.
Here comes the night, a huge one for fans of Brighton & Hove Albion: it’s a long way since the Withdean as they enter the Stadio Olimpico.
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Roma are in reasonable nick, much better than under Jose Mourinho. Since he was sacked, they’ve lost just once, and that was to runaway leaders Inter. The goals have been flying in, too. They were ninth when De Rossi came in.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter Milan | 27 | 56 | 72 |
| 2 | Juventus | 27 | 21 | 57 |
| 3 | AC Milan | 27 | 19 | 56 |
| 4 | Bologna | 27 | 17 | 51 |
| 5 | Roma | 27 | 19 | 47 |
Sign up now for Football Daily. Here’s a portion of today’s.
Six changes to the Brighton team from the side that lost 3-0 to Fulham on Saturday. Up front it’s Danny Welbeck, with Evan Ferguson benched. Simon Adingra and key midfielder Pascal Gross are in, as are Billy Gilmour, Facundo Buonanotte and centre-back Igor.
Decent attacking lineup from Roma: Romelu Lukaku alongside Paulo Dybala and Stephan El Shaarawy. Chris Smalling is on the bench.
Ed Aarons is our man in the Eternal City, keeping safe, we hope. Here’s his preview.
No matter that Brighton have gone three games without a win and come into the Europa League last‑16 tie with several absences through injury including their star winger Kaoru Mitoma. It is their manager who is the visitors’ main attraction, although De Zerbi rejected his opposite number Daniele De Rossi’s description of him as “a genius” when he held court at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday evening.
Some good news on the stabbed fans.
Stabbed Brighton fan with ten stitches has just made it to Stadio Olympico to see #BHAFC tonight pic.twitter.com/LF5iO9MY8B
— Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) March 7, 2024
The teams
Roma: Svilar, Celik, Mancini, N’Dicka, Spinazzola, Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini, Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy. Subs: Rui Patricio, Karsdorp, Smalling, Llorente, Azmoun, Sanches, Aouar, Baldanzi, Bove, Zalewski, Boer, Angelino.
Brighton: Steele, Lamptey, van Hecke, Dunk, Igor, Gilmour, Gross, Adingra, Enciso, Buonanotte, Welbeck. Subs: Verbruggen, Webster, Lallana, Moder, Baleba, Ferguson, Estupinan, Fati, Veltman, McGill, Peupion, Baker-Boaitey.
Referee: Francois Letexier (France)
Preamble
These are the types of fixtures Brighton dreamed of, the likes of Roma. Though understandable fears, too, considering what befell those two fans on Wednesday night. Let’s hope the night can pass off without further violence. Roberto de Zerbi, currently one of his country’s prime coaching exports, has something to prove to the locals. Look at these words from his pre-match press conference: “One day I will go back to Italy. I don’t know when it will come. But when I made the choice to go to Shakhtar I did it because I wanted to find a way outside Italy. Without going into too many details, there were some things in Italy I didn’t like. I decided to do something else.” So expect Brighton, who were well beaten by Fulham at the weekend, be sent out with some fire behind them. Daniele de Rossi is the club legend who has revived Roma after their dalliance with Jose Mourinho.
Kick-off is 5.45pm GMT. Join me.
