Roma Player Ratings vs Bayer Leverkusen: Bleak Giallorossi Close to Elimination

2 weeks ago 26

Daniele De Rossi will likely continue to coach Roma well past his original short-term contract. However, he and the club have decided together to wait.

Undefeated Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen proved a tall order for Roma and are on the brink of avenging last season’s Europa League semi-final heartache. Xabi Alonso’s side scored on either side of halftime to claim a comfortable 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.

Goals from Florian Wurtz and Robert Andrich put Roma in a near-impossible situation ahead of the second-leg clash in Germany. Daniele De Rossi’s men were on the back foot for most of the game and looked seemingly incapable of creating any danger in front of Leverkusen’s goal.

Things could’ve been different had Romelu Lukaku’s header ended in the back of the net instead of hitting the crossbar at 0-0. However, Roma failed to do anything noteworthy from open play for the remainder of the match.

The closest Roma got to finding the net was at the start of the second half as Bryan Cristante met Paulo Dybala’s corner-kick delivery on the near post, only to glance his free header well wide of the target.

In their defense, Roma didn’t give up many shooting opportunities to Bayer. But Die Werkself capitalized on a handful of chances to secure a substantial advantage ahead of next week’s rematch at the BayArena.

Let’s look at our player ratings.

Roma (4-3-3)

Mile Svilar – 6

It’s debatable whether he could’ve done better for Andrich’s goal, but the German’s long-range effort was outstanding. He made two saves and seemed comfortable in set-piece situations.

Rick Karsdorp – 2

An awful night for the Dutchman! Not only did he make a terrible mistake, gifting Leverkusen the opening goal, but he was up the creek without a paddle on both ends of the pitch.

Chris Smalling – 6

There’s not much Roma fans can argue about the veteran’s performance except for the occasional signs of fatigue when called to mark the lightning-fast Wurtz.

Gianluca Mancini – 6.5

Roma’s quarter-final hero had a decent game, dominating his opponents in aerial duels and fighting tooth and nail to clean behind Smalling when needed.

Leonardo Spinazzola – 6

Another typical Spinazzola performance! Not afraid to take his markers in one-on-ones but terminally unable to find a proper cross. Destroyed by Jeremie Frimpong at the back several times!

Bryan Cristante – 5.5

Apart from wasting a glorious opportunity to draw Roma level, the apathetic midfielder had nothing to offer on the opposition’s half.

Lorenzo Pellegrini – 6

Given his high standards since De Rossi’s appointment, the captain will want to forget this fixture as soon as possible.

Leandro Paredes – 5.5

Despite putting in another shift, the Argentine failed to help Roma gain a foothold in the middle of the park.

Stephan El Shaarawy – 6.5

The ex-Milan forward showed some promise in the early exchanges and had several moments of inspiration but couldn’t make a difference today.

Paulo Dybala – 7

Roma’s undoubtedly best player tonight! He was the only home player with an idea in the final third, but a lack of support from his teammates rendered his effort meaningless.

Romelu Lukaku – 6.5

He’ll probably lose some sleep over that 21st minute when his header rattled off the bar. His clubmates couldn’t create any other chance for him tonight, though he fought vigorously for every ball.