Roma fell just short of pulling off another miracle, beating Liverpool 4-2 in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final but losing the tie 7-6 on aggregate.
Edin Dzeko was instrumental in his side’s win on the night, turning in another starring display and giving them hope with an early second-half goal.
Here’s a closer look at his performance.
KEY STATS
Goals – 1
Assists – 0
Shots – 9
Shots on target – 2
Pass accuracy – 61%
Key Passes – 2
Dribbles – 3
Touches – 43
30-SECOND REPORT
Dzeko was a menacing presence throughout the game, engaging the Liverpool defence, finding pockets of spaces, and providing the aerial threat that he always does. His goal was just reward for an immense performance, albeit one that wasn’t enough to help his side to another miraculous comeback. He also made a game-defining error that led to a Liverpool goal.
GOT RIGHT
His goal was one of those classic, cleverly simple strikers’ finishes. It seemed like an easy chance, slotting home a rebound, but he had to go back across his body and lift it over a converging Liverpool defence.
Dzeko gave that rearguard a torrid time all night long, finding spaces where he could do damage and engaging in bruising battles.
Dzeko scored a goal that gave Roma hope of pulling off their comeback.
GOT WRONG
Dzeko is usually such a reliable defensive presence on set pieces. On Wednesday he was left to rue an uncharacteristic error, with his poor attempted clearance setting up Liverpool’s second goal. The game was 1-1 before that and Roma were starting to hope.
Given that they ended up winning 4-2, that moment effectively cost them a place in the final.
KEY MOMENTS
25th minute, ERROR: Dzeko attempted to clear a corner, but his header ended up being flicked backwards, straight into the path of Georginio Wijnaldum to score Liverpool’s second on the night.
52nd minute, GOAL: A classic poacher’s goal. Liverpool keeper Loris Karius could only parry Stephan El Shaarawy’s shot into Dzeko’s path, and the striker clipped a smart finish to give Roma hope.
80th minute, SHOT: Dzeko found space on the left side of the box and had another chance to score. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get enough purchase on the shot, and it rolled tamely into Karius’ hands.
VERDICT
It was a nearly game for Dzeko. He got one goal and could have had a couple more, which would have made for a famous hat- trick given Roma ended up being one goal short of levelling the tie.
Instead, Dzeko’s performance mirrored that of his side – falling just short of a miraculous result, instead settling for a glorious defeat.
RATING – 8/10
