It was a tough loss for Roma in in the first leg of Europa League playoff as RedBull Salzburg won 1-0 thanks to a goal scored by Nicolas Capaldo in the 88th minute.
This means that Jose Mourinho’s side will have to win with a two goal margin the second leg next week at the Olimpico in order to qualify for next round.
It hasn’t been an easy night for the Giallorossi against a very physical and organized team but nevertheless there are positive notes from the trip in Austria.
Here are the three standout performers from the game in Salzburg:
Tammy Abraham
The Englishman hasn’t scored for the second game in a row but he has been by far the most dangerous man for Roma. He has been involved in all the big chances and fighted alone against the two Salzburg’s center backs. Tonight the connection with Dybala has not worked so he stepped up his game in order to compensate his teammates’s struggles giving everything he had before being subbed off.
Bryan Cristante
Solid as usual. Cristante matched Salzburg’s phisicality by pressing high in the pitch and fighting on every 50-50 ball. A little bit of bad luck for him too as he clipped the post with an header in what could have been a game changer for Roma but it turned out to be the biggest regret at the final whistle.
Andrea Belotti
Il Gallo is alive and kicking. Coming on from the bench, Andrea Belotti had the best chance of the game when his close-range tap-in was deflected on the crossbar by Salzburg’s keeper Kohn. He was there, ready to score and that’s a great news for Jose Mourinho who can now fully commit himself on the Italian striker as a solid backup for the Abraham-Dybala duo.
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Andrea Agostinelli | GIFN
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