GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma shook off the rust on Tuesday night by beating CSKA Moscow 3-0 in the Champions League. It was a bounce back to form for the Giallorossi, following Saturday's embarrassing loss to SPAL. Despite concerns of the threat CSKA could pose - they'd already beaten Real Madrid in the competition this year - Roma looked comfortable from start to finish. Eusebio Di Francesco has now guided Roma to seven consecutive home wins in the Champions League, with last year's 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid the only time they haven't won under him in the competition at Stadio Olimpico. However, the main protagonist on the night was Edin Dzeko, who showed his importance to the side yet again, winning the UEFA Champions League player of the week award in the process. Here's a look back at both his goals, and the one he assisted for Cengiz Under. Goal one: Edin Dzeko (1-0) Roma took the lead in the first half with a goal that was poetry in motion. The Giallorossi completed an amazing 29 passes before Dzeko dispatched the ball in the net. Every single outfield player touched the ball in the build up to the goal. Things really got into gear when Lorenzo Pellegrini found a space on the edge of the attacking third, turning out as he received the ball from Daniele De Rossi. Pellegrini then played a neat one-two with Stephan El Shaarawy, who was lurking in the centre of the box, running beyond the defender to get to the ball first. Pellegrini played the ball across the face of goal first time, with the instinctive Dzeko ready to pounce. The striker had shown more anticipation for the ball than the defenders, who he had brushed past as he got himself into prime scoring position. It left him with a tap in; there was no doubt he would finish it. The goal highlighted a patient but lethal approach from Roma. They didn't force a cross into the box or panic when they ran out of space. Instead, they kept the ball moving, switching the play carefully from the left to the right and vice versa. Pellegrin's willingness to get on the ball was particularly important in crafting the goal, with De Rossi and El Shaarawy also playing a key role in dictating the play. Goal two: Edin Dzeko (2-0) Edin Dzeko lives for the Champions League. After scoring Roma's first ever hat trick in the competition on the last matchday, the Bosnian went close to repeating the feat on Tuesday. This, his 80th goal, saw him overtake Dino Da Costa into 9th place on the club's all-time scoring chart. This time it was Cengiz Under's positivity that created the chance. The winger picked up possession from the influential De Rossi, driving into the space in front of him. As he tried to get in between two defenders, the ball slipped out of his reach, but El Shaarawy was in the right place at the right time and kept up the positive momentum by playing it around the corner for Dzeko, who had peeled away to the right when Under was coming inside. Having found the space, Dzeko then coolly placed the ball across the keeper to double his side's advantage. Goal three: Cengiz Under (3-0) The first goal of the evening took the headlines for the way it was created, but in terms of a pure finish, this was the best strike of the night. Once again, De Rossi was involved at the beginning of the move, feeding the ball across to Alessandro Florenzi, who kept up the impetus by playing a well-weighted ball over the top. Dzeko used his height and strength to beat off the opposing defenders, with Under reacting to the ball as it dropped down from the number nine's header. Shifting his feet across, Under opened his body up and used the inside of his foot to powerfully place the ball in the top left corner. There was nothing the keeper could do as Under showed impeccable control to find the hardest place for him to reach. Highlights from BT Sport YouTube
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samuel bannister
Founder and editor of Giallorossi Yorkshire, who is also a columnist for Roma's official website about the women's team. Categories
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October 2019
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