AS Roma falls to Lille in a match marked by missed penalties
In a match filled with emotions and unexpected turns, AS Roma suffered a 1-0 defeat against Lille in the Europa League, a match that will be marked by a series of missed penalties by the Italian team. Roma faced an unusual situation at the end of the match, when they had three consecutive opportunities from the penalty spot to tie the score. However, luck was not on their side. After Artem Dovbyk’s first two attempts were saved by goalkeeper Berke Özer, the referee ordered the penalty to be retaken on both occasions due to encroachment within the area. Faced with this situation, Roma changed the penalty taker, but Matías Soulé suffered the same fate, as Özer once again stopped the shot, this time diving to his right to deflect the ball in the 85th minute.Lille coach Bruno Génésio also expressed his surprise at what happened:The penalties? It felt endless. Berke made three great saves: we owe him a lot for that.
Nabil Bentaleb, Lille midfielder
Hakon Arnar Haraldsson had put Lille ahead with an angled shot in the sixth minute at the Stadio Olimpico, which was enough for the French club to get their second win in two games. Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini lamented the defeat and his team’s lack of effectiveness:The end of the match was intense: it’s the first time I’ve seen three consecutive penalties missed. A lot of emotion and a great reward for the players after the defeats against Lens and Lyon. We won, but we still haven’t achieved anything.
Bruno Génésio, Lille coach
The coach added:I have never seen three missed penalties in the same match. We went 1-0 down very early and put Lille in the best position to play their game. Roma played with great desire and rhythm. We looked for the result until the final whistle and, although we conceded some opportunities, that’s how it is in Europe. We were not strong enough to capitalize on our chances.
Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma coach
Lille will look to maintain their good form when they host Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on Sunday.The penalties undoubtedly affected the result. The team gave a lot in terms of intensity, and that penalty could have been a turning point. When you lose, it’s natural to see everything negatively, but we are taking some positive lessons from this match.
Gian Piero Gasperini, coach of Roma
