Roma-Porto 3-2: Dybala show at the Olimpico and Giallorossi in the eighth finals

Rome 20 February 2025 - A victory was needed and this was not lacking. The Roma wins and secures the pass to the eighth finals at the expense of Harbour: at the Olympic Stadium ends 3-2 the challenge between the parties and by virtue of the draw in the first leg qualifies for the next round of this Europa League. Dybala he takes the team on his shoulders and overturns the initial advantage of Samu with a splendid double. In the end there is also glory for pisilli, while Rensch adds a pinch of spice to the minutes of injury time, with the own goal at the end of the match. This however does not change the substance of the match, characterised by the expulsion of Eustaquio in the 51st minute for a shot inflicted on ParedesIn the eighth finals, the Capitoline team awaits the derby with the Lazio or theAthletic Club of Bilbao.

First half

For the Olympic challenge Ranieri confirms the defense of the first leg, with Steel, Mancini e N'Dicka to cover Silker. There is El Shaarawy on the right, with Angelino on the opposite side to make up the midfield on the sides of Koné e Paredes. Forward Shomurodov is the choice in attack, supported by Dybala e Pellegrini. On the other side Anselmi courageously chooses the 3-4-3 with Diogo Costa, protected by Djalo, Pérez e Otavio in defense. In midfield Eustaquio e Varela they are the two medians, with Joao Mario e Moura on the outside. In attack there is Pepe and Fabio Vieira to run alongside Samu. I take to the field with a black armband to remember the passing of the club's former president Jorge Pinto da Costa.

La Roma starts well and from the first moments shows courage and enterprising, even if it doesn't immediately impose itself in terms of possession. It takes just 4 minutes for the Capitoline team to create the first goal opportunity. Cross from the three-quarter line by Steel arrived at the end of a rather elaborate pass by the home team, header in the area of Pellegrini, but the ball goes just over the bar. The guests try to get into rhythm with insistent dribbling, but it's still the Roma to cause fear in attack. At 14' it is Shomurodov to be served in the area and to head the ball from a good position, but he fails to direct it precisely towards the away goal. 

At 16' again Harbour in trouble this time Djalo he has the ball snatched from him Pellegrini during the Roma pressing in the opponent's area. The captain, however, is unable to conclude before the opposing defender recovers. The match seems to be going in the direction of Roma, with the guests in difficulty and the first yellow card of the match in the 26th minute, specifically Otavio. At the moment of maximum control of the match by the Capitoline team, however, disaster arrives and a Roman mistake gives the advantage to the Portuguese. Postponement of Silker wrong, with Paredes that slips. The goalkeeper recovers in the first instance on Scallop, but the Portuguese player still recovers the ball in the second and third time, on the last occasion he serves with his head Samu, who stops and puts the ball under the crossbar with an overhead kick. At the Olimpico it's 0-1 for the Harbour, thanks to a Roma mistake, which culminated in a masterpiece from the 2004-born striker.

The goal also sparks tension in the Giallorossi home and the first to pay the consequences is Dybala. The Roma but he doesn't throw in the towel, he settles down and starts to put the Portuguese in difficulty again, even managing to score the equaliser. First there is the warning for Pérez, in a no-go action on the shot Pellegrini. Just one minute later, however, at 35', the talent of Dybala. La Joya receives the ball from the three-quarter line and finds space to penetrate the opposing defense. Shomurodov offers the first pass and the Argentine finds himself face to face with Diogo Costa: outside touch and net bulging, to the joy of the Olimpico. Less than ten minutes after the away team took the lead, Roma equalized.

The emotions of the first half did not end there: the forcing at the end of the first half was all Giallorossi style. Dybala he is not satisfied with the equaliser and in the 39th minute he scores again. This time the Argentine enters from the right, receiving the ball between the lines from Koné. Fake on the opponent and dry left-footed shot to the near post from inside the area and Diogo Costa mocked: it's 2-1 for the Roma. La Joya celebrates lying on the pitch, under the thunderous applause of the stadium, the result overturned.

The home team, however, did not finish its volley and came within inches of the third goal. On the developments of a corner kick Diogo Costa makes a double super intervention on Mancini before and N'Dicka then. The Senegalese player has another chance to push the ball into the goal, but this time it is Otavio to save the white and blue goal. The first half at the Olimpico ends like this: the score is 2-1 for the Roma. 

Second half

The match restarts without changes, the 22 protagonists of the first half confirmed to resume the match. The second half was very nervous from the start, with Dybala e Otavio to hook up after less than a minute of play, sparking great nervousness between the parties. However, in the 51st minute the match changed. A clash with the ball far away between Eustaquio e Paredes, the player from the capital remains on the ground. Letexier he sees nothing and is called to the VAR, where he sees the Canadian's reaction to the initial contact of the Argentine, the response sees the expulsion of the midfielder of Harbour and the yellow card for that of the Roma. The match thus changes at the start of the second half, the rest of this match will see the Capitoline team enjoy numerical superiority.

Moment of confusion in the Portuguese house, the Giallorossi try to take advantage of it: Angelino before and Shomurodov then they flirt with the third goal, but they don't find the target. The Uzbek actually finds the back of the net in the 60th minute, but he starts a few moments early, ending up in offside. A few seconds before the goal disallowed for the Giallorossi, the entrance onto the field, side Harbour, Borges in place of Pepe.

La Roma he keeps his foot on the accelerator in search of the chance that can close the race. Dybala almost scored a hat-trick, while Anselmi with courage you play the card blackberry for Otavio, looking for opportunities to straighten out the game in attack. An opportunity that arrives in the 67th minute: Quick relaunch by Diogo Costa that sends Samu in a one-on-one with N'Dicka: the attacker gets the upper hand and comes face to face with Silker, goalkeeper missed, but the ball hit the post and thus saved the Giallorossi. 

The opportunity for the Portuguese scares the Roma, but the substance of the match doesn't change. It's always the Capitoline team who manage the match and force the guests into their half of the pitch. Koné first kick high, then Dybala He has two more excellent chances, but the Capitoline team is unable to close out the match. Ranieri The first two changes of the match are played like this when in the 77th minute he sends on the pitch pisilli e Koné for Pellegrini e Shomurodov. The answer of Anselmi it's a triple change with the inputs of Gomes, Namaste e Perez, leave the pitch instead Varela, Scallop e Moura.

The substitutions, however, smile on the Capitoline team and in the 84th minute the goal that closes the match arrives. Prolonged ball possession by the Giallorossi, Dybala fan to the left for Angelino, who stops and crosses into the area: in a flying dive he arrives pisilli, who put his signature on the 3-1 of Roma, the seal on the passage of the round of the Capitoline team. In the following minutes yellow card for the new arrival Perez, they enter Baldanzi e Rensch for Dybala ed El Shaarawy, but the game is now over. In the recovery minutes there is also room for Saud, on the field in place of Steel; there is yellow for Gomes there is also an own goal by Rensch to add a pinch of spice to the end of the match. The Dutchman, to anticipate his marker, pushes the cross into the goal Borges, but it doesn't change the substance. After 5 minutes there is the triple whistle of Letexier. The Roma passes the round and beats Porto 3-1, thanks to a Dybala star-shaped and now waits to know its fate, waiting for her Lazio o Athletic Bilbao.