Yesterday’s victory over Parma, which featured both a stoppage-time equalizer and a match-winner, was one of the wildest finishes we’ve seen in quite some time. Despite the combined heroics of Devyne Rensch and Donyell Malen, Sunday’s win left a few lingering questions, chief among them: Will this victory be a springboard to fourth place or just a footnote at the end of another frustrating season? Also, why does Roma always do this to us?
Joking aside, the Giallorossi demonstrated remarkable resilience in their thrilling comeback victory. Without those three points, Roma’s Champions League hopes might have faded, but now there is hope. Thanks to Atalanta’s 3-2 victory over AC Milan yesterday, Roma ended Round 36 with 67 points: level with 4th-place AC Milan and just one point behind third-place Juventus.
It still won’t be easy, but if Roma can ride this high into Sunday’s Derby della Capitale (and get a little help from the Capitano Futuro against Milan), then all bets are off—they could finally return to the Champions League.
However, before we start wishing on lucky stars, let’s pass out some halos!
The Saints
Devyne Rensch
The more unsung of Roma’s two Dutchmen, Rensch, was the club’s saving grace yesterday. From his 93rd-minute equalizer, which required every ounce of hustle, to drawing the decisive penalty five minutes later, Rensch made the most of his 15 official minutes of action. It must be incredibly difficult to be thrown into such an important match with so little time to prove oneself, so kudos to Rensch for making his mark… and saving Roma’s bacon.
Donyell Malen
What else can we say? After bagging a brace against Parma, Malen broke Mario Balotelli’s record for the most goals by a January signing, pushing his total to 13 goals in 16 matches. Simply incredible. It will be very interesting to see how Gasperini and the future Sporting Director decide to augment his talents.
Paulo Dybala
If this is truly it for La Joya and the Giallorossi (which we certainly hope is not the case), Dybala is leaving it all on the table. Making his first start in over three months, the 32-year-old was instrumental in his first 90-minute runout since January 10th: five passes into the final third, a game-high six chances created (three times as many as his closest competitor), and a lovely one-timed assist on Malen’s first goal.
Dybala is already lamenting the fact that next week could be his final match at the Stadio Olimpico, so let’s hope that sentiment is misplaced and Roma finds a way to keep him aboard for another season or two.
The Sinners
Mile Svilar
Even the gods stumble from time to time. After carrying Roma on his back for so long, we can forgive Svilar for the rare lapse. Clemency aside, we can’t ignore the obvious: his usually prodigious shot-stopping was AWOL on Sunday. Parma managed only three on-target attempts yesterday, generating a measly 0.71 xG, yet found the back of the net twice.
Needless to say, Roma will need all the Mile magic they can get over the next two weeks, but he was let down by the folks at the back.
The Entire Backline (Plus Manu Koné)
We often lump Roma’s back three together in the Saints section, so I hope you’ll permit me the same luxury here. And if you’ll allow me to drill down even further, this pitchfork stems almost entirely from the first goal.
First, there was Evan Ndicka, who one-timed the ball from midfield without even glancing up to see where Mario Hermoso was, forcing the Spaniard to scramble to recover. But we can excuse Hermoso here, either because he made nearly an identical mistake, casually pinging an errant ball to a teammate, resulting in a turnover. With no chance to win the 50/50 ball, Koné casually strides down the right channel before slowing to an outright jog once the ball reaches the area. And once Strefezza settled the ball and cut to his right, Koné took one awkward hop step in his direction, offering little resistance.
The second goal wasn’t quite as calamitous, but Roma’s backline didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory, letting Mandela Keita breeze right past them to settle a chipped ball in the box, scoring his first goal of the season.
Not great, Bob!
Roma ultimately prevailed, so it may feel like we’re splitting hairs here, but lapses like these could sink Roma next weekend against Lazio in what is sure to be one of the most intense derbies we’ve ever seen.
