Shakhtar Donetsk, already up 3-2 in the first leg, scored in the 16th minute to give the home side a 4-2 lead on aggregate. To make the hill even steeper for Roma to climb, Philippe Mexès was sent off with a second yellow card in the 40th minute, leaving Roma with just ten men to find three goals in 45 minutes. With the only goal coming from a ball that just rolled over the line, a missed penalty by Marco Borriello, and a failure to send of Daniele De Rossi for a clear elbow to Darijo Srna's face, this match is less about football and more about comic relief.
Shakhtar Donetsk Vs. AS Roma: 1-0 Lead To Shakhtar And Roma Go Down A Man
Roma started off the brighter of the two sides, appearing as though they might actually manage to score enough goals to move on to the quarter-finals. That all changed with Shakhtar’s goal, of course. I’d love to tell you who scored, but although Tomáš Hübschman took the credit and the celebration, it looked as though he didn’t even get a touch on as the cross rolled on past three Roma defenders and into the net. Willian got past David Pizarro to put the ball through, but it sure didn’t look as though it would be a shot. Somehow, though, it rolled past Roma keeper Doni and into the back of the net.
In the 27th minute, Roma had their chance to narrow the gap. Howard Webb spotted a foul committed by Henrikh Mkhitaryan inside the box. The midfielder saw yellow and Borriello stepped up to the spot. The Roma forward sent the ball to the right but Rustam Khudzhamov guessed right to save and clear.
Things got even worse for Roma in the 40th when Mexès was sent off for what seemed to be a soft second yellow. It appears Webb thought Mexès pulled at the shirt of Luiz Adriano, although replays showed that Adriano likely made a spectacle out of nothing. No matter, Webb’s decision stands and Roma are down to ten, with Burdisso moving into the center in an attempt to cover.
Really, they’re lucky not to be down to nine. In injury time, De Rossi got it into his head that elbowing Srna in the face would be a wise decision, what with being down to two men and needing three goals. Despite being right in sight of Webb, De Rossi escaped with not even a warning, although replays show a clear elbow inside the area. A red card and a penalty, but instead Srna was given a yellow for dissent.
With so much excitement in the first half, it seems there’s no way the second half will be able to match it. It’s likely time for Roma to elect to move on and focus on regaining fourth place in Serie A.
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