Liverpool’s opponents in the Champions League semi-finals did not expect to get this far but their manager’s tactical nous produced a magnificent comeback to stun Barcelona
It is 34 years since Roma reached a European Cup semi-final. And only one month less than that since Liverpool beat them on penalties in the final. Older fans still wince at the memory, hardly surprising when you consider it took place at their very own Stadio Olimpico.
Times change, though, and this two-leg tie has a very different context. Roma, bluntly, did not expect to come this far. When they were drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16, their captain, Daniele De Rossi, said there were “two or three teams in this season’s Champions League against whom, in all probability, we would already be beaten before kick-off”.
Related: Champions League draw: Liverpool to face Roma in semi-finals
Continue reading...