Roma only clawed back hope once Salah went off at Anfield and they will be terrified of leaving space in behind for him to attackSlightly fewer than four minutes separated Edin Dzeko’s goal for Roma at Anfield and the penalty awarded rather harshly against James Milner, and in that short space of time the Italians rose from a trance. At 5-0 they were out, they would have needed at least six goals in the second leg. At 5-2 Roma had more than a straw to clutch at, they had given themselves a glimmer of hope, suddenly required only half the number of goals, and had the recent memory of beating Barcelona 3-0 for inspiration.Jürgen Klopp will not be short of...
The manager’s measured assessment of the exhilarating 5-2 Champions League semi-final victory contrasts with the blame game of his Roma counterpart Eusebio Di FrancescoThe awe and wonder from a remarkable Anfield night has not diminished the day after. Fifteen minutes to play in a Champions League semi-final and Jürgen Klopp thinks of Stoke. Almost 60% remains of a tie to decide the cream of Europe’s elite and it is Bruno Martins Indi, Erik Pieters and Mame Biram Diouf who enter the Liverpool manager’s head as he withdraws Mohamed Salah to safeguard against injury. What’s more, he admits it too. “I’m not thinking of one game,” Klopp said. The thought was justified, and another measure of Liverpool’s astonishing command over Roma....
Reds’ talisman broke the back of his former club before Roma hit back with two goals as he caught his breath on the benchTen minutes before half-time on a wild night of Champions League football Mohamed Salah did perhaps the best thing so far of the many wonderful things contained in his dreamy first Liverpool season.By that stage Anfield was in one of those periods of constant uproar, jiggled and tickled and dragged into a state of intoxication as Liverpool battered away at Roma without drawing breath. It is no secret this Liverpool team play in surges, moments when the day seems to turn a shade of deep red and when the front three become a whirl of malevolent action....
Dzeko, who did not do himself justice at Manchester City, has reached a first Champions League semi-final at Roma, showing players can reach the heights after falling short in EnglandOne of the joys of European football is catching up with familiar faces who have slightly fallen off the radar since leaving England. This applies less to global stars like Gareth Bale and Luis Suárez, both of whom play for clubs who are always in the news, and more to foreign players with a quirky character, like the maverick talent who gains cultish adoration despite never quite living up to the hype, or the flop who disappears without a trace before surfacing again to complain about the food, the people and...
Lazio are in pieces after a shattering Europa League exit a day after Roma’s miracle comeback against Barcelona but a Champions League spot is at stake on SundayThe biggest Rome derby in at least half a decade has been overshadowed by events preceding it. On Tuesday, Roma pulled off one of the great European comebacks: recovering from three goals down to eliminate Barcelona from the Champions League and reach the semi-finals. The shoe was on the other foot for Lazio two days later, as their 4-2 lead from the first leg became a 6-5 defeat to RB Salzburg in the Europa League.Such results define entire seasons. Even if Roma lose to their semi-final opponents Liverpool, this would still be the...