Roma seal progress at ten-man Feyenoord
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Article summary
Feyenoord 1-2 AS Roma (agg: 2-3)
Adem Ljajić and Gervinho were on target for the visitors as Roma progressed with their first win in seven European away trips.
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• Adem Ljajić and Gervinho score as Roma progress; Elvis Manu hits consolation
• Feyenoord's Mitchell Te Vrede sent off; unused substitute Erwin Mulder also sees red
• Roma record first win in seven European away trips
• Feyenoord's four-game European winning streak at home brought to a halt
• Follow Friday's round of 16 draw on UEFA.com, with live streaming from 13.00CET
Gervinho struck in the second half to send AS Roma through to the UEFA Europa League round of 16 following a tense second leg against Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
Following a 1-1 draw in the opener, both teams initially struggled to create clear chances. The Dutch side threatened via Jens Toornstra's long-range effort, but they also had a succession of crosses cleared by the Roma defence. Indeed, it was the visitors who looked more likely to score in the first half, with Francesco Totti heavily involved. The Giallorossi captain almost struck with a delicate lob and likewise drove against a post and sent another effort just wide.
The Serie A side got the goal they had been threatening seconds before the interval, though it came after Feyenoord goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer had tried to start a quick counterattack following a Roma set piece. Vasilis Torosidis's cross found Adem Ljajić in space and the playmaker struck his effort past the Dutch international custodian.
The encounter became a heated affair after the restart, with Mitchell Te Vrede sent off following a challenge on Kostas Manolas and unused substitute Erwin Mulder also seeing red, while the game was suspended for 20 minutes due to a crowd disturbance.
Despite being down to ten men, the hosts managed to carve out an equaliser close to the hour mark when Karim El Ahmadi sent Elvis Manu clear with only Łukasz Skorupski to beat. The forward – introduced moments earlier – finished calmly past the Roma keeper.
The Giallorossi responded just three minutes later, however, Torosidis delivering another right-wing cross and Gervinho finding the net from close range. Manu and Terence Kongolo created promising openings at the other end late on, but Feyenoord's UEFA Europa League bid was coming to an end – along with their four-game home winning streak in the competition.
