Roma beat Real Sociedad 2-0. Goals from El Shaarawy and Kumbulla – Sport

Roma beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League. In the 13th minute the Giallorossi found the opening goal through El Shaarawy, at the end of a good counter-attack action following an assist from Abraham. The Spaniards were close to level with Kubo, who hit the post. In the second half Pellegrini collides with Zubeldia and gets a head wound: Mourinho sends him back to the locker room. Abraham also comes out and Belotti enters who hits the crossbar. In the final, Kumbulla makes it 2-0 with a header with an imperious break from Dybala’s corner. The return match is scheduled for March 16 in San Sebastian. The record

Roma takes shelter from nasty surprises and scores a dry 2-0 against Real Sociedad who, in the return match on the 16th next match in San Sebastian, will be called on to a real feat if they want to continue their journey in the Europa League. A ‘remountada’ in football is always possible and feasible, but not if Roma play with the same attention and concentration as tonight. With a goal in each half from El Shaarawy and Kumbulla (yet another center from a set ball), the Giallorossi solved a very complicated match, but less risky than expected. And this thanks to the players available to Mourinho who, especially in the defensive phase, gave the Basques chances with a dropper. All in all, two teams that are equivalent in terms of overall technique and ambitions to win in this tournament still without Italian winners faced each other with the fear of losing more than the desire to win. However, in the end, Roma were more cynical and less wasteful, laying the foundations for a less problematic return, thanks to an unequivocal score.

After 13′ of study, Roma, this time lined up with Abraham at the fore, scored, at the height of a throw-in action developed on the right by Dybala: the Argentine serves Abraham vertically, whose cross cuts the area from right to left and draws El Shaarawy, which he bags behind Remiro after a run-up of about eighty meters. In the 24th minute the Basque goalkeeper messed up, on Pellegrini’s pressing but neither Dybala nor the Roma midfielder himself took advantage of the gift to sign the 2-0. Zubeldia with a right-footed volley in the 27th minute ends high. In the 31st minute a poisonous shot by Dybala, from his favorite position, was intercepted on the fly by Pellegrini who, however, was unable to frame the goal. Remiro in the 42nd minute risks a second omelette, but Abraham struggles to direct the rebound with the goalkeeper towards goal. In the second half, the Basques returned to the field more decisively, but the game remained blocked: Roma looked for the right pocket, the opponents did not reveal themselves and actually moved the center of gravity further forward in an attempt to find an equaliser. They nearly succeeded in the 10th minute, when Rico’s left foot went very close to the post to the right of Rui Patricio, who nonetheless touched the ball. In the 12th minute Pellegrini, on the following corner, collides with Zubeldia and gets himself a head injury: Mourinho sends him back to the locker room. Abraham also leaves and Belotti enters. In the 22nd minute Mancini made a great throw precisely because of the ‘Gallo’ who flies, enters the area from the right and, from a complicated position, splinters the crossbar. The pressure from Real Sociedad grows, but Roma hold on. The Giallorossi block gives further proof of reliability. Merino bites his hands in the 38th minute, failing to equalize just a few steps from Rui Patricio. But in the 42nd minute Roma exploited the best of their repertoire: set pieces. From Dybala’s corner, Kumbulla closes the score from a few steps away, hitting with his head and making the return to the Basque Country less difficult