![]()
UEFA Champions League Semifinals
![]()
After a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Real Madrid in the quarterfinal, Italian upstarts AS Roma had drawn none other than English champions Manchester City in the semifinals. Having signed talented young midfielder Alessandro Florenzi from Roma two years ago, the Citizens certainly had a lot to prove against their underdog enemies; this is how the tie went down.
The First Leg
A daunting test for any team, Francesco Totti's men first had to fly out to England to take on Manchester City in the Etihad Stadium. Unsurprisingly, the Giallorossi opted for a semi-defensive approach, dropping Grenier deeper into midfield in a 4-1-3-2. Domenico Berardi kept his place in the lineup after his stunning hattrick
Just fourteen minutes in, Berardi picked it up right where he left off. Clement Grenier had searched out the forward with a great long pass, and the wily Italian did the rest, bursting past Inigo Martinez with his blistering pace before rifling into the bottom corner to give Roma a shock 1-0 lead early in the match.
![]()
Domenico Berardi, newly signed from Sassuolo in January, has been on a tear, scoring five goals in his last five matches including his early goal against City in the first leg.
Manchester City nearly equalized twice during the match. Jordi Alba amazingly fired over from 6 yards on the end of a David Silva cross on 50 minutes before Alessandro Florenzi fired a one on one with Asmir Begovic straight into the keeper's hands. Pellegrini's men fought hard to get back into the game, but often fouled their tricky opponents, giving Roma lots of chances to keep possession of the ball and kill time.
Alessio Romagnoli and Tin Jedvaj played extremely well in the final fifteen minutes of the match, restricting Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko into having little to no time on the ball and being unable to take any shots. All game long, the Citizens only could muster 3 attempts on frame, much to the displeasure of the home faithful. The match ended 1-0 to Roma, the Giallorossi now having a massive advantage to take back home
FIRST LEG FINAL SCORE: MANCHESTER CITY 0-1 AS ROMA
The Second Leg
After their shock 1-0 win up north in Manchester, AS Roma returned to their beloved Italy to entertain City in the Stadio Olimpico where 67,520 fans dwarfed the roughly 40,000 that were in attendance at the Etihad a week before. Feeling a bit more ambitious despite their 1-0 lead, Totti lined up his team in their usual attacking diamond 4-1-2-1-2.
Clement Grenier very nearly started this match the way Berardi had started the last match. Having been fed through on the left flank by Turkish playmaker Nuri Sahin, Grenier tried an audacious weak-footed chip from 35 yards on Joe Hart. The English keeper was caught scrambling but just about managed to tip the ball onto the crossbar and watch it bounce away.
![]()
Clement Grenier's chipped shot would have impressed even Zlatan Ibrahimovic with it's audacity and ambition, only to see the lofted hit be just tapped onto the bar by Hart.
As time wore on, things got more and more desperate for the blues of Manchester. Try as they might, however, Roma's midfield diamond proved dominant, controlling the match throughout and not giving the likes of Sergio Aguero even a sniff at a chance. In fact, Pellegrini's side mustered just one shot on target all match long.
In the fourth minute of injury time, Miralem Pjanic sealed the victory. Sebastien Corchia had beaten his man down the right flank and whipped his cross into the near post to find the Bosnian attacking midfielder to tap home from close range, making it 1-0 on the night, 2-0 on aggregate, and sending the Roma faithful into an absolute cacophony of glory.
SECOND LEG FINAL SCORE: AS ROMA 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY
AGGREGATE FINAL SCORE: AS ROMA 2-0 MANCHESTER CITY
Yet again, the Giallorossi have absolutely shocked the football world in this incredible run to the Champions League final, dismissing both Real Madrid and now Manchester City in their hunt for a first ever European Cup crown. After tomorrow's match, we will know whether Totti and his team will take on either Borussia Dortmund or Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Quick Links
Last Update
Next Update
