Roma Advances to Europa League Quarterfinals After Defeating Brighton 4-1 on Aggregate

Under normal circumstances, the second leg of a European tie on the road would be cause for consternation in the capital. However, thanks to Roma's utter domination of Brighton in last week's first leg, a 4-0 romp at the Stadio Olimpico, Daniele De Rossi and the Giallorossi had a bit of breathing room in tonight's fixture. As a result, De Rossi shuffled the deck, giving rare starts to Edoardo Bove, Nicola Zalewksi, and Sardar Amzoun, among others,

That's not to suggest that De Rossi was taking Brighton lightly, but with another critical league match looming this weekend, you take the rest where you can get it. Despite the level of turnover, Roma still had stalwarts like Lorenzo Pellegrini, Bryan Cristante, and Evan Ndicka starting from the word go.

Given that advantage, the first 10 to 15 minutes went as you'd expect: Roma, with no real pressure to score, were content to sit back and absorb whatever Brighton threw at them, picking and choosing their spots to rush forward. But thanks to Roma's defensive shape, plus a couple of key interventions from Gianluca Mancini, Brighton was held in check for the first 15 minutes.

In fact, the first chance of the match saw Roma force a turnover deep in Brighton territory, with the ball finding its way to Azmoun at the edge of the 18-yard box. However, in his haste, Azmoun's shot skipped wide of the far post. But it was proof positive that Roma could still keep Brighton honest despite abandoning any sense of attacking football in the early stages of the match.

Despite their passive approach, Roma created the first genuine clear-cut chance of the match in the minute when Azmoun pulled off a stunning overhead volley. However, before he could even turn his head around and race towards the corner flag, the goal was disallowed for a high boot offense on Azmoun—a somewhat controversial one as De Rossi was given a yellow card for dissent after barking at the fourth official.

Judge for yourself:

Brighton finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when Danny Welbeck curled in a shot from the left edge of the 18-yard box, cutting Roma's aggregate lead to 4-1. The Premiership club had miles to go before leveling the tie, but Welbeck's goal awoke the crowd at the American Express Stadium from its slumber.

Despite the goal and the reinvigorated crowd, Roma managed to stem the tide and head into the dressing room with a healthy 4-1 aggregate lead.

Second Half

The second frame picked up right where the first left off: Brighton battling the Roma defense for space and time while the Giallorossi did everything they could to kill the clock, wringing precious seconds out of every dead ball situation. This match was tilted so heavily in Brihgton's favor that Roma didn't win their first corner kick until the 52nd minute, though they nearly provoked their hosts into an unforced error.

With the match creeping towards the hour mark, Brighton became increasingly desperate and more aware of their circumstances, resulting in wave after wave of white/blue shirts crashing into the Roma box. To his credit, Mile Svilar was up to the task, reading every approach angle correctly and easily controlling the aerial space.

Relying on the counterattack as their sole means of punching back, Roma nearly stole a goal in the 60th minute when Leonardo Spinazzola burst through the left channel, rushing headlong into the box and firing a tight-angled attempt off the left upright.

Brighton nearly cut Roma's lead in half in the 62nd minute when Simon Adingra snapped a header at Svilar in the middle of the box. The young Belgian keeper, who seldom had a moment to rest in the second half, denied him with a quick reaction save.

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Svilar remained on his toes for the next 10 to 15 minutes as Brighton continued their desperate search for a second goal. They threw everything they had at Roma and, at times, stretched the Giallorossi backline paper thin. De Rossi responded in the 73rd minute by bringing in Diego Llorente for Zalewski, giving Roma three center-backs for the final 15 minutes plus stoppage.

With 14 shots through 76 minutes, Brighton's M.O. was clear: take a shot, any shot, it didn't matter. However, with only three of those attempts considered on target, Roma's defense did well in denying Brighton any effective attacking space, keeping their shot attempts on the periphery of the area.

De Rossi went to the bench again in the 83rd minute, swapping out Baldanzi for Houssem Aouar. Baldanzi didn't do much of note, but he was one of the few threats dressed in red tonight. He carved out his own space multiple times in the final third but couldn't find the final pass or crevice of space to impact the scoreline.

Ultimately, it was academic, as Roma's commanding 4-0 lead was too much for Brighton to overcome. Thanks to the good work done in the first leg, not to mention the ferocious defending tonight, the Giallorossi are through to the quarterfinals!

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