Isn’t it funny what a few last minute goals can do to turn momentum in football? Unfortunately for Roma, they know it all too well.
Cast your mind back to the 2000-01 season: the Giallorossi’s third, and most recent, Scudetto success. Late goals were the foundation that their built a title run on.
Vincenzo Montella’s winner just after the new year in a crucial game against Inter paved the way for a run that saw them only lose once more.
Crucial points were gained when Giovanni Tedesco of Perugia put through an own goal in injury time to win them a point, as did Montella with a famous stoppage time equaliser away to Juventus with five weeks of the season left.
And now, on a cruel Tuesday night 13 years on, late goals have hurt the Giallorossi and swung momentum in the opposite direction to their glorious triumph a decade prior.
Roma looked on their way to a crucial three points until Vasili Berezutski intervened with a cross-cum-shot that evaded everyone, and suddenly saw Roma’s Champions League fate slip ever so slightly out of their hands.
Stevan Jovetic, a man once heralded as the heir to Francesco Totti in the Italian capital (a claim the Lupi captain himself recently dismissed) admitted that it was that moment that inspired Manchester City to their later surprise success against Bayern Munich.
“We were watching their game before ours and if I’m honest, we celebrated a lot when that goal went in. We were delighted,” Jovetic said after the match.
Ironically it was the intervention of Mehdi Benatia, ex-Roma centre-back, after he admitted wanting “to help Bayern to victory in order to help Roma and my old friends there qualify along with us,” who gave the Premier League champions a helping hand with his dismissal.
But Roma know that they cannot blame Berezutski, Benatia or anyone else for their failings. It comes solely down to themselves.
Two away draws should normally represent decent results in Europe but their draws against Manchester City and CSKA Moscow were games they should have won.
Maicon gave away am avoidable penalty against Manchester City, and there were further chances to beat CSKA Moscow after Totti’s free kick. Radja Nainggolan was the guiltiest of parties when he fizzed his shot wide of the post under no pressure, while Adem Ljajic should have converted in the second half, before they fell to a goal Totti likened to “a punch from Tyson.”
And even then, the results against Bayern Munich could prove extremely costly. Roma’s naivety in continuing to attack and push in the home game contributed to a 7–1 loss that may yet hurt them.
Obviously should Roma defeat Manchester City, the Giallorossi will go through regardless of results elsewhere. Any type of score draw will see the Giallorossi eliminated however, whereas a scoreless stalemate will be enough to send Roma into the Round of 16 — providing CSKA Moscow lose Bayern Munich. Should CSKA Moscow draw Bayern Munich though, a single point will suffice Roma to go through. In the eventuality of a Russian victory, Roma will be in the obligation to win in order to book their place into the next round.
The momentum may be in Manchester at the moment but Roma are still in with a modicum of control over their destiny. Do not concede or simply go for the win and the Champions League Round of 16 — where Roma deserve to be in, given results and performances — will have the Giallorossi walk though its hallowed halls.
Follow Padraig Whelan on Twitter on: @PWhelan88
