AS Roma struck very early and very late to take a commanding 2-0 lead after the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie. A tightly-contested game was decided by two decisive moments of brilliance from the Italian giants.
REAL SOCIEDAD RATINGS:
Alex Remiro: 4 – Stood no chance with either goal. Was extremely sloppy with his feet, and was lucky to not pay for two big errors on the ball.
Andoni Gorosabel: 4 – Linked up well in transition with the midfield but his final deliveries into the box were subpar.
Igor Zubeldia: 3 – A tough night, which began with Tammy Abraham making mincemeat of him in the build-up to the first goal, and then losing his marker as Kumbulla headed home a second. A gritty performance otherwise, but the cons outweigh the pros.
Robin Le Normand: 5 – Made no mistakes defensively and was assured in possession.
Diego Rico: 4 – A thunderous long-range hit aside, largely unspectacular. Was caught out by Roma’s quick counter-attack for the opener.
Martin Zubimendi: 5 – Circulated possession well with his fellow midfielders.
Mikel Merino: 5 – Came more into prominence in the second half as he occupied more offensive areas of the pitch. Will rue putting a chance wide late on that could’ve equalised to make it 1-1.
Asier Illarramendi: 3 – Extremely passive on the ball, and looked uncomfortable in his role on the left side of midfield.
David Silva: 7 – The veteran showed that class is permanent. Was the glue for every La Real move, connecting brilliantly with Kubo and Co. Whether it was dropping deep to emerge as an outlet or orchestrating a delivery into the box, Silva was excellent.
Takefusa Kubo: 6 – Persistent in his 75 minutes on the pitch, regularly looking to cut inside from the right, albeit with mixed results.
Alexander Sørloth: 3 – Failed to impose himself on the game, and looked terribly clumsy on the ball.
SUBSTITUTES:
Mikel Oyarzabal: 4 – Brought a little more movement and creativity on the ball compared to Sørloth but wasn’t able to provide anything decisive.
Brais Méndez: 5 – Added a more direct approach to the Real Sociedad attack as they looked for the equaliser.
Mohamed Ali-Cho: 4
Álex Sola: n/a
Beñat Turrientes: n/a
Roddur Mookherjee | GSFN
