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AS Roma beat Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at home in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16. The win guaranteed Roma's progress to the quarter-finals, with the Italians going through on away goals after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate.
It was an even first period of the game, in spite of both teams combining for only one shot on goal.
Both Roma and Shakhtar had good half chances but failed to convert on any of them as they went in level at the break.
The second half started on an ideal note for the home side, as they took the lead when Edin Dzeko converted his chance after being put through one on one with the goalkeeper.
The rest of the game did not have much action as the Ukranian side failed to make their possession stats count as they lacked any real threat going forward having a total of just five shots.
Here are the talking points from the game:
#5 Evenly matched first half
It was an evenly contested first 45 minutes despite Shakhtar Donetsk having the higher percentage of possession.
Both the teams created similar amount of chances going forward in spite of only one shot being on target.
However, Shakhtar showed more creativity in the attacking third, completing six successful take ons with a passing accuracy of 87%. They came close twice to taking the lead, firstly, when AS Roma avoided putting the ball in their own from a resulting corner.
Secondly, it was when Facundo Ferreyra dispossessed fellow countryman Federico Fazio but failed to capitalise on his opportunity after going through on goal but was fended off well by Fazio as his sliding shot went wayward.
For the home team, the best moment of the first half was when Cengiz Under was put through one on one but his extra stride resulted in him being flagged offside.
#4 Roma score early in the second half
AS Roma did not have much of the ball in the opening 45 minutes of the game. Shakhtar Donetsk had 60% ball possession and they were set up once again to continue playing this way for the rest of the game.
As, for Roma, they had to make full use of their chances when they got the ball.
They implied it perfectly by scoring just seven minutes into the second period of the game when Kevin Strootman's through ball found Dzeko near the box and the Bosnian grabbed his chance with both hands finding the net after putting the ball through the legs of Shakhtar goalkeeper, Andriy Pyatov, to give his team the lead.
#3 Dzeko delivers again
In spite of his game-winning goal, it was a fairly quiet game for Dzeko in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16.
A Strootman through ball found him open outside the box and the Bosnian delivered by putting the ball in the back of the net through the legs of the keeper to give his side an early lead right away in the second half, equalizing the score on aggregate.
The goal meant that the Romans had to revert back to their defensive duties once again and protect the lead.
Personally, the former Manchester City forward had four shots in all, winning five aerial battles and completing a total of only nine passes.
The Roma No.9 was able to accumulate a total of only 25 touches in the entire game but his goal was enough to secure qualification to the quarterfinals. He was substituted in the 89th minute, to a standing ovation from the Stadio Olimpico.
#2 Shakhtar's attack misfires
Paulo Fonseca had set up his team to dominate in possession. This tactic worked as his side had 62% of the ball in the game.
But, they couldn't make their dominance count as they failed to score a goal and lacked a proper attacking threat.
The quartet of Marlos, Taison, Bernard and Facundo Ferreyra all combined for a total of just three shots in the second leg.
They seemed to have the creative edge going forward in the first half but in the second half, they lacked imagination.
Shakhtar Donetsk lost the ball 15 times, which caused the attack in being broken down on multiple occasions allowing Roma the time to get back in shape defensively.
Going forward, the Ukrainians had become predictable, finding it heart to break down the solid defense of their Italian counterparts and could register only five shots, with none of them on target.
The attacking trio of Shakhtar, playing behind the striker, were able to complete only two key passes, one accurate cross and were able to win just a sole aerial duel.
Ferreyra did not have much involvement in the game due to a lack of service, finishing the game with a mere 25 touches and two shots.
#1 Roma's defensive organisation
Shakhtar Donetsk had 62% of possession in the entire game. This meant, that the AS Roma back four had to be up to the task against the creativity and attacking threat of the Brazilians Marlos, Fred, Taison and Bernard.
The task was going to be harder for Roma's defence especially after they took the lead as they had to protect it and they responded brilliantly protecting their lead.
The defensive duo of Kostas Manolas and Federico Fazio combined for a total of 13 clearances and five interceptions.
Aerially, the Italians outperformed the Ukrainians as they won a total of 15 aerial duels in the game along with their 24 successful tackles.
They recovered the ball at crucial moments of the game, dispossessing Shakhtar 16 times, allowing the away side to have only five shots with none of them being on target.
The Italian club's goalkeeper Alisson Becker, had a comforable night in goal as Paulo Fonseca's men failed to register a shot on goal.
His defense put in an excellent performance clearing the ball out of danger and kept him covered throughout the night.
