ROME -- Euphoria consumed the Stadio Olimpico in the 93rd minute of Thursday’s Roma-Bilbao Europa League game as Roma’s Eldor Shomurodov managed to curve a strike into the Bilbao net. The Uzbek national’s last minute attempt secured a 2-1 victory for the Roma side. This brought a sigh of relief to an incredibly tight game marked with near misses and fouls on both sides. Roma will be satisfied to arrive at next week's second leg in San Mamés with a goal up and a step closer to the Europa quarter finals.

 A tense first half was marked by neither team showing dominance in possession. Roma fans coordinated an impressive showing of giallo rossi flags around the Olimpico to will their team’s success in this vital last 16 match.

 Roma’s best chance of the half came from a promising attack led by Ukrainian Artem Dobvyk which was quickly undone by a slip on the grass -- an error which was to blight several Roma players throughout the match. Argentine ace Paulo Dybala gave Roma another chance to believe but was denied by the crossbar after a skillful assist from Tommaso Baldanzi.

 The second half gifted both sets of fans three goals in an aggressive gearing up of the match. Roma hopes were quickly dented by Bilbao’s Iñaki Williams who scrambled a header from a Bilbao corner in the 49th minute. Roma quickly responded with a solid strike from Spanish player José Angeliño, scoring just seven minutes later. The stadium erupted from Roma fans celebrating as if this had secured them the match.

 Roma was then gifted an opportunity as a red card befell Bilbao’s Yeray Álvarez in the 85th minute which put them at a one man advantage on the attack. This mirrored Sunday’s decisive change in Roma’s fortunes over Como when a red for the other side swung the scales for Roma. Eldor Shomurodov sealed the deal against Bilbao with a literal last minute - albeit weak - strike that managed to find its way and explode the stands of the Stadio Olimpico.

 This win continues manager Claudio Ranieri’s magic touch for the Roma team.

 His controversial decision to take off Dybala and Dovbyk in the 71st minute paid off massively with their substitutes Shomurodov and Matías Soulé combining an assist and goal in the closing stages of the game.

 Ranieri has reshaped the Roma team which covers more of the pitch better, whilst sidelining central players such as Lorenzo Pellegrini.

 Roma fans will be hoping this magic touch guides them all the way to the Europa league final, but the next stop is San Mamés on March 13.

 jp-jh