AS Roma suffer shock defeat to Man Utd

 ROME – AS Roma suffered a shock defeat in their UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford despite being 0-2 up at half-time as the Red Devils performed a spectacular comeback.

 Roma, who are currently third place in the domestic Serie A league with 28 goals scored so far, dominated the first half. The Giallorossi scored two in six minutes, with the first coming from dispossessing Man Utd in their own half, followed by a beautiful long ball from Mora which landed at the feet of Matias Soule, who slotted it into the goal.

 The second goal came in the form of a penalty. Manchester United defender, Ayden Heaven, committed a handball within the box in an attempt to stop Dalot from scoring. Donyell Malen, who has scored eight goals in the domestic league this season, stepped up to the spot and sent Man Utd goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, flying the wrong way.

 Man Utd’s defence seemed to be in tatters, scrambling to stop Roma’s attacks, with a third goal nearly being scored by Mora. Even when Man Utd were on the attacking front, their offensives were easily stopped by the Italians.

 The match seemed to be reinforcing the frustration of Man Utd fans, who were throwing tennis balls and bottles onto the pitch during the first half to protest the way in which the club is being run and the Glazer ownership. Boos rang out around the stadium at half-time.

 Man Utd manager, Michael Carrick, was certain to leave the Red Devils with the half-time result, after rumours had been circulating in English media about him on the chopping block following poor domestic performances.

 However, everything seemed to change after half-time. The once mighty Romans who were conquering the English slowly fell apart after the 50^th minute.

 Following a lengthy VAR review, the Red Devils were awarded a penalty after Mancini tackled Cunha in the box. Bruno Fernades stepped up to the spot, only to watch as his penalty and rebound were saved by Roma goalkeeper, Devis Vasquez. Roma seemed to be in the clear.

 However, the referee judged the Giallorossi players to have encroached on the penalty, leading to a retake. This time Fernades made sure not to miss, opening Man Utd’s scoring for the night and dragging the English team back into the game.

 Man Utd seemed to spring alive following the goal, pressing down Roma, who seemed a shadow of their dominant first-half selves. But for thirty minutes neither team was able to break the deadlock.

 The Mancunians’ chance to try and equalise came in the 83^rd minute, when Roma player Balerdi failed miserably at blocking and controlling a long ball, instead allowing the ball to land at the feet of Cunha directly in front of goal. The Brazilian wasted no time in profiting from the mistake to score the equaliser. With seven minutes of normal time left to play, what seemed like a guaranteed win for Roma now seemed like a draw.

 The Red Devils were not to be stopped though, increasing the offensive on the Romans relentlessly, determined to find the win. In the 86^th minute, Cunha curved the ball beautifully into the net, scoring his second goal of the night to provide a shock win and placate Man Utd fans for a few more days.

 Despite the loss, Roma still remain comfortably within the play-off zone for the Champions League round of 16.

 Elsewhere, Inter Milan beat Feyenoord 0-3 to secure a needed three points. Napoli, who are sitting at the bottom of the play-off zone are set to play a tough match against Porto on Wednesday evening, while Como who are outplaying the other Italian teams in their first ever Champions League season are set to play Lens.