Roma faced another frustrating draw in the Europa League, as a header from Gianluca Mancini was nullified by a significant slip from goalkeeper Mile Svilar, leading to a 1-1 stalemate against Union Saint-Gilloise. This result leaves the Giallorossi in a precarious position, having secured only four points from their last three European matches.
The team was already dealing with absences, including Evan Ndicka due to illness and missing Mario Hermoso and Alexis Saelemaekers. Despite these challenges, coach Ivan Juric opted not to give Mats Hummels his first start. Union Saint-Gilloise, fresh off victories in the Belgian Cup and Super Cup, were also without several key players, including Guillaume Francois and Lazare Amani.
Juric’s mood was understandably bleak, particularly after two defeats in their last three Serie A matches. The game began with an early scare when Anan Khalaili nearly capitalized on a defensive error, shooting just over the bar. Roma’s Eldor Shomurodov had a goal ruled out for offside during a promising attack.
The first half saw both teams struggle to find the net; Ross Sykes narrowly missed with a free kick, while Mancini went unpunished after a collision with Machida. Lorenzo Pellegrini’s volley was saved easily by Svilar, who later made a crucial one-handed stop against Ousseynou Niang.
After halftime, Roma appeared more threatening but squandered several chances. Notably, Tommaso Baldanzi struck the far post with a curling effort from outside the box. The breakthrough came in the 56th minute when Mancini headed home from close range after a well-placed cross from Pellegrini.
However, Union SG equalized shortly after when Kevin Mac Allister, the shortest player on the pitch and brother of Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, found the net with a header following Svilar’s slip during a corner kick.
In the closing moments of the match, Roma faced additional pressure as Sykes had a shot blocked by Zeki Celik, with Svilar having to react quickly to parry the rebound from Anouar Ait El Hadj. The draw leaves Roma needing to regroup as they continue to search for consistency in both domestic and European competitions.
Goals: Mancini 62 (R), Mac Allister 77 (U)
Union SG (3-5-2): Moris; MacAllister, Burgess, Sykes; Niang, Khalaili (69′ Rodriguez), Vanhoutte, Sadiki, Machida; Fuseini (69′ El-Hadj), Ivanovic (79′ Boufal)
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Cristante, Angelino; Celik, Koné, Le Fée (55′ Pisilli), El Shaarawy (’80’ Soulé); Baldanzi (79′ Zalewski), Pellegrini; Shomurodov (55′ Dovbyk)
