Slavia Prague’s Loss to AS Rome in UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final

The Praguers, who lost only for the second time in the season and after nine competitive matches, did not follow up on the success of the last match between them more than 27 years ago. In 1996, they also lost in the quarter-final second leg of the UEFA Cup at the Olympic Stadium (1-3 after extra time), but due to the previous 2-0 home win and the away goals rule at the time, the result was enough for them to progress historically.

Trpišovský made five changes in the starting line-up compared to the league match with Slovácko (2:0). Van Buren started at the tip of the attack, who was supplemented by Schranz and, surprisingly, Masopust, who has played mostly in defensive positions this season. Apart from the injured Pellegrini and offensive support Dybala, the home coach José Mourinho deployed almost the strongest players he had available, but he himself was absent from the bench due to a disciplinary penalty. Assistant Foti took over the role of head coach.

A menacing entrance

Slavia entered the duel with six points and a score of 8:0, but they lost their immunity in the Europa League right from the first event. Captain Holeš was robbed of the ball by El Shaarawa, who passed the ball to Bove, who hit the top corner of Mandous’ goal with a technical attack from behind the goal. The 21-year-old member of the club celebrated his first goal of the season in front of the home crowd and the highest attendance of the season.

AS Rome was effective and came through on the second, more dangerous occasion. El Shaarawy once again crossed Holeš and Lukaku surprised Mandouse with a fierce shot under the bar from his angled pass, which fell towards the far post too soon. The Belgian gunner scored his third goal in this year’s Europa League and followed up his goal against Slavia in 2019, when he helped Inter Milan to a 3-1 win in the Champions League.

The people of Prague got brave only at the end of the opening act. In the 34th minute, Oscar sent the first shot between the three posts and five minutes later, Van Buren forced Svilar into a save at the right post.

The Czech vice-champions entered the second half well, but the Romans were soon knocked back. After an hour, Lukaku narrowly missed with a shot from outside the box. In the 63rd minute, the best player of the match, El Shaarawy, could underline a great performance, who hit the crossbar with a technical shot. Jurásek soon won the ball for Schranz, but the Slovakian striker himself shot past goalkeeper Svilar in the visitors’ best chance.

AS Rome watched the result

The wild five-minute period was replaced by a calmer final half-hour with no major chances. Slavia threatened only after passing balls, but despite the careful defense, they were unable to make a significant impact. On the contrary, substitute Belotti could have closed the score in the setup, but Mandous made a great shot this time.

The Romans confirmed their excellent defensive performance at home, where they did not concede for the fifth time in a row. At the same time, they managed the fourth home match against the Czech opponent and claimed their fifth competitive win in a row. Slavia did not succeed even in the eighth competitive match on Italian soil.

Coach Jindřich Trpišovský’s men will be able to avenge the defeat of AS Rím in two weeks, when they welcome the 100% points leader of the group on home soil. After half of the matches, Slavia has a five-point lead over Servette Geneva and Šeriff Tiraspol, the mutual duel between the two teams ended 1:1.

The first teams from each group will advance to the round of 16, the second teams in the order will compete in the play-offs for advancement to the same stage with the third-placed clubs in the Champions League. Teams in third place will move to the lower European Conference League.

Fan prelude

Some Slavia fans gathered in front of the Coliseum before the match despite the ban. From the amphitheater in the Italian capital, several hundred supporters, escorted by the police, went on a short march of about half a kilometer to the buses that took them to the stadium.

The authorities there banned Tribuna Sever and the prepared choreo with the motif of Julius Caesar and the slogan “Ave Slavia”. According to some information, because he allegedly mocks the famous Roman emperor. The fan “speaker” announced at the rally in front of the Coliseum that the fans will only unfurl the big tarp during the home rematch in Prague in two weeks.

The fans initially considered boycotting the game because of this, but in the end they did not resort to it. “By boycotting the choreography, we would not be able to do anything in this absurdistan, we would only weaken our players in an important match,” Tribuna Sever wrote.

2023-10-26 20:59:34
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