Roma edge past Nice in tight Europa League opener
AS Roma started there europa league campaign with a scrappy 2-1 win away to OGC Nice, a result that will go down well in the italian capital but leaves the french side still searching for any kind of joy in europe. Nice have now gone 13 european matches without a win, stretching back through last season where they couldn’t manage a single victory in the group.
For the hosts, it was another tough evening in front of their own supporters, who came with some hope despite a poor run of five defeats in seven across all comps so far. To their credit Nice begun the game quite well, matching Roma’s physicality and stopping the italians from getting into any rhythm. Chances though were very few and far between in a cagey first half. The best early look came when Manu Koné let fly from the edge of the box, only for his strike to flick off a defender and go wide.
Roma themselves looked strangely flat, and their main concern seemed to be keeping out of trouble with the referee. Three of their players ended up in the book before the break, with tempers a little frayed every time the ball went near the benches. The only bit of genuine quality saw Matías Soulé slide a perfect ball down the right for Gianluca Mancini, who cut it back low into a dangerous area. Artem Dovbyk looked certain to score but just couldn’t make contact, and though Mancini recycled the ball and eventually bundled it in, the flag quickly went up for offside.
Daniele De Rossi reacted at the interval, throwing on captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, fresh from his derby-winning goal at the weekend. It proved decisive almost instantly. From Pellegrini’s corner in the 52nd minute, Evan Ndicka rose highest at the near post and powered a header past Yehvann Diouf. That settled Roma down and suddenly the swagger appeared. Barely three minutes later they struck again, this time in style. Kostas Tsimikas whipped in a peach of a cross from the left and Mancini, charging forward once more like an extra striker, met it with a thunderous volley that gave the keeper no chance.
At 2-0 it felt like game over, with Nice looking drained and short of belief. But football rarely follows the script, and Roma almost threw it away when substitute Niccolò Pisilli shoved Antoine Mendy clumsily inside the box with the ball heading nowhere. The referee pointed to the spot without hesitation. Terem Moffi calmly rolled the penalty in to make it 2-1 and suddenly the Allianz Riviera woke up.
The last quarter of an hour was all tension. Nice pushed forward, lofting balls into the area and trying to pin Roma back. De Rossi’s men dug in though, showing the grit that has often defined them in europe. Kasper Dolberg wasted the best of the late chances when he snatched at a loose ball in the six-yard box, slicing it high into the night sky, and with that the chance was gone.
In the end Roma held on for the points, and while it wasn’t pretty, it’s the kind of opening win that sets the tone for a european run. For Franck Haise and Nice, the story is the same as last year – plenty of endeavour, moments of promise, but no killer edge. And unless that changes soon, there’s a real risk their european adventure fizzles out before it even begins.