Tottenham Held by Roma in Dramatic 2-2 Europa League Clash

Tottenham Hotspur squandered the chance to take a massive step towards the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) when they conceded in added time in a 2-2 stalemate against AS Roma.

As far as beginnings to matches go, Roma’s in North London couldn’t possibly have started much worse. Not even two minutes had passed when Pape Matar Sarr went down in the box under a tackle from Mats Hummels, and although referee Glenn Nyberg initially dismissed the protests, a quick VAR review confirmed it was indeed a penalty, and Heung-min Son converted from the spot. Spurs made the fatal mistake after that by easing off the pace, and they were punished harshly when Paulo Dybala’s cross was nodded in by Evan Ndicka.

Roma thought they’d turned the game around soon after when the ball landed kindly for Stephan El Shaarawy, who smashed home into the bottom corner, but a VAR offside call saved Spurs. The home side came agonizingly close to regaining the advantage at the other end moments later when Brennan Johnson’s shot was heroically cleared off the line by Angeliño, before Dominic Solanke was denied on the rebound by a brilliant Mile Svilar stop. That was only a brief respite though, as Spurs reclaimed the lead shortly after when Johnson slotted home Dejan Kulusevski’s pass.

Spurs missed several golden chances to extend a two-goal cushion before halftime, and they were nearly punished for it early in the second half. Roma twice found the back of the net, once through Artem Dovbyk and once through Manu Koné, but both efforts were ruled out by the offside flag. This match resembled a basketball game at times, and in keeping with that theme, it was Spurs’ turn to threaten 10 minutes from the end when Dominic Solanke’s header struck the bar.

With just a narrow lead, Spurs were never able to relax in the final moments, and they were punished cruelly when surprise starter Hummels made up for his first-half mistake by finishing Angeliño’s superb cross. A win would’ve placed Spurs in the top eight and in strong contention for a last 16 berth, but instead, their position now seems much more fragile, although it remains far better than Roma’s, who are still trailing significantly behind the top eight.