Athletic Falls in Rome, Must Stage Comeback at San Mamés

They are more than capable of staging a comeback at San Mamés, but the battle at Rome's Olympic Stadium became increasingly difficult for the Lions, culminating in a last-minute stoppage-time goal by Uzbek Shomurodov. It was unfortunate because Athletic had the game largely under control, even taking the lead early in the second half with a goal from Iñaki Williams following a corner. However, Galician Angeliño, a Spanish player, equalised shortly after, and the forward who replaced Ukrainian Dovbyk turned the score around in the final action of the match, while Athletic was defending with ten men due to Yeray's red card, who will miss the decisive fixture at San Mamés, along with the injured Vivian.

The dream of reaching the Europa League final at the new Cathedral remains very much alive, but for that, Athletic will need to play better than they did in the Roman inferno, be more decisive, and show more professionalism. This Italian team, managed since November by the veteran Claudio Ranieri, competes better and is more resilient than the one led by Croatian Ivan Juric, which drew against the Basques (1-1) in September.

A match to grind out, and that's why Txingurri opted for Maroan up front and Unai Gómez in midfield. Two players with extraordinary physicality who don't back down. Even when Mancini tried to assert himself with a couple of tackles on the former Spanish-Moroccan striker from Barakaldo, he wasn't intimidated at all.

Plenty of fouls, numerous interruptions, defensive precautions from both sides, and a shared desire to stop transitions. Both the Romans and the Basques perform better with space. The difference, the touch of quality, was provided by Argentine Paulo Dybala when he got involved.

Nothing noteworthy had occurred until over twenty minutes in when Dovbyk got the better of Vivian, but the Ukrainian slipped on his final step before shooting. In that play, Athletic's commander was injured, a significant loss for the Lions and likely also for Luis de la Fuente's national team. Paredes, who scored in Athletic's previous visit to this venue, came on without warming up.

The second clear local chance came in the 40th minute. A long ball, a misalignment between Yeray and Paredes, a layoff from Baldanzi, and a powerful left-footed shot from Dybala that rattled the crossbar. The situation didn't look good, especially seeing how easily the Swiss referee booked the Basques, raising fears of a second yellow for Jauregizar when he stepped on Baldanzi. It was an unintentional incident, but caution was necessary.

Finally, Athletic threatened in attack as the first half was drawing to a close. First, Yeray headed wide from a well-delivered corner by Unai Gómez, and then Maroan failed to direct a shot on target from a service by Iñaki, after linking up with his brother on the right.

The match became more open and exciting after the break. Iñaki Williams scored five minutes in, the result of a set-piece play, just like in the previous match. Unai took the corner, Paredes headed it, and Iñaki Williams finished it off. Unfortunately, the Basques couldn't hold on for long.

Roma unleashed a flurry of attacks for a few minutes, enough for Baldanzi and Pisilli to come close to scoring, and Angeliño didn't miss. From then on, Valverde and Ranieri exhausted their substitutions, always keeping an eye on the return leg. But then came Yeray's second yellow, the Romans' final push, and the Uzbek's goal that complicates the outlook.