UEL | Roma 2-1 Athletic Club: Last gasp Shomurodov decisive

ROME, ITALY – MARCH 06: Eldor Shomurodov of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Round of 16 First Leg match between AS Roma and Athletic Club at Stadio Olimpico on March 06, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Roma fought back from an Inaki Williams opener with Angelino and the last-gasp Eldor Shomurodov winner against 10-man Athletic Club for a crucial lead going into the second leg.

The Giallorossi were in fine form, winning five of their last six competitive games and drawing the other, including the elimination of FC Porto in the play-offs. Leandro Paredes was suspended, but Alexis Saelemaekers and Bryan Cristante returned from their bans, with Artem Dovbyk and Zeki Celik shaking off muscular issues. Lucas Dourna-Gouath and Anass Salah-Eddine were cup-tied. Athletic Club finished second to Lazio in the league phase, but were beaten by Atletico Madrid domestically at the weekend.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Artem Dovbyk sprung the offside trap on a smart Niccolò Pisilli through ball and managed to turn Yeray Alvarez, only to slip on the turf as he was pulling the trigger.

Daniel Vivian went off injured, while Devyne Rensch made a crucial challenge to stop Nico Williams turning in from seven yards.

Roma thought they had to open the scoring on 41 minutes when Tommaso Baldanzi pounced on some shaky defending from the Cristante ball over the top and laid it off for Dybala, whose finish smacked the underside of the bar and bounced back out.

Yeray Alvarez nodded a corner just wide, while Sannadi flicked the ball inches wide of the far post from six yards on an Inaki Williams pull-back from the right.

Athletic Club broke the deadlock at the dawn of the second half, as first Unai Gomez saw his shot charged down after a poor Evan N’Dicka clearance, then on the resulting corner Aitar Paredes flicked it on for Inaki Williams to nod in at the back post relatively undisturbed.

Inaki Williams heads Athletic Club into the lead against Roma

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Roma really should’ve equalised barely 90 seconds later when Dybala generously laid it off for Baldanzi, but the ex-Empoli midfielder panicked as a defender came sliding in and blasted over the bar.

They did draw level soon after, as Zeki Celik pulled back from the right for Angelino at the far stick, the scuffed finish giving it a little bit of spin to go in off the inside of the upright.

Angelino equalises for Roma just minutes after Athletic Club took the lead

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Former Torino player Alex Berenguer came off the bench and failed to take advantage of another defensive mix-up on the Inaki Williams pull-back.

Athletic Club ended the game with 10 men, as Yeray Alvarez received a second yellow card for manhandling Eldor Shomurodov on the counter-attack.

Gianluca Mancini nodded a free kick back to Saelemaekers to test the goalkeeper, then Berchiche made a desperate block on Matias Soule’s finish after a give and go with Saelemaekers.

With the last kick of the game, Roma made the extra man count and take a 2-1 lead to Bilbao for the second leg. Shomurodov sprung the offside trap on the Saelemaekers through ball, turned and drilled into the near bottom corner.

ELDOR SHOMURODOV FIRES ROMA AHEAD IN THE FINAL MINUTE OF THE GAME

They take a 2-1 lead heading into the second leg against Athletic Club

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Roma 2-1 Athletic Club

Inaki Williams 50 (A), Angelino 56 (R), Shomurodov 94 (R)

Sent off: Yeray Alvarez 85 (A)

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