AS Roma secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, with Eldor Shomurodov scoring a stoppage-time winner in the 90+3 minute. The thrilling match at Roma’s home stadium had plenty of action, with both teams fighting hard for an advantage.
Roma had two decent chances in the first half but failed to capitalize. Artem Dovbyk managed to break past the Bilbao defense but lost his footing just as he was about to strike. Later, Paulo Dybala hit the crossbar with a powerful shot.
Athletic Bilbao took the lead in the 50th minute when Inaki Williams scored a header from close range. However, Roma equalized just six minutes later. In the 56th minute, Angelino scored after his shot deflected off the post following a clever cut-back from Zeki Celik.
The match took a crucial turn when Bilbao was reduced to 10 men. Yeray Alvarez received a second yellow card and was sent off with just minutes remaining. Roma took full advantage of the extra man, and in the 90+3 minute, Shomurodov secured the late winner with a powerful shot on the turn.
Match Statistics:
| Statistic | Roma | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 58.5% | 41.5% |
| Shots on Goal | 5 | 1 |
| Shot Attempts | 12 | 16 |
| Fouls | 12 | 15 |
| Yellow Cards | 1 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 1 |
| Corner Kicks | 1 | 3 |
| Saves | 0 | 3 |
With this important win, Roma now holds the upper hand going into the second leg, while Athletic Bilbao will need to regroup and find a way to recover in the return fixture.
