Union Saint 1-1 Roma Player Ratings: Disappointing Giallorossi held to a draw

AS Roma were held to a 1-1 draw by Union Saint-Gilloise in the UEFA Europa League group-stage encounter. Both the teams played a goalless first half after failing to show intentions. However, the Giallorossi drew first blood in the 62nd minute after the home side’s goalkeeper Anthony Moris committed a huge error by failing to collect Zeki Celik’s cross, with Gianluca Mancini pouncing on it to score a powerful header.

But the visitors failed to protect the lead after a similar goalkeeping gaffe from Mile Svilar. The Serbian botched his effort to collect the ball from a corner kick, getting stranded in the middle, while Kevin Mac Allister directed his header into the empty net to restore the parity. The Belgian underdogs had a few promising opportunities on counters towards the end but failed to capitalise on it.

The draw leaves Roma 16th in the Europa League table, having managed just 1 win in four games.

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Union Saint Player Ratings vs Roma

Goalkeeper

Anthony Moris: 4/10 – Made a great save from Baldanzi in the first half but made a great blunder to gift Mancini’s opener. Moris failed to collect Celik’s cross, allowing the Italian defender to capitalise.

Defenders

Christian Burgess: 7/10 – Was a menacing presence in the backline, repelling Roma’s efforts time and again. Aerially, he was unstoppable, making 14 recoveries overall.

Ross Sykes: 6/10 – Sykes’ towering presence made him a tough player to breach through throughout match. He concluded the game with 5 recoveries and 6 clearances.

Kevin Mac Allister: 7/10 – Looked lively throughout the first half, winning balls and making progressive passes. Also intercepted Pellegrini’s threatening through-ball. Scored a great header in the second half to equalise for his side.

Midfielders

Ousseynou Niang: 6/10 – Posed a great threat to Roma down the left flank with his unrelenting pace and trickery. Nutmegged Pellegrini and went on his own to score but had his shot cleared by Celik.

Anan Khalaili: 5/10 – Sent a stunning long-range effort just over the cross-bar very early in the game. Khalaili didn’t made much impact in most phase of the match.

Charles Vanhoutte: 6/10 – Vanhoutte was energetic throughout the match and created problems for Roma. He whipped in a terrific cross from the corner kick to set up Mac Allister’s header.

Noah Sadiki: 6/10 – A workhorse off the ball. Was everywhere on the pitch throughout the first half and tracked back at will. His pressing also caused problems for the visitors

Koki Machida: 6/10 – Displayed great anticipation to win interceptions on the front foot. Involved in more than 10 defensive actions. Also made a great block to deny Dovbyk’s close-range strike.

Attackers

Franjo Ivanovic: 4/10 – The Croatian hardly made his presence felt in the attack

Mohammed Fuseini: 4/10 – Failed to overcome Mancini and Cristante in the defence.

Substitutes

Sofiane Boufal: N/A

Kevin Rodriguez: N/A

Anouar Eit Al Hadj: N/A

Manager

Sebastien Pocognoli: 6/10 – Pocognoli deserves the credit for instructing Union St to dominate from the very off. Although there was a dip in the middle, the Belgians persisted with their attacking intentions, which resulted in an equaliser. They could have scored more were it not for their poor finishing

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Roma Player Ratings vs Union Saint

Goalkeeper

Mile Svilar: 4/10 – Svilar committed a huge blunder by failing to collect the ball from the corner kick, allowing Mac Allister to score a header into the empty nets

Defenders

Angelino: 4/10 – Angelino’s passes were way off the mark as he completed only 1 long ball out of 11 attempts

Bryan Cristante: 7/10 – Kept the backline intact for larger spells with a brilliant piece of defending. Thwarted potential dangers posed by the Belgians, making 6 recoveries and 3 interceptions. Also made a vital interception in the dying seconds.

Gianluca Mancini: 8/10 – A terrific all-round performance from the Italian centre-back. Worked his socks off for the entirety of the game, winning 13 duels. Also made use of his aerial ability up front to head home the opener

Midfielders

Enzo Le Fee: 5/10 – Had a limited impact on the game and was slightly erratic in possession. Was hauled off before the hour-mark

Manu Kone: 7/10 – Brought stability and physical presence to the midfield as the game progressed. Created 2 chances and won 11 duels.

Stephen El Shaarawy: 4/10 – Played his shot way too early during a counterattack and also sent a shot into orbit from a promising situation

Zeki Celik: 6/10 – Looked shaky at the start and his efforts to cross the ball were denied, however delivered a delightful ball to set up Mancini’s header. Also made a vital intervention during a Union St’s counter.

Attackers

Tomasso Baldanzi: 6/10 – Baldanzi’s flamboyant skills and progressive passes often caused problems for the Belgians. Unfortunately, curled a fine left-footed effort into the frame of the post.

Lorenzo Pellegrini: 5/10 – The Giallorossi skipper failed to have a big impact and one of the highlights of his game was getting nutmegged by Niang.

Eldor Shomurodov: 4/10 – Failed to win the battle against a robust Burgess.

Substitutes

Artem Dovbyk: 4/10 – Had a close-range shot denied by Machida

Nicola Zalewski: 5/10 – Made vital efforts to dismantle a couple of Union St’s counters

Matias Soule: N/A

Niccolo Pisilli: N/A

Manager

Ivan Juric: 4/10 – Yet another disappointing performance, which will further increase the pressure on Juric. No intention of dominating the game, while his tactics and Roma players look poles apart.

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