Leicester City bowed out of Europe as Tammy Abraham’s strike sent AS Roma through to the final of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.
AS Roma booked their place in the final of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League and will face Feyenoord in that ultimate clash. With that, Jose Mourinho will relish another big game and will credit his team for their hard-working display against Leicester.
Tammy Abraham’s towering header was enough to win the crucial tie, which sent the Foxes packing. Brendan Rodgers’s men were not ruthless enough and looked clueless for most parts of the game. The hosts started the game brightly and were rewarded for their early pressure.
Leicester City were punished yet again for their shabby defending from set-pieces, as Abraham met with Lorenzo Pellegrini’s outswinger, and put Roma ahead in the clash. The Foxes were unable to break down the Giallorossi in the first period and failed to muster a shot at Rui Patricio’s goal.
As Leicester began the second half positively, Mourinho set up a low block to protect the lead. Rodgers failed to rally his team to find a way through, as clear cut chances continued to evade the Foxes, even as they tried in vain to find an equaliser.
✨9⃣?️
???? | UEFA Cup
A German No. 9 fires past Brondby goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel at the Olimpico to send us to the final.???? | Europa Conference League
An English No. 9 heads past Kasper Schmeichel at the Olimpico to send us to another European final! pic.twitter.com/QsDU2gFfFQ— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) May 6, 2022
Despite pinning Roma to their half, Youri Tielemans, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and James Maddison failed to orchestrate a comeback. The Foxes’ European runs seem to be over for now, and there are no prospects of them playing continental football next season. Here’s how the Leicester City players fared during their loss to AS Roma.
Kasper Schmeichel: 5/10
Schmeichel had to be alert in the box throughout the contest, making a few essential stops to deny Roma, particularly in the first half when they piled on the pressure. For their goal, the keeper had no chance of saving Abraham’s header.
Ricardo Pereira: 5/10
Pereira has been a key outlet for Rodgers since his return from injury, but against Roma, the right-back was unable to get going. His passing was off, and ironically, given his height, among other things, the Portuguese was marking Abraham during the corner that led to Roma’s goal.
Wesley Fofana: 4/10
Fofana will want to forget this night, as Abraham taught him a valuable lesson in man-marking. The Frenchman found it tough going against the striker. Inexperience on the big stage was written all over this performance from the young centre-back.
A painful night. We'll come back stronger ? pic.twitter.com/cy38aQFgMD
— Leicester City (@LCFC) May 5, 2022
Jonny Evans: 5/10
Evans could not use his experience and leadership qualities to rally those playing ahead of him to get something out of the game. The veteran centre-back was often sitting behind and had a comfortable evening considering Roma barely even attacked in the second half.
James Justin: 5/10
Justin, like Pereira, failed to get going in the game, despite Leicester dominating possession for long periods of the match. There was an early injury scare for the full-back, which may have played a role in his dip in standards considering he continued played.
James Maddison: 4/10
Maddison was on Roma’s radar as their most dangerous player, and the Italian side’s defence kept a close lid on the English playmaker. There were hardly any moments when he got going, and the midfielder was unable to unlock the opposition’s defence.
Youri Tielemans: 5/10
Tielemans, despite the team holding on to the ball more, was not that good in possession. The Belgian could not unlock the Roma defence, who did not even seem stubborn.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 6/10
Dewsbury-Hall was another player Roma wanted to keep a tight lid on, but the midfielder was slightly better than Maddison when attacking. He wasted a few half-decent opportunities by dragging his shots wide, and his influence faded as the game progressed.
Ademola Lookman: 4/10
Players like Lookman always pose a threat with their speed and snappy moments, which troubles defences. Roma, however, did not face any such problems, as they kept the attacker in check for most parts of the game and did not allow him to do anything.
Jamie Vardy: 4/10
It wasn’t to be.
We’re proud to have reached a European semi-final but massively disappointed we couldn’t go all the way. Thanks to all of you travelled ?? @LCFC pic.twitter.com/AVUx8Daou0
— Jamie Vardy (@vardy7) May 6, 2022
Vardy looked sharp fitness-wise and could have made a difference had he gotten decent service. Leicester’s attackers did not feed him with balls to run in from behind or created chances which he may have liked.
Harvey Barnes: 4/10
Leicester fans tend to look at Barnes as one of their able attacking outlets and were severely disappointed by what they experienced. His ineffectiveness led to a half-time substitution, and he will reflect upon such a terrible performance.
SUBSTITUTES
Kelechi Iheanacho: 5/10
Iheanacho changed Leicester’s game to some extent, as they looked better with him on the pitch. Still, they could not conjure the elusive equalising goal to get the game going.
Daniel Amartey: 4/10
Amartey did not have much of an impact after Rodgers brought him on for his long passing range.
Ayoze Perez: N/A
Perez barely had an impact after coming on.
