From heaven to hell in the space of halftime. Roma fell again in the second half, amid errors and a series of questionable refereeing calls, such as the generous penalty awarded to United by Gil Manzano at the start of the second half.
The report cards from siamolaroma.it:
Vasquez 5 – Brought back from the stands or thereabouts, he made his first appearance in the 58th minute when he incredibly hypnotized Bruno Fernandes, then Manzano saved the penalty, which the Portuguese made no mistake, and from there his debut became a nightmare. A fearful defender between the posts, he never seemed to be able to help, and the team sensed this…
Mancini 7 – A top performance with top-notch marking and aggression. Manzano punished him for light pressure on Cunha, but the penalty appeared to be a kind gift to Old Trafford. He came off before the defeat.
Balerdi 5 – An incredible performance until the 82nd minute, when after six or seven extraordinary saves, he misses a simple pass that opens the door for Cunha to equalize. Immediately afterward, he's far from the Brazilian in marking, but Vasquez is equally slow to dive at the near post. The nightmare is served.
Hermoso 6,5 – Authoritative and attentive, he makes almost no mistakes, despite rarely making any impact this evening.
Rensch 6 – Starts well but due to a high recovery that opens the field for Roma to almost score a third goal, he is stopped by a hard challenge and is forced off.
De Roon 5,5 – Intelligent and well-positioned first half, but in the second half he falls short of United's pace.
Cristante 6 – He cleared the ball a lot, and played it with quality. When the team drops back, he fights bravely, but often does so alone. Perhaps lacking in communication, he needs more leadership on certain nights.
Wesley 7 – A sumptuous performance from the Brazilian, dedicated to an almost scientific defensive phase that rewards him for his attention, dedication and many decisive recoveries.
Soulè 7,5 – A stellar first half with a goal, a penalty won, two missed assists from Malen and Mora, and a shot into the top corner in the 45th minute that almost scored a wonder goal. He gradually faded in the second half, but that's understandable given the enormous physical effort he put in during the final period.
Malen 6,5 – Scores again but appears to be sluggish as usual, perhaps missing a great opportunity. In the second half, he struggles to match the opposition's pace.
Mora 6 – A good first half, starting with a fantastic pass that gave Soulè the opening goal. He then alternated moments of great presence with a few excessive disappearances.
Substitute:
Peas 5 – Very poor start, with trivial technical errors, struggling to keep up with his opponents in terms of brilliance and competitive spirit.
Ghilardi 6 – A few minutes and maybe two touches of the ball, the final collapse does not depend on him
Ndicka 6 – Same as Ghilardi. He added a couple of forward blocks that brought balance.
Lulli 5 He hadn't yet played in the Champions League, and there was a reason. Courageous, but still clearly unprepared to sustain the pace and physicality at this level.
Castro 6 – He comes on and appears lively, but Roma never supports him.
Gasperini 5,5 – He presents a Roma side that's on fire in the first 45 minutes, dominating and expected to win by a landslide. However, the 2-0 lead isn't enough, and the same old nightmare sets in at the start of the second half. It's impossible not to understand that something different is needed within the squad, but also in the team's attitude, which needs to be reconsidered.
