Feyenoord will carry a slender 1-0 lead to Rome as Mats Wieffer’s second-half volley helped the Eredivisie outfit beat AS Roma in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash this evening.
Having lost just one of their previous eight meetings with the Giallorossi, Arne Slot’s side were eager to extend their impressive record over Roma.
Both sides cancelled each other out for much of the opening period, but Roma were handed a chance when referee Jose Maria Sanchez awarded them a penalty.
Feyenoord midfielder Mats Wieffer was deemed to have handled the ball inside the box moments after the referee had waved away similar protests at the other end of the pitch.
However, the Dutch giants were spared as Lorenzo Pellegrini hit the left-hand post, keeping the scoreline level heading into the half-time interval.
With 45 minutes to go, it was anyone’s game. However, it was Feyenoord who struck first early in the second period.
Having survived a near-villain moment in the first half, Wieffer became the hero for his side, rifling a long-range bouncing volley past Rui Patricio to break the deadlock.
Wieffer could not have picked a better time to score his first goal in the tournament, but Feyenoord still needed to endure a late barrage from Roma to take the victory home.
After striking the frame of the goal twice in the game, Jose Mourinho’s side will feel they should have taken something away from the closely fought encounter.
They came close to levelling the game as Roger Ibanez rose highest to connect with a corner, but Lutsharel Geertruida popped up at the right place to hack the goal-bound header off the line and away from danger.
Feyenoord remained resilient to ensure Roma would return to Stadio Olimpico empty-handed.
The Dutch side return to domestic action against SC Cambuur this weekend, looking to continue their run to the Eredivisie crown.
Roma have a Serie A date with Udinese hoping to further their top-four ambitions before welcoming the Dutch side to Stadio Olimpico next week.
