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Once Chelsea's future...10 months out, back in...home run in front of goal!
Tammy Abraham failed to capitalize on a crucial chance.
AS Roma defeated AC Milan 2-1 in the second leg of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League (UEL) quarterfinals at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, at 4:00 a.m. ET on Monday. Roma advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 aggregate score.
It was Roma who struck first. In the 12th minute, Gianluca Mancini won the ball on the left flank and played it to Lorenzo Pellegrini. Pellegrini attempted a right-footed curling kick from outside the penalty box. Pellegrini's shot hit the post and Mancini pounced on the rebound.
Roma took the lead. In the 22nd minute, Pellegrini poked forward from Roma's own half. Romelu Lukaku won the ball after a tussle with Matteo Gabbiadini. Lukaku fell to the ground, but he got back up with determination and sent in a cross. Gabbiadini flicked the ball out to Paulo Dybala, who found the back of the net with a left-footed curling effort from the right side of the penalty area. The first half ended with Roma leading 2-0.
Milan didn't stand still. In the 40th minute of the second half, Milan won a short corner kick. Raphael Leroy exchanged balls with Theo Hernandez and sent in a cross from the left flank. Gabbiadini cut in and rattled the post with his header. The game ended with a 2-1 victory for Roma.
Lukaku left the field early due to injury. Abraham came on for Lukaku in the 29th minute. Abraham led Roma's attack with his aggressiveness up front, trying to compete with his opponents. However, it was clear that he hadn't quite gotten the hang of the game after returning from injury.
In 61 minutes of action, Abraham had two shots off target, one big chance missed, 24 touches of the ball, a 38% pass success rate (5 of 13), four ground balls (7 attempts), and four aerial balls (10 attempts), according to soccer stats site Couch Score.
Abraham blew a scoring chance right in front of goal. In the 20th minute, Stephan El Shaarawy sent in a low cross from the right flank that Abraham finished with his back foot. Abraham's shot was cleared off the line by a defender and as Abraham fell, he shot over the bar.
A former Chelsea youth product, Abraham had high expectations at Chelsea. He spent his early years at Chelsea on loan to gain experience and began to make his mark in the 2019-20 season. However, as the seasons went on, he lost his place in the side and moved to Roma for the 2021-22 season.
At Roma, Abraham flourished as a first-choice striker. He led Roma's offense in 2021-22, scoring 27 goals in all competitions. However, he struggled last season and suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the league final. Abraham has been out of action all season and made his comeback on June 6 in the 31st round of Serie A.