UEL: The Jewel is still shining in full glory!

After conceding a goal, Roma managed to complete the turnaround in the return leg of the Europa League play-off against Porto. Their potential opponent in the next stage of the competition could be Lazio.

It was expected that the return leg between Roma and Porto would at least resemble the first match, which ended in a 1-1 draw. The way both teams were playing at the moment, coupled with certain absences on both sides, suggested that the match would be a tough one. And it turned out to be true.

If you watched the match for about twenty minutes and then switched to something else, thinking you could miss it, you were terribly mistaken. Apart from a chance in the 5th minute, when after a good cross from Lorenzo Pellegrini, he headed the ball just over the crossbar, we saw nothing else in the early stages at the Olimpico.

The game, filled with stoppages, rough tackles, and lack of rhythm, looked pretty dull in the first half of the first half. But then, the fun began.

In the 27th minute, the first chance for Porto arrived, and immediately, they scored. After a mistake by Roma's goalkeeper Mile Svilar, and a clumsy reaction from his defenders, the ball somehow found its way to Samuel, who, with his back to goal, lifted the ball and then scored with a bicycle kick, beating the home goalkeeper to silence the Roma fans.

Roma had more possession before this goal, but this strike forced them to put pressure on Porto's defense. Porto didn’t hold the lead for long, as in the 35th minute, after a great combination between Paulo Dybala and Shomurodov, the Argentine came face-to-face with Porto's goalkeeper Diogo Costa and brought his team back into the game with an equalizer.

From that moment on, Roma seemed revitalized. They attacked more, and just four minutes after their first goal, they scored again. Once again, the brilliant Argentine, Dybala, combined with Manu Kone created space for himself on the right and scored to give Roma the lead, both in the match and in the overall score. This was Dybala's second goal for Roma in the Europa League, with both goals coming in this match.

Roma wasn't done yet, as it became clear in the 42nd minute when Argentinian was again involved in the action. He crossed the ball, and Mancini reacted well in the opponent's box, but Diogo Costa managed to make a save. After that, Ndicka had a chance to score, but his shot was blocked on its way to goal.

Despite being down by a goal, Porto still had a chance in the second half, hoping for an equalizer or even a potential win. However, things were made much harder for them by one of their own players, Eustaquio, who, after an altercation with Leandro Paredes, struck the Roma player. After reviewing the situation, referee Leteixier decided to give Eustaquio a direct red card. From that moment, it became extremely difficult for the Portuguese side.

In the 55th minute, Shomurodov had a great opportunity when, after a series of deflections, the ball fell to him just five meters from goal. However, the Uzbekistan international somehow managed to send the ball over the bar.

This was followed by a series of chances for the home side. After the earlier opportunity, Anghelinho shot from the left side, but his effort went just wide. Shomurodov finally found the back of the net, but the referee signaled for an offside.

Dybala had a chance for a hat-trick when he was almost alone in front of the Porto goal, but he slipped, and the ball went over the bar.

Then, a dramatic moment almost occurred when Samuel, who had scored Porto’s first goal, had an opportunity to shock everyone. Ndicka literally handed the ball to the Porto player, but he couldn’t beat Svilar, as his shot hit the post.

The final blow to the match came from Pizilli, who, just five minutes after coming on, managed to beat Costa. Dybala once again played a brilliant pass to Anghelinho, who crossed the ball into the box. Pisilli was quick to react, getting on the end of it and scoring to give his team a 3-1 lead.

Porto managed to score a consolation goal in the final minute of the match, but it was too late for any kind of comeback. This was a own goal by Rensch.

What is particularly interesting is that Roma could potentially face their city rivals Lazio in the Round of 16. If tomorrow's draw decides this way, we will be able to watch the Derby della Capitale in the Europa League Round of 16. The other possible opponent for Roma is Athletic Bilbao.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - PLAYOFFS

Return leg

Thursday

Bodo - Twente 3-2 (ET in progress)

FCSB - PAOK 2-0 (4-1 on agg)

/Cisotti 30, Miculescu 81/

Galatasaray - AZ Alkmaar 2-2 (3-6 on agg)

/Osimhen 56, Sallai 70 - Maikuma 42, Kasius 55/

Roma - Porto 3-2 (4-3 on agg)

/Dybala 35, 39, Pisilli 83 - A

23:00: (2.10) Ajax (3.45) St.Gilloise (3.50)

23:00: (2.70) Anderlecht (3.35) Fenerbahce (2.60)

23:00: (1.65) Plzen (3.70) Ferencvaros (5.60)

23:00: (1.53) Sociedad (4.00) Midtjylland (6.75)

***odds are subject to change***