13th March, 2018
Edin Dzeko’s strike ensured Roma reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2008 with victory over Shakhtar Donetsk.
The former Manchester City forward latched on to Kevin Strootman’s through ball before poking the ball between Andriy Pyatov’s legs for the only goal.
The Italians, who lost the first leg 2-1, went through on away goals, BBC reports.
Ukrainians Shakhtar had Ivan Ordets sent off after he pulled Dzeko down by the shirt.
Shakhtar were unlucky not to get an away goal of their own early on when Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi almost headed an in-swinging free-kick into his own net with a glancing clearance.
But Roma quickly started to find their rhythm and Shakhtar goalkeeper Pyatov had to react quickly to a low Aleksandar Kolorov cross, palming the ball away from the path of the incoming Dzeko.
A mistake from Federico Fazio saw Facundo Ferreyra go clear on goal, but the Argentine defender was able to recover in time to put his opponent off – his shot going well wide of Alisson Becker’s post.
Just a minute later, Shakhtar broke from a Roma corner, with Florenzi forced into a perfectly timed clearing tackle on Ismaily inside the area.
Roma finally broke the deadlock after the break, with Bosnian Dzeko beating the offside trap to score past Pyatov.
He could have had a second just after the hour mark when he curled in an effort from outside the area but it sailed inches wide of the top left-hand corner.
Ordets was shown a red card for tugging on Dzeko’s shirt, before a scuffle broke out on the pitch after two Shakhtar players pushed a ballboy over the advertising boards for holding on to the ball.