Romelu Lukaku’s 14-match scoring streak was snapped as Roma suffered their first defeat in the Europa League this season, losing 0-2 to Slavia Prague in the fourth round of Group G.
With a chance to secure progression by winning, manager Jose Mourinho opted to rest key players in preparation for the Serie A derby against Lazio in the 12th round on November 12. Paulo Dybala, Rui Patricio, Bryan Cristante, and Renato Sanches were on the bench. At the same time, Nicola Zalewski, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Chris Smalling, Leonardo Spinazzola, Tammy Abraham, and Marash Kumbulla were absent due to injuries.
On the Sinobo pitch on the night of November 9, the Italian representatives were completely dominated, controlling only 40% of the possession and failing to register a shot on target in the first half. Roma improved their performance in the second half but managed only two shots on target.
The first opportunity for the away team came in the 52nd minute when Andrea Belotti penetrated the penalty area and shot with his left foot, but Ales Mandous made a comfortable save. In the 66th minute, Zeki Celik dribbled past three Slavia Prague players in the midfield, but his right-footed shot couldn’t beat the home goalkeeper.
Key striker Lukaku had a subdued performance, touching the ball only 37 times and blocking one shot. Consequently, he ended a 14-match scoring streak in the Europa League, starting with Everton’s 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg in 2014. During this 14-match run, Lukaku scored 18 goals, including eight for Everton, seven for Inter Milan, and three for Roma. This is the longest scoring streak by a UEFA Cup/Europa League player.
Conversely, Slavia Prague played energetically, attempting 19 shots – nearly four times Roma’s five shots – with seven on target, resulting in Lukas Masopust and Vaclav Jurecka’s goals. In the remaining match in Group G, Servette won 2-1 against Sheriff at home.
With these results, Roma dropped to second place with nine points, behind Slavia Prague on goal difference. Mourinho’s team could even lose this position, as Servette has four points, while Sheriff sits at the bottom with one point.
The defeat at Sinobo Stadium means that Roma has lost control in the race for the top spot in Group G. In the last two rounds, the Serie A club will visit Servette on November 30 and face Sheriff at home on December 14.
If they finish second in the group, Roma will have to play two playoff rounds against a team from the group of third-placed Champions League teams, just like last season. In the case of finishing third, Mourinho’s team will drop to the Europa Conference League – where they were crowned champions in 2021.
Starting Lineup:
Slavia: Mandous; Masopust (Vlcek 78), Ogbu, Holes; Doudera, Zafeiris (Sevcik 78), Dorley (Van Buren 89), Boril; Jurecka (Wallem 87), Chytil (Hromada 90), Provod
Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Llorente (Sanches 77), Ndicka; Celik, Paredes (Costa 84), Bove, Aouar (Cristante 46), El Shaarawy (Karsdorp 46); Belotti (Dybala 68), Lukaku.
