Roma staged a stunning comeback from 1-4 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions quarter final pairing with Barcelona to beat the former champions and the Spanish leaders 3-0 and qualify for the semi-finals on goals aggregate and away goals. The last time the Italians qualified for this stage of the competition was in 1983/84.
Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko started Roma revival in the 6th minute, when he beat the offside trap and latched onto a perfected weighted through ball from Daniele de Rossi.
In the second half, Captain De Rossi scored via a penalty and Manolas completed the coup de grace with a stunning header in the 82nd minute.
Roma’s Kostas Manolas headed the decisive third goal in the 82nd minute, putting the Italians in the last four for the first time since they reached the European Cup final in 1984.
The early goal lifted the hopes of the boisterous home fans in the Olympic Stadium. And the unexpected victory turned the fans into wild jubilation.
Liverpool at Etihad Stadium completed their demolition of Manchester City, cruising to the semi-finals on 5-1 goal aggregate, after surviving a nightmarish first half, in which City scored their only goal in two minutes.
The victory marked the first time since 2008 that Liverpool would qualify for the semi-final of the competition.
