Injury-time penalty earns Gladbach point at Roma

Roma 1-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Goals: 1-0 Zaniolo (32'), 1-1 Stindl (pen., 90'+5)

It was one-way traffic for the opening stages at the Stadio Olimpico as Gladbach dominated the home side. Left-back Ramy Bensebaini struck the Roma crossbar with less than 10 minutes on the clock before Breel Embolo and Florian Neuhaus fired off numerous other chances for the Bundesliga leaders. Only one tested Pau Lopez in goal before Roma struck with their first attempt on target, Nicolo Zaniolo flicking on a corner inside the far post to five the hosts the lead against the run of play. Former Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko later thought he had a second for the Italian side but was flagged offside.

The second half saw far less action as Roma appeared content to defend their lead. Torrential rain also hampered Gladbach in their attempt to battle back with conditions worsening throughout the game. Returning captain Lars Stindl had perhaps the best chance of the half when latching onto a loose ball following Jonas Hofmann’s slaloming run, but his effort lacked power to beat Lopez. That was until Chris Smalling was adjudged to have handled a free-kick in the box and Gladbach were awarded a penalty in the third minute of injury time, Stindl stepping up to convert and earn the Foals a late draw for the second consecutive Europa League game.

• Stindl scored his first goal since March against Bayern Munich after suffering a broken shinbone.
• Gladbach have only lost four of their 17 away games in Italy, winning five and drawing eight.
• Roma have lost 14 of their previous 27 games at home to German opponents, although this was their first ever meeting with Gladbach.
• Gladbach are top of the Bundesliga table for the first time since 2011. Only Bayern (22) and Dortmund (22) have scored more than the Foals' 15 goals.
• Rose led Red Bull Salzburg to the Europa League last 16 last term, before succeeding Dieter Hecking in the summer.
• Die Borussen won the UEFA Cup - the Europa League's predecessor - in 1975 and 1979. Roma got to the final in 1991, losing to Inter Milan.

Line-ups

Roma: Lopez – Mancini, Fazio, Smalling – Spinazzola, Veretout, Pastore (Perotti 62'), Kolarov – Kluivert (Florenzi 84'), Zaniolo (Antonucci 76') – Dzeko (c)
Unused subs: Mirante, Juan Jesus, Riccardi, Calafiori
Out: Cetin (ineligible), Cristiante (adductor tear), Diawara (knee), Kalinic (lower leg), Mkhitaryan (groin), Pellegrini (metatarsal), Ünder (thigh), Zappacosta (cruciate ligament)
Coach: Paulo Fonseca

Gladbach: Sommer (c) – Lainer, Elvedi, Jantschke, Bensebaini – Neuhaus, Kramer (Benes 76'), Zakaria – Embolo (Stindl 76') – Herrmann (Hofmann 62'), Thuram
Unused subs: Grün, Beyer, Wendt, Noß
Out: Bennetts (thigh), Ginter (shoulder), Johnson (groin), Plea (thigh), Strobl (knee), Traore (ankle)
Coach: Marco Rose

ROMA 1-1 GLADBACH
Goals: 1-0 Zaniolo (32'), 1-1 Stindl (pen., 90'+5)

FULL-TIME! ROMA 1-1 GLADBACH 

Gladbach have done it again in the Europa League! Two away games, two injury-time equalisers.

90'+5 GOAL! ROMA 1-1 GLADBACH - Stindl (pen.)

The captain steps up and sends Lopez the wrong way to bring Gladbach level!

90'+3 PENALTY! ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

A long free-kick into the box bounces off the arm of Chris Smalling and the referee points to the spot!

90'+1 ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Four additional minutes in Rome.

90' CHANCE! ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Straight up the other end, Thuram peels off the back of the defence and is able to get a foot to Lainer's cross from the right, but it bounces awkwardly in front of the forward and he can't keep the effort down.

90' CHANCE! ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

The opportunity for Roma to wrap this up with a flick from Dzeko into the path of substitute Florenzi, who isn't offside, but Zakaria does brilliantly to track back and put the Roma skipper off.

89' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

A corner from the left by Benes is headed clear but only as far as Hofmann, who opts to smash it first time, always rising high over the Roma crossbar.

86' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Perhaps a bit too selfish from Dzeko as he gets in behind, has two teammates free in the box, but delays his decision and allows Gladbach a chance to get men back in position and block the cross/shot.

79' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Hofmann slaloms his way past Smalling but the ball escapes him. Stindl, however, is alert and hits a shot first time from the edge of the box, but doesn't get any power behind it.

76' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Rose makes a double change with a quarter of an hour remaining. Christoph Kramer and Breel Embolo make way for Laszlo Benes and Lars Stindl. Goalscorer Nicolo Zaniolo is also off for the hosts, replaced by Mirko Antonucci.

72' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Justin Kluivert was sent off at the weekend for two yellows and he picks up another here for throwing a forearm in the face of Christoph Kramer.

70' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

The rain is doing absolutely nothing to cool the tempers inside the Stadio Olimpico. There's been a number of confrontations with neither side wanting to back down.

67' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Good goalkeeping from Yann Sommer as he reads the ball on a very wet surface, racing off his line to beat Kluivert to it and deny a certain goal.

62' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

The rain is really, really coming down in Rome tonight and making conditions very difficult. Marco Rose makes a change with Jonas Hofmann replacing Patrick Herrmann. Diego Perotti comes on for Javier Pastore for the hosts.

51' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

The angle for the free-kick suits a left-footer, and Bensebaini is the only such Gladbach player. He tries to power the ball under the wall, and while Roma had actually a man lying on the ground behind it, the shot is blocked by a Gladbach player.

50' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Neuhaus pinches the ball off Veretout, who lunges in from behind on the Gladbach man just before he reaches the penalty area and is shown yellow.

47' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Neuhaus makes a deep run in behind the Roma defence and sees Herrmann in space to his right, finds him but the winger lets the ball drift wide and snatches at his shot back across goal.

KICK-OFF! ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Both sides resume the game unchanged.

HALF-TIME! ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Somehow Gladbach find themselves behind in this Europa League tie. They have dominated the play from the start in Italy but fell behind just after half an hour from a corner.

40' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Another stoppage, this time as Patrick Herrmann writhes in pain after Chris Smalling landed on his ankle when challenging for the ball. It's a painful one but, again, relief as the Gladbach man eventually gets back to his feet.

37' ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Borussia fans hold their breath as Embolo stays down holding his leg after a run and tackle. The Swiss forward has had such bad luck with injuries in the past but he's eventually back on his feet following some treatment.

35' OFFSIDE! ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH

Roma set off on a counter-attack that ends with Dzeko slotting the ball into the back of the net, but the Bosnian striker had gone too early and was offside.

32' GOAL! ROMA 1-0 GLADBACH - ZANIOLO

Pretty much out of nothing, Roma take the lead as Nicolo Zaniolo meets a corner with his head at the near post, flicking it beyond Sommer inside the far post.

28' ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

Bensebaini has been involved in three of Gladbach's shots and is in acres of space high on the left as Gladbach play their way forward, but Neuhaus opts to hit it himself from 25 yards, stinging the gloves of Pau Lopez as he makes the save.

23' ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

The home side win a string of corners as they apply some pressure on the Gladbach defence. The first isn't cleared and allows Javier Pastore the chance to turn in the box and get a shot off but it's blocked for another corner, that Chris Smalling heads back across goal. This time it's cleared by the Foals.

18' ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

Not even 20 minutes on the clock in Rome and Gladbach have already registered five attempts on goal. Roma have had two harmless effort themselves, but while none of the seven shots have been on target, Bensebaini has hit the woodwork for Borussia.

14' CHANCE! ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

Yet another effort on goal from the Bundesliga club, this time through Marcus Thuram, who cuts in from the left but can't get the bend he's looking for on the shot.

11' CHANCE! ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

It is all Gladbach to start with as Embolo shifts the ball off to his left where Neuhaus has the freedom of the pitch, but the Germany U21 international flashes his effort wide of the far post.

9' CHANCE! ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

Seconds later, Breel Embolo picks up the ball in the middle of the Roma half and charges at a retreating defence. He has time and space and decides to try his luck from 25 yards, but drags it just wide.

8' OFF THE BAR! ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

Just moments after he failed to connect properly with a deep cross from the right, left-back Ramy Benbebaini evades the entire Roma defence at a flat Neuhaus free-kick but can only turn the ball against the crossbar!

6' ROMA 0-0 GLADBACH

Nico Elvedi does very well to cover for Gladbach after Tony Jantschke's slip allowed Justin Kluivert (Patrick's son) to latch onto Dzeko's through ball, but the Roma man's effort is blocked by the Swiss defender.

KICK-OFF! 

Gladbach get proceedings underway in the Italian capital.

TEAMS READY

Gladbach and Roma are out on the pitch at the Olimpico and almost set to get us going.

HEAVENS OPEN IN THE ETERNAL CITY

The Stadio Olimpico is by no means full 10 minutes out from kick-off. The Gladbach block, however, is packed to the rafters as they look on with envy at all the space around them. A lights show tries to get the home crowd going but it has just started to rain heavily in Rome. Will Borussia dampen the hosts’ spirits further?

DZEKO RETURNS

Roma come into tonight’s game on the back of a 0-0 draw at Sampdoria in Serie A – their second league draw in succession. Boss Paulo Fonseca has restored former Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko and Javier Pastore to the team after they started among the subs on Sunday. Federico Fazio also comes into defence with Bryan Cristiante and Nikola Kalinic both absent through injuries sustained as Sampdoria, while club captain Alessandro Florenzi drops to the bench.

ROSE MAKES THREE CHANGES

Gladbach are still the Bundesliga leaders after eight matchdays despite their 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Foals coach Marco Rose brings in three fresh faces from that defeat with Rami Bensebaini, Patrick Herrmann and Florian Neuhaus all coming in. Alassane Plea misses out with a groin problem, while Oscar Wendt and Laszlo Benes provide support on the bench.

WELCOME, WILLKOMMEN, BENVENUTI

For the second time this week, a Bundesliga club is in Italy for European action. Tonight it’s the turn of Borussia Mönchengladbach, who are in the capital’s Stadio Olimpico to face Roma in Group J.