Roma defeat Sociedad 2-0 to reach UEL quarter-final

Roma defeat Real Sociedad 2-0 on the road and 0-0 on the night to secure their place in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal draw. This extended Sociedad’s dismal home streak in post-group round UEFA knockout games.

It was up to Sociedad to challenge Roma after the first leg last week, but it was the visitors who came closest to scoring first when Paulo Dybala’s goal-bound shot was diverted narrowly wide by Alexander Srloth.

Sociedad didn’t create any significant goalmouth action until the halfway point, and when they did, Rui Patrcio was equal to both Brais Méndez and Mikel Merino’s stinging efforts.

Diego Rico ran over Rick Karsdorp, and Sociedad were really fortunate not to have made their work much more tough for themselves.

Diego Rico was fortunate to escape with with a yellow. Just a few seconds later, Roma had a goal ruled out for offside.

Chris Smalling then gave Sociedad another lifeline by pushing the ball across the line with his arm following a dangerous throw from Dybala.

These missed opportunities made sure Sociedad was still in the game, and soon after the break, they were given the chance of a lifetime to cut the aggregate deficit in half.

Srloth would have been the guy they would have wanted a free header from 12 yards to fall to, but his header harmlessly missed the target. If that missed opportunity was poor.

Mikel Oyarzabal’s shot from three yards out with 20 minutes remaining was even worse, rattling the crossbar when it appeared to be simpler to score.

Even though Roma had managed to score, they were unable to get a shot on goal in the 80th minute.

Which was rather indicative of a José Mourinho team playing away from home on a crucial European night.

But it didn’t matter because Roma advanced through a UEFA Europa League match after winning the first leg for the seventh time in a row. Roma did the heavy lifting in the first game.

The firing of Carlos Fernández ruined Sociedad’s night, but they must now immediately turn their focus back to their La Liga top-four quest, beginning with Elche’s visit on Sunday.