By Anna Italia
Follow me in Twitter @ItalianSerieA,
Facebook: Anna Italia Page

 
38% Ball Possession BATE and 62% Ball Possession AS ROMA
BATE 3 – 2 AS Roma  
8′ Igor Stasevich               66′ Gervinho
12′ Filip Mladenovic      82′ Vasileios Torosidis
30′ Filip Mladenovic

It’s a sour day for Roma!   Belorussian champions Bate Borisov defeating Roma with a 3-2 in Champions League Group Stage.   Sadly, Roma coach Rudi Garcia celebrating his 100th match with a defeat.  Stats showing Garcia to be the 12th AS Roma coach achieving the 100 record.    Standing in Group E showing Roma in the last position with just 1 point.  Leading the group is Barcelona with 4 points.

Bate Borisov scoring the first 2 goals within 12 minutes starting the match shocking the Roman gladiators.

BATE opening the score in the 8th minute.  It is midfielder Igor Stasevich to defeat Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with a headed shot in the center.

Just four minutes after the first goal, there it is the second goal.  In the 12th minute BATE defender

Filip Mladenovic  defeating Szczesny from long range with a left footed shot in the bottom left corner.  The assist is by  midfielder Nemanja Nikolic.

Oops… chaos!!!   BATE scoring the third goal of the match punishing the Roman gladiators and I already have a headache!.. In the 30th minute again  Mladenovic defeat Szczesny with a left footed shot this time in the high center.  The assist is by midfielder Maksim Volodko.

Roma shortening the distance in the 66th minute.  Forward Gervinho defeating BATE goalkeeper  Sergey Chernik
with a right footed shot in the center.  The assist is by  Iago Falque.

Roma scoring in the 82nd minute with defender Vasilis Torosidis defeating goalkeeper Chernik   with a left footed in the bottom right corner.   The assist is by defender Lucas Digne .

A highlight is AS Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic playing his 150th game with the giallorossi becoming the 80th Roma player to cross this threshold since 1927.   Pjanic  made his first European appearance of the season yesterday, has scored 20 goals in his Roma career to date.

Young player Edoardo Soleri making his debut at 17 years old just 20 days before turning 18 years!!!.

Here is BATE Borisov official lineup by coach Aleksandr Yermakovich:

BATE BORISOV (4-2-3-1): Chernik; Dubra Milunovic Mladenovic Polyakov; Nikolic Yablonski; Volodko Stasevich Gordeychuk; Signevich.

Here is AS ROMA official starting lineup by coach Rudi Garcia: 

AS ROMA (4-3-3): Szczesny; Florenzi, Manolas, De Rossi, Digne; Pjanic, Nainggolan, Vainqueur; Salah, Iturbe, Gervinho

Photos of the match Bate vs AS Roma courtesy of asroma.it

UEFA Champions League Round Group Stage, Matchday 2

BATE Borisov 3 – 2 AS Roma
Tuesday 29 September  2015
Borisov Arena
Borisov

20:45

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (ENG)
Assistant referees: Simon Beck (ENG), Jake Collin (ENG)
Fourth official: Peter Kirkup (ENG)
Additional assistant referees: Andre Marriner (ENG), Jonathan Moss (ENG)

Goals:   8′ Igor Stasevich  (B.),   12′ Filip Mladenovic  (B.), 30′ Filip Mladenovic (B.),  66′ Gervinho (R),  82′ Vasileios Torosidis (R)
Official lineups – formations:

BATE BORISOV (4-2-3-1): Chernik; Dubra Milunovic Mladenovic Polyakov; Nikolic Yablonski; Volodko Stasevich Gordeychuk; Signevich.

Subs.: Soroko, Karnitski, Baga, Aleksievich, Rios, Hleb, Jevtic

Coach Aleksandr Yermakovich

AS ROMA (4-3-3): Szczesny; Florenzi, Manolas, De Rossi, Digne; Pjanic, Nainggolan, Vainqueur; Salah, Iturbe, Gervinho

Subs.: De Sanctis, Maicon, Torosidis, Castan, Uçan, Falque, Soleri

Coach: Rudi Garcia

Match Stats

By Anna Italia
Follow me in Twitter @ItalianSerieA,
Facebook: Anna Italia Page

 
25% Ball Possession AS ROMA and 75% Ball Possession BARCELONA
AS Roma 1 – 1 Barcelona  
31′ Alessandro Florenzi               21′ Luis Suarez

The Roman gladiators making a comeback being down by a goal to end the game with a draw.   It’s an emotional game for Barcelona coach Luis Enrique as he is facing now his ex team at the Olimpico Stadium for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 1 game, AS Roma vs Barcelona on Wednesday 16 September 2015.   Luis Enrique coached Roma in the 2011-212 Season ending in the 7th place.  Barcelona have won only once of their last six games in Italy.

Things starting bad for Roma!   It is Barcelona to open the score in the 21st minute with forward Luis Suarez defeating AS Roma goalkeeper Szczęsny in the top left corner.  The assist is by midfielder Ivan Rakitic.

Wohoooo  The Roman gladiators equalizing !!!! In the 31st minute there it is midfielder Alessandro Florenzi defeating Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen with a right footed shot super goal from the distance.. yep… a mega goal from about 40 yards all the way to the top left corner!!!!   ROMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

What a luck!   A forced substitution in the 50th minute!   A crash between Barcelona forward Luis Suarez and Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny who cannot continue.  Replacing  Szczesny is goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis.   Closeup showing De Sanctis rushing to dress up without enough time to even warm up.

Highlight in this match is the awaited goal by AS Roma Captain Francesco Totti as it will marked his 300th goal in all competitions.   Sadly, Totti did not play and was listed only among the subs.

Previous meetings Luis Enrique vs Francesco Totti

• Luis Enrique was with Barcelona while Francesco Totti was AS Roma Captain  when the clubs met in the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League second group stage, starting with a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou goals by Kluivert (B.) and  Christian Panucci (R).    Roma won the return game 3-0 with the goals by Emerson, Vincenzo Montella and Damiano Tomassi.   However, Barcelona still won the group while Roma were eliminated in third place.

Here is BARCELONA official starting lineup by coach Luis Enrique:

AS ROMA  (4-3-3): Szczęsny; Florenzi, Manolas, Rüdiger, Digne; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Keita; Falque, Džeko, Salah.

Here is AS ROMA official starting lineup by coach Rudi Garcia:

BARCELONA (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Mathieu, Jordi Alba; Rakitić, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar.

Photo: asroma.it

AS Roma staring XI lineup against Barcelona

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Stats.  Here are the last 3 games of AS ROMA: 2 wins, 1 draw

Here are the last 3 games of BARCELONA:  3 wins

Photos of the match AS Roma vs Barcelona courtesy of asroma.it

Barcelona defender Jordi Alba and Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi

Daniele De Rossi congratulating Alessandro Florenzi after equalizing the score against Barcelona

UEFA Champions League Round Group Stage, Matchday 1

AS Roma 1 – 1 Barcelona
Wednesday 16 September 2015
Olimpico di Roma Stadium
Rome, Italy

20:45

Goals:  21′ Luis Suarez (B.)  31′ Alessandro Florenzi (R)

Official formations – lineups:

AS ROMA  (4-3-3): Szczęsny; Florenzi, Manolas, Rüdiger, Digne; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Keita; Falque, Džeko, Salah.

Subs: De Sanctis, Maicon, Torosidis, Vainqueur, Totti, Gervinho.

Coach:  Rudi García.

BARCELONA (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Mathieu, Jordi Alba; Rakitić, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar.

Subs: Masip, Mascherano, Bartra, Adriano, Rafinha, El Haddadi, Ramírez.

Coach: Luis Enrique.

Match Stats

By Anna Italia
Follow me in Twitter @ItalianSerieA,
Facebook: Anna Italia Page

AS Roma – Barcelona  
.

Here are AS ROMA vs BARCELONA official formations – lineups on Wednesday 16 September 2015 for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday 1 at the Olimpico di Roma Stadium in Rome, Italy at 20:45

AS ROMA  (4-3-3): Szczęsny; Florenzi, Manolas, Rüdiger, Digne; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Keita; Falque, Džeko, Salah.

Subs: De Sanctis, Maicon, Torosidis, Vainqueur, Totti, Gervinho.

Coach:  Rudi García.

BARCELONA (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Mathieu, Jordi Alba; Rakitić, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar.

Subs: Masip, Mascherano, Bartra, Adriano, Rafinha, El Haddadi, Ramírez.

Coach: Luis Enrique.

UEFA Champions League Round Group Stage, Matchday 1

AS Roma – Barcelona
Wednesday 16 September 2015
Olimpico di Roma Stadium
Rome, Italy

20:45

By Anna Italia
Follow me in Twitter @ItalianSerieA,
Facebook: Anna Italia Page

AS Roma – Barcelona  
.

UEFA announcing the match officials for the Champions League Group Stage, Matchday 1 game, AS Roma vs Barcelona on Wednesday 16 September 2015 at the Olimpico di Roma Stadium in Rome, Italy.    It is Referee Bjorn Kuipers to direct the game.  Assisting Kuipers will be assistants Sander van Roekel and Erwin Zeinstra. Charles Schaap is on fourth official duty, while Pol van Boekel and Richard Liesveld are the additional assistants.

• Kuipers, 42 years old, will be refereeing the third time  a Champions League match involving AS Roma.  Stats showing Roma with 1 win, 1 draw

• Kuipers refereed Roma for the first time on November 3, 2010, when Claudio Ranieri’s Giallorossi side beat Basel 2-3 away at the St. Jakob-Park. Goals by Jeremy Menez, Francesco Totti and Leandro Greco.

• AS Roma crossed paths with Kuipers for a second time in last season’s competition, when Rudi Garcia’s team got a 1-1 draw at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium after Totti  equalized following  Sergio Aguero’s goal.

Photo asroma.it

UEFA Champions League Round Group Stage, Matchday 1

AS Roma – Barcelona
Wednesday 16 September 2015
Olimpico di Roma Stadium
Rome, Italy

20:45