{"id":26140,"date":"2022-05-05T18:36:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T22:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=26140"},"modified":"2022-05-06T10:40:20","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T14:40:20","slug":"abraham-sinks-foxes-and-sends-roma-to-europa-league-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=26140","title":{"rendered":"Abraham Sinks Foxes And Sends Roma To Europa Conference League Final"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Abraham\u2019s first-half header sent Roma through to the final (PA Images)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tammy Abraham broke Leicester hearts as Roma reached the Europa Conference League final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The striker\u2019s 27th goal of the season sealed a 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico and booked a showdown with Feyenoord in Tirana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jose Mourinho\u2019s side progressed 2-1 on aggregate after last week\u2019s semi-final first leg draw at the King Power Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Foxes fell short in their first European semi-final and there will be a lingering sense of regret they failed to seriously trouble Roma and never did themselves justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The club have torn up the rule book after winning the Premier League and FA Cup in the last six years but, this season, European success was just out of reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roma have not won a European competition for 50 years, since beating Blackpool in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup but Mourinho will now look to complete the set after his past Champions League and Europa League victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home fans had begun hurling flares at the Leicester supporters long before kick-off at a hostile Stadio Olimpico with the hosts looking to reach their first European final since 1991, when they lost the UEFA Cup to Inter Milan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pre-match banner declared \u2018Everyone in Britain dreads the name of the Romans\u2019 and Roma\u2019s determination was obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leicester did have early protests for a penalty ignored when Chris Smalling hauled down Wesley Fofana but the ravenous hosts quickly took charge to grab an 11th-minute winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kasper Schmeichel had already saved Lorenzo Pellegrini\u2019s cute free-kick as Roma forced a number of corners and it was, again, from a set-piece where Leicester conceded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pellegrini\u2019s dangerous delivery was met by Abraham and he outjumped Ricardo Pereira to power a towering header past Schmeichel from seven yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the striker\u2019s ninth goal in the competition this season \u2013 with Alan Shearer and Stan Bowles the only Englishmen to score more in a single European campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shell-shocked, Leicester retreated and Pellegrini, scorer of Roma\u2019s first-leg goal, was a constant menace with Jonny Evans mopping up after Schmeichel saved another effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roma were in control having out-muscled and out-maneuvered the Foxes and kept the visitors at bay even when they did have brief spells of possession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boss Brendan Rodgers had spoken about using the 72,000 sell-out crowd to Leicester\u2019s advantage, hoping to play on any nerves and anxiety with Roma so close to ending a 14-year trophy drought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But his slow side were never able to find sustained momentum to even get under the hosts\u2019 skin on the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frustrations with inconsistent referee Srdjan Jovanovic were growing but the Foxes\u2019 first-half performance warranted little else than being behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rodgers rolled the dice at the break with the ineffective Ademola Lookman and Harvey Barnes replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho and Daniel Amartey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A double change at the break helped the Foxes overcome a second-leg deficit to beat PSV in last month\u2019s quarter-final and immediately they were more robust but still lacked the imagination to level the tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamie Vardy did have a shot blocked by Abraham and the Foxes saw more of the ball

apoteketreceptfritt.com<\/a><\/div> , with James Maddison curling at Rui Patricio with 13 minutes left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a low-key second half suited Roma and, even though they created little themselves, they were always comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iheanacho shot at Patricio from distance as time slipped away but, this time, there was no fairy-tale ending for the Foxes.<\/p>\n

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