Roma stutter, Nainggolan injured ahead of Barcelona clash

31 mar 2018

Roma met Bologna on Saturday and hoped for a strong performance ahead of the massive Champions League tie against Barcelona. However, Roma found themselves down early and had to settle for a 1-1 draw thanks to substitute Edin Dzeko.

Erick Pulgar got the home side on the board with a wonderful low strike from outside the box in the 18th minute. Kevin Strootman provided one of the misses of the season less than ten minutes later when he found himself open at the back post and clanked his half-volley off the bar when it appeared easier to score.

A less-than-convincing performance was lifted a bit when Edin Dzeko came on and found an equalizer in the 76th minute with a header from close range. The rest of the match featured the Giallorossi probing to create chances and find a winner but they ultimately lacked the spark needed in the final third.

Worse than settling for a point, however, was losing Radja Nainggolan to injury as German replaced him in just the 17th minute. Roma fans will be anxiously awaiting the verdict as the Barcelona clash is but four days away.