AS Roma now face an uphill battle of qualifying for the Champions League after suffering another defeat against Inter Milan.
Goals from Federico Di Marco and Romelu Lukaku boosted Inter Milan’s Champions League hopes and dealt a major blow to Roma’s hopes in the Serie A clash between the two Italian giants at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening.
Mourinho’s men needed to win to drag themselves back into the race for the top four, but they now face the difficult task of qualifying for the Champions League via the league.
How it happened
Mourinho had to field a depleted team once again as a host of his trusted players were unfit, although Nemanja Matic came back from suspension.
Roma started the game as the dominant team, shading early possession, with Inter struggling to find their feet in the match.
The Yellow and Reds did not create clear chances, similar to their performances in their last two matches.
Their failure to create chances will come to haunt them as Inter finally got hold of the game, taking the lead in the 33rd minute.
The Nerazzurri went ahead through a strike from Di Marco, who finished from inside the box following a brilliant low cross from Denzel Dumfries.
Roma did try to respond, but Mourinho’s men were sloppy going forward, offering no threat in attack.
Lukaku compounds Roma's misery
Roma did start the second half better, putting Inter Milan on the back foot for the majority of the half.
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The Home side piled pressure going forward, but Inter were resilient in defence, shutting out Roma’s attack.
Inzaghi’s men almost conceded, though, as Roger Ibanez fired a shot from the box after Inter failed to clear properly.
However, Inter’s goalkeeper Andre Onana made a brilliant fingertip save to deny the Brazilian defender.
With Roma on the ascendancy, Mourinho went to his bench, bringing on talisman Paulo Dybala for Edoardo Bove.
However, just as it looked like Roma would salvage something from the match, Ibanez made a costly mistake, allowing Lautaro Martinez to set up Lukaku for Inter’s second.
Lukaku’s strike ended Roma’s hopes of a comeback, putting Inter in the driving seat in the top four race.
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Meanwhile, Mourinho’s men are now five points behind in the race for a top-four finish and may have to rely on winning the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League next season.
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