Opinion: De Rossi's driving force not quite enough to get Roma home

The fact Roma squandered a number of high-quality chances, and saw even more repelled by Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, only added to their frustration; on another night they could've prevailed comfortably.

The Giallorossi's midfield leader, Daniele De Rossi, was the catalyst for so many of his team's best opportunities, in a match where his overall excellence was key to the home side’s constant forward momentum.

Operating in his customary defensive midfield post, the 33-year-old's playmaking abilities from deep saw him facilitate and dictate so many of his side’s offensive forays. Possessing a flexible range of passing, which sees him equally adept playing short, ‘touch’ passes and more expansive long balls, he put this to great use to continually pinpoint his colleagues with line-breaking deliveries.

It was De Rossi’s wicked, teasing set-piece delivery that set up Kevin Strootman's leveller, evidence of his continued ability to produce an incisive ball. Completing five out of his seven attempted crosses overall, his aptitude at set pieces and when launching aerial balls in general play helped the team.

With Lyon sitting in a compact medium defensive block, De Rossi's movement without the ball accompanied his passing expertise very nicely indeed. As Lyon allowed Roma's three central defenders to pass the ball between themselves without applying heavy pressure, Bruno Genesio's side instead focused on pressing the home side in the middle of the park.

De Rossi, who was usually tightly marked by Corentin Tolisso, importantly managed to influence proceedings here by moving laterally, which dragged his opponent with him, to create passing lanes for his defenders to hit up Roma's more advanced midfielders and attackers. At times when he received possession he'd cleverly hold onto possession just long enough in order to provoke a hard press from Tolisso before then releasing in a nick of time. Again, this displayed how effectively he both directly and indirectly manufactured space for his colleagues.

To round out his influential outing, he also contributed immensely on the defensive end, undertaking his work with the aggression, instinct and experience we’ve come to expect from him.

All in all, his three key passes, two aerial duels, three interceptions, three tackles and one clearance illustrated his impact on both sides of the ball.

On a personal level at, least, De Rossi can be proud of his efforts on an intense night at the Stadio Olimpico. Although he did everything in his power to propel his side into the quarter-finals, in the end it ultimately was not quite enough.