European Notebook: Going toe-to-toe with a European titan

On paper, it looked set to be one of the toughest competitive matches Roma Women had ever been involved in, but they managed to emerge from their third Champions League group match with a draw against Wolfsburg.

Competing against a side accustomed to playing at the highest level, Roma were in for a challenge when they welcomed Wolfsburg – twice winners of the competition – to Latina on November 23, but they stood up to the task well.

Making a big statement of intent by taking the lead inside three minutes when Valentina Giacinti pounced on an opportunity, Roma were eventually pegged back when UEFA’s Player of the Match, Ewa Pajor, equalised half an hour later. Despite some pressure in both directions, neither side would add a winning goal.

Hence, Roma reached the halfway stage of their debut Champions League group campaign with an unbeaten record intact.

1. A COURAGEOUS CONTEST

In his pre-match press conference, Alessandro Spugna asked his players for courage – and got it.

Taking the lead so early on was a sign of their confidence, which they backed up by keeping pushing in the few minutes that directly followed.

Wolfsburg would soon settle into their own rhythm, culminating in the equaliser, but by the closing stages, the game was finely poised and there were moments when Roma looked threatening still.

Indeed, although there would be no change to the scoreline, the Giallorosse ended the game with more shots on target than their opponents.

There is no doubt that a draw against Wolfsburg is an outstanding result for Roma, but they achieved it by aiming for more. Perhaps if they had been content to reduce the tempo towards the end, they might have let their guard down and failed to get anything out of the match.

Instead, Roma’s courageous and consistent approach enabled them to match one of Europe’s strongest sides over 90 minutes.

2. RISING RESILIENCE

On the night, Wolfsburg saw more of the ball and therefore had higher expectations of creating chances. Their form domestically in Germany indicated just how dangerous they could be for Roma’s rearguard; Wolfsburg went into the game having scored at an average rate above three goals per match in the 2022-23 Frauen-Bundesliga.

Therefore, it is to Roma’s credit that they only conceded once against that usually free-scoring attack (and goalkeeper Emma Lind only had one more save to make).

In an ideal world, the defending could have been more compact for the one goal that they did let in, whereby Pajor beat Elena Linari and then had space to attack that nobody could make up quickly enough. Yet Roma improved in this regard over time, especially in the second half.

Pressing high when it was appropriate to and closing off spaces in their own half, Roma restricted what Wolfsburg could create against them.

Thanks in part to that approach, the conclusion could be drawn that not only did Roma have to work for their point, as they knew they would have to, but so did Wolfsburg themselves.

3. MATCHING A DOMINANT FORCE

In terms of past successes, Wolfsburg are one of the best teams Roma have ever had to come up against. Hence, the achievement of sharing a result with them should not be underappreciated.

It wasn’t just the final score that showed the match had been even. There was a difference of just one between the number of attempts by each side, and although Wolfsburg saw more of the ball, Roma still managed to have 44% of the possession.

Indeed, even though there may have been some aspects in which Wolfsburg edged it, Roma were not noticeably outclassed in any department. This result was no fluke, but one that was earned with determination.

As also seen by their Supercoppa Italiana trophy win after a penalty shootout against Juventus a couple of weeks before the Wolfsburg match, Roma are constantly evolving in terms of their maturity in the biggest battles.

Roma had never set foot on a Champions League pitch prior to this season, but are developing on the bigger stage every step of the way.

The fact that they could be equal to a previous winner of the competition like Wolfsburg over 90 minutes is further evidence that the Giallorosse have earned their place in this setting.

As the second half of the group stage approaches – starting with the return fixture in Germany, which could be an even tougher test – they can use the confidence they have built up to this point to add further fuel to their pursuit of qualification for the knockout stage.

Follow Samuel Bannister on Twitter: @SamBanno1