Salah breaks forward quickly before clashing with Holebas on the edge of the Roma penalty area. The contact looks minimal but, nonetheless, a free kick is awarded to the visitors, much to the annoyance of the home fans.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
89'
Nainggolan receives the ball on the edge of the box and immediately unleashes a great strike, but, under pressure from Badelj, he ends up firing it just over the top of the crossbar.
88'
Holebas seems to have recovered from a nasty-looking back injury and jogs back onto the field to rejoin the action.
87'
After spending several moments on the floor in pain, Holebas gingerly limps off the pitch to receive further medical treatment as the game gets underway once again.
86'
Aquilani and Holebas clash in the air near the halfway line, leaving the Greek defender in a heap on the floor and in serious discomfort after crashing to the ground.
84'
It's all Fiorentina at the moment, but, with little over five minutes left to play, they seem content to hold onto the ball to keep a determined Roma side from pushing forward once again.
82'
Roma immediately break away on a swift counter attack after dealing with the free kick, with Iturbe darting down the right flank before cutting inside and firing a shot from the edge of the box that flies several yards over the top of the crossbar.
81'
K. Babacar enters the game and replaces J. Iličić.
Fiorentina have decided to make their final substitution of the evening, with Babacar coming on to take the place of Ilicic.
80'
Fernandez twists and turns on the left flank before being brought down clumsily by Yanga-Mbiwa, resulting in a free kick for Fiorentina in a dangerous position on the left wing.
Minute
Description
79'
Fantastic strike by Badelj! The Croatian receives the ball in the middle of the pitch and unleashes a great strike from 35 yards out that Skorupski does well to tip over the top of the crossbar with an excellent save.
77'
S. Kéita has scored a goal for Roma! Assist by A. Florenzi.
GOAL! Roma have equalised! The visitors push forward well before earning themselves a corner on the right flank. It's whipped into the heart of the box where it meets Keita, who, completely unmarked, is easily able to nod the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-1.
75'
Y. Gervinho enters the game and replaces A. Ljajić.
And now Roma have decided to make a change, with Ljajic making way for Gervinho for the final quarter-of-an-hour.
73'
What a chance for Alonso! The left-back does extremely well to muscle his way through the Roma defence, all of whom just stand there and watch him pass, before firing a low shot towards the near post, but it's slightly scuffed and flies just wide of the goal.
72'
A. Aquilani enters the game and replaces Borja Valero.
Fiorentina have made their second substitution of the game, and the first that isn't the result of an injury, with Aquilani coming on to take the place of Valero.
71'
Roma are enjoying a good spell of possession once again, but, with little under 20 minutes left to play, Fiorentina are playing deep inside their own half of the pitch, which is causing the visitors problems.
69'
Fiorentina earn themselves a throw-in deep inside the Roma half of the pitch, but Yanga-Mbiwa does well to cut out the danger before firing the ball off Alonso and out for a goal kick.
67'
M. Badelj gets yellow.
Nervy moments at the back for Fiorentina! Nainggolan breaks through the middle of the hosts' defence but is stopped by a great sliding tackle from Neto. With the goalkeeper stranded outside of his penalty area, Badelj then flies into the back of Pjanic to deny the Bosnian the opportunity to unleash a strike on goal and is awarded a yellow card as a result.
66'
Valero picks up the ball in a dangerous position once again, but, like Ilicic's effort a few moments ago, his strike from the edge of the penalty area flies just past the near post.
64'
A great long ball from Rodriguez finds Valero, who brings the pass down brilliantly before turning and teeing up Ilicic on the edge of the box. The Slovenian takes a quick touch before firing a low shot towards the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, but the strike flies just wide of the post.
62'
Fiorentina are enjoying a good spell of possession at the moment, and they seem content to hold onto the ball in the middle of the pitch as they look to take control of the game once again.
60'
Penalty saved by Neto!
SAVE! Ljajic blasts the resulting strike towards the bottom left-hand corner of the goal but Neto does extremely well to save the shot with a brilliant diving stop.
59'
Neto gets yellow.
PENALTY! Iturbe breaks through the centre of the Fiorentina defence before seemingly being brought down by Neto. The referee immediately points to the spot, even though the replays show that the goalkeeper managed to get a hand on the ball.
57'
What a chance for Ljajic! Nainggolan picks up the ball just outside of the Fiorentina penalty area before chipping a lovely lofted pass into the chest of the Serbian, whose first touch is poor, allowing Rodriguez to blast the ball out of play before he is able to get a shot away.
56'
It's all going on inside the Roma penalty area! The ball pinballs around the box with Ilicic just about able to get a shot away that Yanga-Mbiwa does well to block before his side are finally able to clear the danger.
55'
Ilicic steps up and fires a shot towards goal from the resulting set-piece, but it's poorly struck and fails to beat the wall of white shirts camped in front of him.
54'
Nainggolan holds onto the ball for far too long, allowing Salah to dispossess him 25 yards out. The Egyptian twists and turns before trying to send a pass forward, but before he can do so he is brought down by Astori, resulting in a free kick for the hosts in a very dangerous position.
52'
Roma break away on a quick counter attack through Pjanic, who then tees up Ljajic on the left flank. The Serbian winger cuts inside and fires a low cross-cum-shot towards Neto, but the Brazilian is easily able to save the tame effort.
50'
A promising-looking Fiorentina attack is forced back to Badelj, who then tries to find Joaquin with a long ball forward. It's poorly hit, however, and is easily cut out by Holebas.
48'
Salah and Joaquin link up on the right-hand side of the Roma penalty area before the latter sends a dangerous low cross into the heart of the box, but it's cut out well by Astori at the near post.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45' +2
M. Fernández enters the game and replaces D. Pizarro.
Injury strikes again, and this time it's Pizarro who is forced to make away for Fernandez.
45' +1
J. Iličić gets yellow.
Ilicic has become the second player to receive a booking for handling the ball, with the Slovenian deliberately sticking his hand out to stop Roma from receiving the ball.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
44'
What a miss by Ljajic! Pjanic sends an excellent through-ball to Florenzi, who forces Neto into making a great save with a half-volleyed close-range strike. The ball then bounces into the path of the former Fiorentina forward, but somehow he ends up blasting his effort over the top of the crossbar.
42'
Great chance for Roma! Ljajic twists and turns on the edge of the penalty area, beating several Fiorentina players before teeing up Nainggolan, who unleashes a low long-range shot that sails just wide of the far post.
40'
Nainggolan is brought down from behind by Badelj, resulting in a free kick for Roma in a dangerous position. Pjanic sends the resulting set-piece short to Ljajic, taking the Fiorentina defence completely by surprise, but the Serbian's chipped cross is poor and rolls out of play for a throw-in on the left flank.
38'
Basanta and Pjanic tangle on the left wing, resulting in a free kick for Fiorentina midway inside the Roma half of the pitch. They take it short and work it towards Joaquin, who cuts inside before setting up Pizarro. The Chilean midfielder then tries to find Salah with a quick through-ball, but it's poorly struck and bounces out of play for a goal kick.
36'
After patiently passing the ball around inside their own half of the pitch, Nainggolan sends a lofted pass down the right flank and into the path of Torosidis, but the Fiorentina defence do well to push up and make sure that the Greek defender is flagged offside.
35'
It's all become a little bit sloppy, with both sides battling for the ball in the middle of the pitch but unable to keep hold of it for too long.
33'
Marcos Alonso gets yellow.
The yellow card is out once again, with Alonso receiving a booking for elbowing Torosidis as the two battled in the air for the ball.
31'
D. Pizarro gets yellow.
And now Pizarro has entered the referee's book after deliberately handling the ball in the middle of the pitch as Roma looked to kick-start a swift counter attack.
30'
R. Nainggolan gets yellow.
Badelj attempts to break away on a quick counter attack down the right wing but is brought crashing to the ground by a poor challenge from Nainggolan, who receives a yellow card as a result.
29'
Pjanic receives the ball on the right wing near the corner flag before firing a deep cross that clears everybody inside the box before reaching Holebas on the opposite flank. The left-back then whips the ball towards the penalty spot that Rodriguez does well to head away from danger.
28'
Roma are seeing a lot of the ball at the moment, but with a sea of purple shirts camped in front of them they are finding it incredibly difficult to turn that possession into chances on goal.
26'
D. Astori enters the game and replaces K. Manolas.
It's gone from bad to worse for Roma, who have been forced into making another substitution due to injury. This time it's Manolas who makes way for Astori.
24'
A dangerous Roma attack breaks down thanks to a fabulous tackle from Badelj, allowing Ilicic to burst away quickly down the right flank before teeing up Salah. The Egyptian then back-heels a lovely pass into the path of Basanta, who fires a shot from the edge of the penalty area well over the top of the crossbar.
23'
M. Pjanić enters the game and replaces D. De Rossi.
De Rossi seems to have picked up an injury, which may have resulted in his last mistake, and, as a result, he gingerly makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Pjanic.
22'
Another mistake by De Rossi! The captain loses the ball in the middle of the pitch once again, allowing Ilicic to break away quickly before sending a great pass over to Joaquin. The Spaniard takes the ball down well before firing a fierce shot that is deflected out of play for a corner.
21'
Keita sends an excellent pass over the top of the Fiorentina defence and into the feet of Iturbe, who takes a great first touch before scuffing his shot well wide of the goal from a very tight angle.
20'
The resulting set-piece is flung into the heart of the box where it finds the head of De Rossi, but the captain is unable to make a clean contact with the ball and his effort is comfortably dealt with by the hosts.
19'
Roma immediately break away on an attack from the restart, with Nainggolan twisting and turning on the right-hand side of the penalty area before earning his side a corner.
17'
J. Iličić has scored a goal for Fiorentina! Assist by Mohamed Salah.
GOAL! Fiorentina have taken the lead! A terrible pass from De Rossi gifts the ball to Salah, who breaks away quickly before teeing up Ilicic. The Slovenian takes a lovely touch before firing the ball past the outstretched hand of Skorupski and into the top right-hand corner of the net to make it 1-0 to the hosts.
16'
Salah does well to pressurise Manolas into putting the ball out of play for a corner, which is then curled into the middle of the box by Valero. It's half-cleared by the Roma defence but only as far as Pizarro, who fires a rocket of a half-volley from 25 yards out that flies just wide of the goal.
14'
Great play once again by Joaquin! The winger darts down the right flank before cutting a dangerous pass back to Valero, who immediately fires a brilliant shot towards goal that Keita is just about able to cut out with an important interception at the vital moment.
13'
Left in acres of space midway inside the Roma half of the pitch, Basanta pushes forward before sending a low cross towards Ilicic. It's poorly hit, however, and fails to penetrate the penalty area.
11'
Salah and Ilicic link up well midway inside the Roma half of the pitch before the latter volleys a pass through the visitors' defence and towards the Egyptian, but it's slightly overhit and, as a result, Skorupski is able to rush out and cut out the danger.
10'
Roma exchange a series of good passes in the centre of the field before Nainggolan attempts to thread a deft through-ball into the path of Florenzi, but it's overhit and ends up rolling harmlessly out of play for a goal kick.
8'
Tomovic spends far too long on the ball in the middle of the field, allowing Iturbe to dispossess him easily before breaking away quickly. However, Rodriguez is there to dispossess the Argentine before he's able to get too close to the Fiorentina penalty area.
7'
Again, Joaquin does well to break away down the right wing before cutting a great pass back to Salah, who unleashes a fierce shot from the edge of the box that Yanga-Mbiwa does well to block near the penalty spot.
6'
Joaquin pushes down the right flank before earning his side their first corner of the game. It's whipped into the heart of the penalty area but is sent too near to Skorupski, who is comfortably able to collect the ball.
5'
De Rossi launches a great lofted pass over the top of the Fiorentina defence and into the path of Torosidis, who then exchanges a quick one-two with Florenzi before sending a low cross into the box that's comfortably dealt with by the hosts' defence.
3'
Iturbe is brought down by Rodriguez after the two clash in the air, resulting in a free kick for Roma midway inside the Fiorentina half of the pitch. It's whipped towards the back post where it finds De Rossi, but the captain's header loops out of play for a goal kick.
1'
And we're off! Roma get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today's Europa League last-16 first leg clash between Fiorentina and Roma. My name is Ben Cullimore and I will be keeping you up to date with all of the action from Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Whilst Roma have looked solid at the back, they have been finding wins extremely hard to come by, with only four of their last 15 games in all competitions ending in victories. Last month’s nervy 2-1 win away to nine-man Feyenoord was only their second since the end of January, and their struggles in front of goal may prove costly as they battle against an impressive Fiorentina side this evening. Despite this, they still remain eight points clear of tonight’s hosts in the Serie A table, and they have been beaten just two times this campaign, a record that has only been bettered by league leaders Juventus.
There's just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let's have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Roma XI (4-3-3): Skorupski; Torosidis, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Holebas; Nainggolan, De Rossi, Keita; Florenzi, Ljajic, Iturbe.
Roma substitutes: Cole, Pjanic, Astori, De Sanctis, Gervinho, Verde, Doumbia.
Vincenzo Montella has made four changes to the Fiorentina side that started against Tottenham, with Nenad Tomovic, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Borja Valero and Josip Ilicic coming into the squad to replace Micah Richards, Stefan Savic, Matias Fernandez and Mario Gomez, respectively.
Meanwhile, Roma boss Rudi Garcia has decided to make three alterations to the side that started in Rotterdam last month, with Miralem Pjanic, Francesco Totti and Gervinho making way for Radja Nainggolan, Alessandro Florenzi and Juan Iturbe.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Thanks to victories against Tottenham Hotspur and Feyenoord in the last round of the competition, tonight’s game is an all-Italian clash between two old foes, and it’s the first time that the sides have met one another in a European competition. It’s the fourth meeting of the season, however, with both teams sharing one win apiece. Fiorentina were the last victors, beating the club from the capital 2-0 at Stadio Olimpico in the Coppa Italia last month, with Mario Gomez scoring both of the game’s goals. Since then - and even back to the start of the year - La Viola have been in fine form, losing just one of their previous 14 clashes.
HALF-TIME: FIORENTINA 1-0 ROMA
It's been an extremely entertaining first half, with both sides battling hard, particularly in the Roma half of the pitch. However, thanks to a terrible mistake from Totti and a blisteringly quick counter attack initiated by Salah, Fiorentina head into the half-time break with a well-deserved 1-0 lead. The visitors looked slightly more dangerous towards the end of the opening period, but they are still struggling to find a way past the hosts' defence, who look well-drilled and well-organised.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: FIORENTINA 1-1 ROMA
We're all set for a thrilling second leg thanks to a late comeback from Roma, who looked far more impressive after the half-time break. Fiorentina dealt with the visitors fairly comfortably for the vast majority of the game but fell asleep momentarily with little over 10 minutes left to play, allowing Keita to take advantage of lacklustre defending from Alonso and nod in an incredibly important away goal. They will no doubt be the happier of the two sides but tonight has shown that anything could, and most likely will, happen when they meet once again next week.
My name is Ben Cullimore and it's been an absolute pleasure describing all of the action to you today. Until next time, goodbye!
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