Roma are finally able to break out of their own half of the pitch as they look to push forward on a late attack down the right wing. Florenzi does well to burst into space but his final touch lets him down and forces him into playing a rushed low cross straight into the feet of Romagnoli.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
89'
R. Nainggolan gets yellow.
And now Nainggolan receives a yellow card. The Belgian is seemingly fairly dispossessed by De Sciglio, but he isn't pleased at all with the tackle. The referee initially lets play go on but quickly reverses his decision and shows the midfielder a yellow card for dissent.
Niang twists and turns on the edge of the Roma penalty area before chipping a deft cross right onto the head of Honda. The Japan international meets it well before trying to nod the ball into the path of a teammate, but it's sent bouncing straight into the hands of Szczesny.
87'
A. Bertolacci gets yellow.
After dealing with a poorly-taken Milan free kick, Salah tries to break away on a quick counter-attack down the left flank. He initially does well to get forward but is cynically clattered into by Bertolacci, leaving the referee with no choice but to show the midfielder a yellow card.
85'
M. Niang enters the game and replaces G. Bonaventura.
Milan have made their final substitution of the evening, and it's an attacking one, with Bonaventura making way for Niang for the final few mintues.
83'
Great strike by Florenzi! After having to spend the last 10 minutes or so firmly on the back foot, Roma are finally able to push forward on a quick counter-attack. They work the ball around well before the aforementioned full-back receives it on the edge of the penalty area, and he immediately unleashes a fantastic low shot that beats Donnarumma before bouncing inches wide of the far post. That was arguably the hosts' best chance of the second half.
81'
Milan keep pushing forward in search of what would surely be the winning goal, and they do well to earn themselves a corner on the right wing. It's flung into the heart of the penalty area, where it finds Bacca, but the striker's leap isn't good enough and he ends up getting under the ball, which sends his headed effort flying well over the top of the crossbar.
79'
L. Antonelli enters the game and replaces I. Abate.
Abate, who has been one of Milan's best players tonight, looks to have picked up a nasty-looking injury, and he's forced off to be replaced by Antonelli for the final 11 minutes of the game.
78'
Once again, Bertolacci gets himself into a good position after good play down the right flank by Abate. The full-back plays the ball into the path of the aforementioned midfielder, who skips past De Rossi inside the penalty area before heading to the byline. He then unleashes what looks like a strike from a tight angle, but it's the wrong decision and, as a result, he ends up sending the ball flying out of play when he had plenty of better options.
76'
Roma lose the ball in a dangerous position midway inside their own half of the pitch, allowing Bertolacci to fly forward before unleashing a strike just outside of the box. It fails to beat the sea of defenders in front of him and ends up being deflected over to Boateng, who spins quickly and fires a curling shot that ends up clearing the top of the crossbar by three or four yards.
Minute
Description
74'
Roma are continuing to look nervous when in possession, and it's resulting in them making far too much mistakes. Milan are putting them under an increasing amount of pressure as they swarm into the hosts' half of the pitch in search of that all-important second goal.
72'
Salah is clipped by De Sciglio, resulting in a free kick for Roma just inside the Milan half of the pitch. They take it short before Totti tees up the aforementioned Egyptian, but his low cross is deflected out of play for a corner. The resulting set-piece is flung into the middle of the penalty area, where it finds Rudiger, but this time the centre-back is unable to direct his headed effort towards goal.
70'
F. Totti enters the game and replaces U. Sadiq.
Totti receives an almighty roar from the Roma fans as he comes on to replace Umar for the final 20 minutes.
69'
Lovely play by Roma! Salah flies down the right wing before playing a series of wonderful passes with Gervinho. The Ivorian is the one who then unleashes a thumping shot from just inside the penalty area, but it ends up flying agonisingly wide of the near post. That was much better from the hosts!
67'
Bacca goes close again! Once more, Bonaventura is left in far too much space by the Roma midfield, allowing him to fly forward before unleashing a cross-cum-shot from the right wing. It's slightly scuffed but almost finds the aforementioned Colombian at the far post, but, despite his best efforts, he's unable to meet the ball with his stuck out foot.
65'
It's now a completely different game to the one that we were treated to in the first half. Roma, like Milan did at the start, look all over the place at the back, and the home fans don't sound at all happy with what they're seeing. They're going mad at their side's performance, which has been incredibly poor since the restart.
63'
Bacca hits the crossbar! Bonaventura flies forward in space before teeing up the aforementioned Colombian with a lovely through-ball. He skips past Rudiger with ease before unleashing a rocket of a shot from the edge of the penalty area, and it easily beats Szczesny before ricocheting off the woodwork. What a great goal that would have been!
61'
There's a brief halt in play as the referee sends Mihajlovic to the stands after the Milan manager was caught kicking a water bottle in frustration. The Serbian looks perplexed at the decision, but despite his protestations he's forced into heading away from the dugout.
60'
What a chance for Kucka to put Milan in front! An awful mistake from Rudiger sees the German slip just outside of the Roma penalty area, allowing Boateng to pick up the ball and charge forward. He heads into the box before cutting a pass back to Bacca, who pulls off a clever dummy to set up the aforementioned Slovakian. The midfielder immediately unleashes a thumping strike from 10 yards out, but there's far too much power on the shot and, as a result, it ends up flying over the top of the crossbar.
58'
Strong goalkeeping by Szczesny! Zapata is left in far too much space near the halfway line, allowing him to nanchalantly jog into the Roma half of the pitch before sending a bouncing pass into the path of Bacca. The striker flies into the penalty area as he tries to get onto the end of it but the Polish goalkeeper does well to dart out and cut out the danger at the vital moment.
57'
K. Boateng enters the game and replaces Luiz Adriano.
56'
Mohamed Salah enters the game and replaces Iago Falqué.
Roma have made their second alteration of the evening, with Falque making way for Salah.
Meanwhile, Boateng has come on to replace Adriano to make his first appearance since returning to Milan.
55'
Once again, a dangerous cross from the right flank causes Roma problems, but this time Florenzi is just about able to get a head on it to send the ball out for a corner. The resulting set-piece is flung into the middle of the box but it's well dealt with by the hosts, who then earns themselves a throw-in on the opposite wing.
54'
Bonaventura breaks down the left wing and latches onto a loose ball before firing a wonderful low cross into the middle of the penalty area. It looks set to meet Adriano on the edge of the six-yard box but Castan is just about able to get a foot on the ball to send it away from the Brazilian.
52'
Gervinho and Florenzi link up well on the right flank before the latter tries to dart into the penalty area. He's almost able to do so after doing well to get forward quickly, but Bonaventura is there to dispossess the marauding full-back with a well-timed tackle at the vital moment.
50'
J. Kucka has scored a goal for AC Milan! Assist by K. Honda.
Assist Keisuke Honda
GOAL! Milan have equalised! Honda picks up the ball in space on the right flank and immediately chips a brilliant cross over to the back post. It meets Kucka, who is easily able to dart into the box and beat Florenzi in the air before sending a bullet header past Szczesny and into the back of the net. We're all square once again!
48'
It's been a scrappy start to the second half, with neither side able to hold onto the ball for lengthy periods of time. Tackles are flying in all over the place and it wouldn't be a surprise if the referee, who is known for being card-happy, soon puts down another name in his book.
46'
Leandro Castán enters the game and replaces K. Manolas.
And we're underway once again!
Roma have made one substitution during the half-time break, with Manolas making way for Castan.
45'
Chance for Falque! Once again, a Milan attacking move breaks down and allows Roma to fly forward on a determined counter-attack on the left flank. It's Gervinho who charges down the wing before cutting a lovely pass back to the aforementioned Spaniard, but his first-time strike from the edge of the penalty area is underhit and ends up sailing straight to Donnarumma. That was a great opportunity for him to double the hosts' lead!
43'
Roma come back once again after taking the throw-in quickly, and Pjanic immediately tries to pick out a teammate with a curling cross. It's sent too near to Donnarumma, however, and the young goalkeeper is easily able to watch it sail into his hands on the edge of the six-yard box.
42'
Luiz Adriano gets yellow.
Pjanic takes his time with the resulting set-piece before unleashing a curled strike, but it isn't quite high enough and ends up deflecting off the Milan wall and out for a throw-in on the right flank.
41'
Umar is left in far too much space in the middle of the pitch, allowing him to charge forward unopposed before playing the ball out to Falque. The Spaniard then takes on De Sciglio before the ball bounces around the edge of the penalty area, ending in Adriano bringing Florenzi crashing to the ground with a hefty sliding challenge for which he receives a yellow card.
39'
Roma quickly win the ball back and Florenzi immediately charges down the right wing before unleashing an audacious strike from 30 yards out, but, unsurprisingly, it ends up clearing the top of the crossbar by quite some distance.
38'
Roma break away on a quick counter-attack down the left wing through Gervinho, who flies forward before teeing up Digne. The left-back, who had made a great run forward, then earns his side a corner with a low cross that is deflected out of play, but it fails to beat Bacca at the near post.
36'
Bonaventura peels away from his marker and receives the ball on the edge of the penalty area before trying to test Szczesny with a curling strike, but it's sent too near to the Polish goalkeeper and, as a result, he's easily able to deal with the midfielder's effort.
34'
M. Pjanić gets yellow.
The referee reaches to his pocket once again, and this time it's Pjanic who enters his book after clumsily bringing down Bonaventura from behind.
33'
Another Milan attacking move breaks down, allowing Roma to break away on a quick counter-attack through Nainggolan. The Belgian flies down the left wing before teeing up Umar, who then heads towards the edge of the penalty area. Just as he's about to meet it he's seemingly pushed to the floor by Kucka, but the referee doesn't agree and immediately waves play on, much to the striker's annoyance.
31'
Milan string together a good string of passes as they quickly work the ball around on the edge of the Roma penalty area, but just as Bacca tries to tee up Bertolacci with a deft flick the attacking move is brought to an end by a great interception by Rudiger, who does well to blast the ball away from danger.
29'
K. Manolas gets yellow.
And now Manolas is awarded a yellow card after flying into the back of Adriano as the striker tried to spin round him just inside the Roma half of the pitch. The Brazilian has looked bright with the ball at his feet but has had to deal with a plethora of hefty challenges during the opening half-an-hour.
27'
J. Kucka gets yellow.
After dealing with a half-hearted Milan attack, Roma try to break away on one of their own through Gervinho, who flies down the left flank before being clattered into by Kucka, and the Slovakian receives the first yellow card of the game as a result.
26'
Chance for Bacca! Once again, the Colombian charges into the Roma penalty area before trying to beat Szczesny with a flicked strike from close range. It takes a slight touch off the arm of the Polish goalkeeper before bouncing towards the bottom left-hand corner of the net, but there isn't enough power on the shot to send it bouncing over the line.
25'
Pjanic embarks on a brilliant run into the left-hand side of the Milan box, beating Romagnoli with ease before heading towards the byline. The Bosnian then tries to pick out Umar with a deft cut-back, but Abate is just about able to get to the ball in time to stop that from happening. The aforementioned centre-back has had an absolutely dire game thus far!
24'
Bacca breaks into the right-hand side of the Roma penalty area before firing a great low cross towards the near post, where Manolas is just about able to poke it out for a corner before the ball can reach Adriano. The resulting set-piece is flung into the middle of the box, where it finds Zapata, but the defender's header ends up missing its intended target by quite some distance.
22'
Milan muscle their way down the left flank before Bonaventura cuts inside and unleashes a low strike from 25 yards out. It's completely underhit, however, and ends up rolling safely into the hands of Szczesny.
20'
Rudiger hits the crossbar! After dealing with a lacklustre Milan free kick, Roma break away on a quick counter-attack and earn themselves a corner after poor defending by Romagnoli. It's whipped towards the near post, where it finds the aforementioned defender completely unmarked, and his bullet header ends up being tipped onto the woodwork by a fantastic diving save from Donnarumma.
18'
A poor tackle from behind by Pjanic brings Adriano crashing to the ground 35 yards away from the Roma goal, resulting in a free kick for Milan in a good position. However, it's poorly executed and the chipped cross into the hosts' box fails to result in a chance on goal.
16'
Nainggolan drifts out to the right wing, where he does well to link up with Falque. The Belgian then tries to tee up the Spaniard with a deft chip over the top of the Milan defence, but De Sciglio is there to out-muscle the winger before shepherding the ball out of play for a goal kick.
14'
Bonaventura twists and turns on the left wing before cutting the ball back to De Sciglio, but once again the left-back's attempted cross into the Roma penalty area is poor and can only find the hands of Szczesny inside the six-yard box.
12'
It seems as if Milan have finally woke up after being asleep for the opening 10 minutes, and it is now they who are putting Roma under pressure. However, they are failing to find much joy inside the final third of the pitch, and as a result it's proving to be an easy start to the game for the hosts' back line.
10'
A lofted pass forward flies over the disjointed Milan back line and into the path of Umar, who then goes one-on-one with Donnarumma. He looks set to test the goalkeeper with another tricky strike but the linesman's flag is quickly raised for offside, which the visitors' back four welcome with relief.
8'
After spending the vast majority of the opening eight minutes on the back foot, Milan are finally able to push forward on their first attack of the game. They initially do well to flood into the Roma half of the pitch but it quickly breaks down before De Sciglio sends a poor strike straight into the hands of Szczesny in the middle of the hosts' goal.
6'
Pjanic almost makes it 2-0! Umar holds the ball up wonderfully well before spinning and teeing up the aforementioned Bosnian, who immediately unleashes a curling strike from 10 yards out. It's well hit but is sent just wide of the goal, much to the relief of Donnarumma, who is absolutely livid with his defence, who were beaten far too easily in the build-up to that chance.
4'
A. Rüdiger has scored a goal for Roma! Assist by M. Pjanić.
Assist Miralem Pjanić
GOAL! Roma have taken an early lead! The hosts keep pushing forward before earning themselves a free kick in a dangerous position on the right wing. It's curled towards the back post, where Rudiger takes advantage of awful defending by Milan to fire a volley past Donnarumma and into the back of the net. What a terrible start by the visitors!
2'
Milan completely fall asleep and allow Umar to immediately fly forward on a quick run towards the visitors' penalty area. He flies past two players before unleashing a thumping volley from 10 yards out, but Donnarumma is just about able to claw it away with a strong diving save.
1'
And we're off!
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Serie A game between Roma and Milan at the Stadio Olimpico.
Like Roma, Milan have also underperformed this season, resulting in many questioning just how much longer Sinisa Mihajlovic is going to be in charge of the club. The Serbian manager has been repeatedly criticised by the club’s owner Silvio Berlusconi, despite the fact that his side currently sit two points and two places higher than they did at this point last year. Things weren’t made any better by Wednesday’s lacklustre 1-0 defeat at home to Bologna, leaving them 11 points behind rivals Inter, who are enjoying life at the top of the table. Today’s encounter marks the start of a difficult run for the Rossoneri, who, after facing Carpi in the Coppa Italia next week, must take on Fiorentina, Empoli and Inter in their next three Serie A games. With Mihajlovic’s job in such a perilous position, the price of defeat in any of those clashes could be extremely costly.
This evening’s clash brings together two under-performing sides that desperately need a win if they are to turn around their disappointing seasons. For Roma, it has been a crash that has been particularly hard to bear. With 10 games of the season gone, they sat top of the table and looked to be the team to beat, but a 1-0 defeat against Inter at the end of October proved to be the start of a monumental downfall that has seen them struggle across all competitions. Since then they have won just three times in a period that has been characterised by lacklustre domestic performances and a worrying defeat against Serie B side Spezia in the Coppa Italia. Wednesday evening saw them surrender leads twice (including a two-goal one) against Chievo, leaving them in a disappointing fifth place and with a lot of work to do if they are to catch a top-four that are starting to pull away. As a result, a win today against a struggling Milan side is imperative, to say the least.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Milan substitutes: Mauri, Mexes, Ely, Poli, Montolivo, Niang, Antonelli, Abbiati, De Jong, Boateng, Calabria, Livieri.
Milan XI (4-4-2): Donnarumma; Abate, Zapata, Romagnoli, De Sciglio; Honda, Kucka, Bertolacci, Bonaventura; Adriano, Bacca.
Roma substitutes: Lobont, Castan, Totti, Salah, Maicon, Vainqueur, Gyomber, De Sanctis, Emerson, Torosidis, Pepin, Tumminello.
Roma XI (4-3-3): Szczesny; Florenzi, Manolas, Rüdiger, Digne; Pjanic, De Rossi, Nainggolan; Gervinho, Umar, Falque.
Rudi Garcia has decided to make three changes to the Roma side that started Wednesday evening’s draw away to Chievo, with Maicon, Vainqueur and Salah making way for Pjanic, De Rossi and Nainggolan.
Meanwhile, Milan boss Sinisa Mihajlovic has made four alterations to the side that started the aforementioned defeat against Bologna, with Zapata, Romagnoli, Kucka and Adriano coming into the starting line-up to replace Alex, Mexes, Montolivo and Niang.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: ROMA 1-0 MILAN
It was Roma who enjoyed a lightning quick start to the game as they did wonderfully well to take advantage of a sleeping Milan side, but since going ahead both teams have enjoyed their fair share of chances in front of goal. However, it is arguably the hosts that remain the better of the two as they have looked far more dangerous when pushing forward. They have largely limited their attacking moves to swift counter-attacks, but they have pulled them off with impressive effect. Umar and Gervinho have continued to look dangerous inside the final third of the pitch, whilst Rudiger has continually caused the Rossoneri back four problems with his movement from set-pieces.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: ROMA 1-1 MILAN
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and a chorus of boos greets the Roma players as they make their way off the pitch. That was a below-par performance from the hosts, who, bar a great start, failed to find much joy at other end of the pitch. Milan fared little better, but it was the visitors who were on the front foot for the vast majority of the game, resulting in them having the lion's share of possession as they constantly put their opponents under plenty of pressure. However, no matter how hard they tried they just couldn't seem to find that spark needed in front of goal, and, as a result, they fail to win a game for the second time in a row.
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