ROME. If Norwegian Bodø/Glimt was still able to surprise identity-seeking AS Roma in last winter’s Conference League, the group waiting for HJK at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday was already a more prepared team.
HJK knew that they were going into the biggest game in their club history as underdogs, but to their great regret, their true potential was not seen this time. The euphoria of a memorable away match was broken early when the captain Miro Tenhon the yellow card changed to red after the video review.
The hopes of a great fight between David and Goliath evaporated in the hot evening in Rome, where the hosts left as winners with a score of 3–0.
– We got hold of the ball right away. Maybe Roma didn’t push as hard as expected, but Miro’s red changed the nature of the game dramatically. It’s a shame, because the start was so promising, a great defender Jukka Raitala said.
With less than one player, HJK’s ball contribution became more modest minute by minute. The evening turned into a tough fight for survival, which continued successfully for the guests until the break.
– Sad for Miro. That situation was by no means his fault, but he has been great for us. It’s a shame that the VAR check led to a red, because on the field it looked like a 50-50 case in the pursuit of the ball, familiar to the Italians Perparim Hetemaj evaluate.
Already in the first half, the Home Crowd of more than 60,000 people vented their frustration from time to time as Roma patiently played the ball downwards. Keeper Conor Hazard managed a few shots and crosses with honor and was the most valuable player of the Helsinki team. He still ended up giving his opening practically directly to Roma’s defensive line, which started the construction of the next situation.
Breaking the clean sheet still proved to be challenging and the closer it was to the break, the more both the crowd and the players showed their irritation. HJK took every possible second off the clock and infuriated the locals, which with a full crew could have fueled a surprise seam.
Toned down by a few whistles, left for the break Jose Mourinho finally ended up taking the hard way when bringing their most important players on the field, who were supposed to be rested in the HJK match to ease the fast pace of the game. The number one stopper Chris Smalling and a superstar Paulo Dybala marched onto the field at the beginning of the second period, when Roma got the solution quickly.
The adored Dybala stopped the efforts
Roma already sold out their fifth consecutive home match and the new arrival of the wolves has created a more enthusiastic atmosphere in the city than in years. Even last season, the stands were – partly due to the corona virus – a lot of empty seats, but now tickets are going like hot stones.
There was a lot of buzz around the Stadio Olimpico a few hours before kick-off as the first supporters arrived. HJK’s crowd of more than 200 supporters, isolated in the corner box, was able to occasionally take over the sound world with their cheers, which were however quickly suppressed by the locals.
In a way, the situation in the stands also summed up the struggle on the field. HJK did not become a giant’s downer, but had to experience the charm of Mourinho’s Roma at the moment. In particular, Dybala, who traveled to Rome on a free transfer from Juventus, has become in a few months the new favorite child of Roma supporters, whose jerseys were being seen in street photos during the match.
It was the Argentinian who also stepped up as Thursday’s decider, even though the plan was to have a night off. Dybala only had about a minute to play before scoring the opening goal. Roma’s second one followed almost immediately, and the move was completed with a 3-0 goal as the tired HJK persevered.
– We were able to defend the first half just fine, but at such a hard level you start to get tired and make mistakes. Three goals tells the final result. Dybala moved between the lines, looked for the ball well and caused us difficulties. An early goal in the second half made the game difficult. We left everything on the field, but that’s not comforting here, Raitala said.
The official crowd for the match was announced as 60,193, practically a full stadium. The same amount is also expected on Sunday, when Roma meets Atalanta in the Serie A match. HJK, on the other hand, will be playing in more mundane scenery at that time as they continue their championship fight against SJK.
The two-day trip to Rome will surely go down in football history, but after two rounds of matches, HJK is the only team without points in its Europa League group. Spain’s Real Betis leads the group with six points after beating Ludogorets 3-2 at home in the opening round of the group stage in Rome on Thursday.
HJK will next face Ludogorets at home at the beginning of October.
– We have a lot of players for whom this was the first so-called big game with such audience numbers. These are great experiences, but yes, we want more than just experiences. It’s great from my own point of view to play these wonderful games, but we have to learn from them, Raitala summed up.
HJK will next face Bulgarian Ludogorets in the Europa League on October 6. from 7:45 p.m. You can listen to the match live on Puhe.
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