AS Roma missed three straight attempts from the penalty spot late in the game as Lille upset the Italian club 1-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.
In a bizarre sequence, Roma was given three tries to equalize from the spot after the first two efforts from Artem Dovbyk were both saved by goalkeeper Berke Özer — only for the referee to order the penalty to be retaken each time because of encroachment.
Roma then switched penalty takers to Matìas Soulè, but Özer saved that one as well, diving to his right to punch the ball away in the 85th minute — nearly four minutes after Dovbyk had made his first attempt.
“The penalties? It felt endless,” said Lille midfielder Nabil Bentaleb. “Berke came up with three great saves: we owe him for that.”
Both coaches said after it was the first time they had ever witnessed such a scenario play out.
“The end of the match was intense: it’s the first time I’ve ever seen three consecutive penalties saved,” Lille coach Bruno Génésio said. “Lots of emotion and a great reward for the players after the defeats against Lens and Lyon. We won, but we haven’t achieved anything yet.”
Hakon Arnar Haraldsson had put Lille ahead with an angled shot in the sixth minute at Stadio Olimpico, which was enough for the French club to earn a second win in two games.
“I have never seen three penalties missed in the same match,” Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini told Sky Italy. “We went 1-0 down very early and put Lille in the best position to play their game.
“Roma played with great desire and pace. We chased the result until the final whistle and, although we conceded a few chances, that’s how it is in Europe. We weren’t strong enough to capitalise on our chances.”
He added: “The penalties undoubtedly affected the result. The team gave a lot in terms of intensity, and that penalty could have been a turning point. When you lose, it’s natural to see everything negatively, but we’re taking away some positive lessons from this match.”
Lille will hope for more heroics when they host Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
ESPN
