Between Bologna and Rome tied in the first round: everything will be decided in a week.

The Italian consolation derby in Europe ends in a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Bologna and Roma will postpone the verdict on access to the Europa League quarter-finals to next week at the Olimpico.

Whichever team continues on, much more will be needed than the spectacle offered at Dall’Ara, marked by slow rhythms and numerous inaccuracies, to aim to defend the prestige of our football in the Cups.

Bernardeschi breaks the deadlock and shines, Malen hits the post: then Bologna punishes itself. A serious mistake by Joao Mario opens the door for the equalizer, built by Cristante, finished by Malen, and finalized by Pellegrini, with Gasperini managing to turn around a complicated evening by squeezing the most out of a bare-bones bench.

The first round of the round of 16 ends in balance; everything will be decided in seven days in the Capital.

There is a bitter taste for the rossoblù, who had tasted the return to success in front of their own fans after the defeat against Verona last weekend. Having put the league behind them, the rossoblù of Italiano still confirm their ability to change gears: tenth consecutive positive result in the Uefa competition (7 wins and 3 draws), finally at full strength as it had not happened since the opening day against the giallorossi.

Roma, ravaged by absences (out Konè, Angeliño, Dovbyk, Dybala, Ferguson, Mancini, Soulè, and Venturino), struggles to maintain continuity in their play, but does not give up and proves to be clinical in capitalizing on opponents' mistakes, limiting the damage in view of the return, driven by an unstoppable Malen in assist-man mode.

The number 10 from Bologna, Federico Bernardeschi, takes the spotlight. At the end of the first half, he grazes the crossbar, but Svilar saves with an extraordinary stop, deflecting it for a corner. Just before, he had put Wesley in trouble and, with a sharp cross, forced Ghilardi to intervene providentially on Ferguson at close range. However, five minutes into the second half, he does not forgive: Rowe, after a serpentine run where he first skips Celik and then Rensch, forces Ndicka and Ghilardi to retreat; the Englishman opens it to the right for Bernardeschi, who with a curling left-footed shot kisses the far post and beats Svilar. Rowe creates, Bernardeschi punishes.

Roma tries to react immediately: on a ball lost by Miranda, Rensch launches long for Malen, who however stops at the woodwork. A quarter of an hour later, Bernardeschi plays the role of the playmaker and sends Pobega one-on-one with Svilar: a shot right at the goalkeeper, who saves everything.

Missed goal, conceded goal. In the 26th minute, from a high ball by Svilar, Joao Mario misses the control: Cristante steals the ball from him, activates Malen who cuts inside on Lucumi, anticipates Skorupski and Freuler and serves Pellegrini the easiest of tap-ins into an empty net, just after his entry onto the field, when Gasperini had reshaped a struggling midfield. A more than accurate choice, along with the substitutions of Vaz, Tsimikas, and Hermoso, which restored balance and the ability to advance the ball.

In the final moments, Bologna pushes forward but struggles to build through organized play; on a set piece, they come close to a big hit with Vitik, who hits the crossbar from a free kick taken by Lykogiannis.

The Emilians dominate the match and waste opportunities, while the Romans optimize and take home a valuable 1-1, which gives them a small but substantial psychological advantage ahead of the return at the Olimpico.