Niccolò Pisilli scored twice as Roma beat Stuttgart 2-0, boosting their chances of automatic Europa League qualification.
AS Roma moved into the UEFA Europa League top eight with one league-phase match remaining after securing a 2-0 home victory over Stuttgart, who suffered their first defeat in four European outings.
Stuttgart arrived in Rome in confident form, having scored 10 goals across their previous three Europa League matches, and started brightly. Mittelstädt found space early on to shoot inside two minutes, though his effort failed to test Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.
The hosts gradually settled, with Soulé going close twice in quick succession before the 20-minute mark. The Argentine fired one effort from outside the box before attempting a volley moments later, but both chances sailed over Alexander Nübel’s crossbar.
After a quiet spell, Stuttgart suddenly threatened midway through the first half. Chris Führich forced Svilar into action with a speculative free-kick, while Leweling followed up with a powerful effort from the edge of the area that drew a sharp reaction save, before Svilar safely gathered another long-range attempt.
Just as Stuttgart looked to be gaining control, Roma struck decisively. Niccolò Pisilli timed his run perfectly to meet a sublime through ball from Soulé, bursting in behind the defence and rifling a powerful finish into the top corner five minutes before half-time.
The visitors pushed hard after the restart and were unlucky not to equalise. Deniz Undav bullied his way into a shooting position early in the second half, only for Svilar to smother his effort, before the striker squandered an even clearer chance just before the hour mark by blazing over from close range.
Roma absorbed sustained pressure, with Svilar producing a series of outstanding saves, including a remarkable stop from Ermedin Demirović late on.
The Giallorossi finally sealed the result in stoppage time when Paulo Dybala set up Pisilli to score his second, completing a fourth straight Europa League win and leaving Roma one point clear of ninth ahead of their final trip to Panathinaikos, while Stuttgart now face a must-win clash with Young Boys.
