Roma played a 1-1 draw with Bologna in the Europa League round-of-16 setting up an exciting second leg.
Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini scored a late equalizer to secure a 1-1 draw against Bologna in the Europa League last-16 first leg at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. The result leaves the tie wide open ahead of the second leg in Rome on March 19th.
The first half was slow-paced, with Roma creating the better chances. Bryan Zaragoza dragged a shot wide in the 20th minute, and Bologna responded with a Mile Svilar save to deny Federico Bernardeschi’s 25-yard strike just before halftime.
Bologna took the lead on the 49th minute, with Bernardeschi curling an unstoppable angled drive past Svilar. Roma pushed for an equalizer, with Donyell Malen having a close-range shot saved by Łukasz Skorupski.
Roma’s pressure paid off in the 73rd minute, when Pellegrini scored a clever goal. Captain Bryan Cristante forced an error from Joao Mario, and Malen’s shot was parried by Skorupski, but Pellegrini slotted home the rebound.
⏱ | The first leg at the Dall’Ara ends all square⚖️#ASRoma #UEL #BolognaRoma pic.twitter.com/RqrFKs11CX
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) March 12, 2026
The draw extends Bologna’s unbeaten Europa League run to 10 games, and they remain unbeaten in five home clashes with Roma across all competitions.
Roma will look to take advantage of their home crowd in the second leg, while Bologna will be confident of progressing after holding their opponents to a draw on their own turf.
