Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Mourinho: ‘Roma fans truly special, Conference League means more than Scudetto’

Jose Mourinho praised the ‘truly special’ Roma fans after a moving salute to the crowd, insisting the Conference League would ‘mean more in terms of passion’ than the Scudetto for Inter or Milan.

It looks as if fifth place is now beyond the Giallorossi, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Venezia, so focus inevitably now turns to the Conference League Final against Feyenoord on May 25.

With that in mind, the ultras put up a banner in the Curva Sud urging them to ‘crown our dreams of glory and write your names in history.’

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

The players and Mourinho came back out to salute the fans and throw jerseys into the stands, as the crowd and squad applauded each other for a good 10-15 minutes.

This was the final home game of the season, they visit Torino on Friday and then fly to Tirana for the Conference League Final.

“We are the ones who tried to thank the fans. It was once again a family. There is a way we can always thank them, which is to give our all on the field and we did it again today. At the end, if we can also win a trophy, I’ll say it was deserved for us, but even more deserved for the fans,” Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.

“If this happens, when Milan or Inter win the Scudetto, I think in terms of passion of the people, this means far more. Family is always there when you win, when you don’t win it’s different.

“I don’t know if it has always been like this, but I can say Roma have truly special fans. Truly special.”

David Okereke opened the scoring within 50 seconds and Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s crotch just 32 minutes into the match.

The rest of the match was simply a siege on Niki Maenpaa’s goal, leading to 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target, and the woodwork rattled four times by the Giallorossi.

Eldor Shomurodov eventually managed to scrape an equaliser, but it’s safe to say fifth place is now beyond them.

“We gave our all, deserved to win, obviously playing against 10 men for an hour allows you to dominate even more. Venezia were very good this evening, they are real professionals and I hope to see them back in Serie A soon.

“If we look back over the season, we had a very low percentage of chances converted. With an extra five or six goals, we’d have far more points. That is where we need to improve next season.

“It is clear we are struggling a little at the moment, as we have many players who are at the limit of risking injuries, but we have to keep taking these risks for one more game and then can focus on the Final.”

Nicolò Zaniolo had been expected to start, but was ruled out by a muscular issue.

“Nobody rested, Zaniolo, Mkhitaryan and Felix are all injured, they could not play today.”

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

Roma were held 1-1 by already-relegated Venezia in a bizarre match, as David Okereke scored within 50 seconds, Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick and the Giallorossi rattled the woodwork four times.

Watch the highlights here.

Serie A Highlights: Roma 1-1 Venezia

There was an odd atmosphere going into this game, as the Giallorossi were perhaps focused more on the upcoming Conference League Final than fighting for fifth place, while the Lagunari found out this afternoon they were already relegated. Gianluca Mancini was suspended with Henrikh Mkhitaryan injured and Nicolò Zaniolo nursing a slight muscular issue, but Leonardo Spinazzola got his first start in 10 months. Ethan Ampadu returned from his ban, but Thomas Henry, Sergio Romero, Marco Modolo and Luca Lezzerini missed out.

Incredibly, it was Venezia who took the lead within 50 seconds, as Mattia Aramu’s cross found David Okereke unmarked for a glancing free header from six yards and the Giallorossi defence fast asleep.

Serie A Liveblog: Roma-Venezia, Udinese-Spezia, Verona-Torino

Spinazzola showed some of the old magic by pulling back from the by-line and Carles Perez was brought down after a strong solo run, while Lorenzo Pellegrini curled a free kick around the wall and back in to thump the crossbar on 19 minutes.

Mattia Caldara made a decisive sliding tackle on Tammy Abraham when he was clear on goal and Spinazzola drilled just wide.

Antonio Vacca was already playing with a protective mask after fracturing his nose, so went off after accidentally getting smashed in the face by a football from point-blank range.

Less accidental was Sofian Kiyine kicking Pellegrini in the crotch, which is why the ex-Lazio player – already on a yellow card anyway – was shown a straight red after a VAR review.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles from distance tested Niki Maenpaa, as did a Carles Perez free kick, but Roma moved to four at the back for the second half.

Bryan Cristante could not have come closer, a ferocious strike from outside the box thumping the underside of the crossbar, bouncing off the ground and back out.

Pellegrini clipped the frame of the goal with another free kick, this time just the top of it, while Maenpaa fingertipped a Stephan El Shaarawy curler round the far post and took the sting out of Nikola Zalewski’s scorcher.

The equaliser finally arrived when Shomurodov’s back-heel flick sent Pellegrini through, Maenpaa rushed off his line to clear, but the Uzbekistan international fired the rebound into the roof of the net. That was their 32nd shot on goal of the evening.

It was not the last, as the siege continued with a save on Cristante and then Nicola Zalewski’s rocket bounced off the underside of the bar, hit the ground and went back out.

Maenpaa made a double save in stoppages on the deflected Shomurodov attempt and El Shaarawy’s follow-up.

It still wasn’t over, Roma had penalty appeals for potential handball amid chaos and on the counter Venezia nearly won it with Dennis Johnsen and Ridgeciano Haps, but Pellegrini sprinted back for a decisive block.

Roma ended the game with 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target.

Roma 1-1 Venezia

Okereke 1 (V), Shomurodov 76 (R)

Sent off: Kiyine 32 (V)

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

Roma were held 1-1 by already-relegated Venezia in a bizarre match, as David Okereke scored within 50 seconds, Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick and the Giallorossi rattled the woodwork four times.

Watch the highlights here.

Serie A Highlights: Roma 1-1 Venezia

There was an odd atmosphere going into this game, as the Giallorossi were perhaps focused more on the upcoming Conference League Final than fighting for fifth place, while the Lagunari found out this afternoon they were already relegated. Gianluca Mancini was suspended with Henrikh Mkhitaryan injured and Nicolò Zaniolo nursing a slight muscular issue, but Leonardo Spinazzola got his first start in 10 months. Ethan Ampadu returned from his ban, but Thomas Henry, Sergio Romero, Marco Modolo and Luca Lezzerini missed out.

Incredibly, it was Venezia who took the lead within 50 seconds, as Mattia Aramu’s cross found David Okereke unmarked for a glancing free header from six yards and the Giallorossi defence fast asleep.

Serie A Liveblog: Roma-Venezia, Udinese-Spezia, Verona-Torino

Spinazzola showed some of the old magic by pulling back from the by-line and Carles Perez was brought down after a strong solo run, while Lorenzo Pellegrini curled a free kick around the wall and back in to thump the crossbar on 19 minutes.

Mattia Caldara made a decisive sliding tackle on Tammy Abraham when he was clear on goal and Spinazzola drilled just wide.

Antonio Vacca was already playing with a protective mask after fracturing his nose, so went off after accidentally getting smashed in the face by a football from point-blank range.

Less accidental was Sofian Kiyine kicking Pellegrini in the crotch, which is why the ex-Lazio player – already on a yellow card anyway – was shown a straight red after a VAR review.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles from distance tested Niki Maenpaa, as did a Carles Perez free kick, but Roma moved to four at the back for the second half.

Bryan Cristante could not have come closer, a ferocious strike from outside the box thumping the underside of the crossbar, bouncing off the ground and back out.

Pellegrini clipped the frame of the goal with another free kick, this time just the top of it, while Maenpaa fingertipped a Stephan El Shaarawy curler round the far post and took the sting out of Nikola Zalewski’s scorcher.

The equaliser finally arrived when Shomurodov’s back-heel flick sent Pellegrini through, Maenpaa rushed off his line to clear, but the Uzbekistan international fired the rebound into the roof of the net. That was their 32nd shot on goal of the evening.

It was not the last, as the siege continued with a save on Cristante and then Nicola Zalewski’s rocket bounced off the underside of the bar, hit the ground and went back out.

Maenpaa made a double save in stoppages on the deflected Shomurodov attempt and El Shaarawy’s follow-up.

It still wasn’t over, Roma had penalty appeals for potential handball amid chaos and on the counter Venezia nearly won it with Dennis Johnsen and Ridgeciano Haps, but Pellegrini sprinted back for a decisive block.

Roma ended the game with 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target.

Roma 1-1 Venezia

Okereke 1 (V), Shomurodov 76 (R)

Sent off: Kiyine 32 (V)

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

Roma were held 1-1 by already-relegated Venezia in a bizarre match, as David Okereke scored within 50 seconds, Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick and the Giallorossi rattled the woodwork four times.

Watch the highlights here.

Serie A Highlights: Roma 1-1 Venezia

There was an odd atmosphere going into this game, as the Giallorossi were perhaps focused more on the upcoming Conference League Final than fighting for fifth place, while the Lagunari found out this afternoon they were already relegated. Gianluca Mancini was suspended with Henrikh Mkhitaryan injured and Nicolò Zaniolo nursing a slight muscular issue, but Leonardo Spinazzola got his first start in 10 months. Ethan Ampadu returned from his ban, but Thomas Henry, Sergio Romero, Marco Modolo and Luca Lezzerini missed out.

Incredibly, it was Venezia who took the lead within 50 seconds, as Mattia Aramu’s cross found David Okereke unmarked for a glancing free header from six yards and the Giallorossi defence fast asleep.

Serie A Liveblog: Roma-Venezia, Udinese-Spezia, Verona-Torino

Spinazzola showed some of the old magic by pulling back from the by-line and Carles Perez was brought down after a strong solo run, while Lorenzo Pellegrini curled a free kick around the wall and back in to thump the crossbar on 19 minutes.

Mattia Caldara made a decisive sliding tackle on Tammy Abraham when he was clear on goal and Spinazzola drilled just wide.

Antonio Vacca was already playing with a protective mask after fracturing his nose, so went off after accidentally getting smashed in the face by a football from point-blank range.

Less accidental was Sofian Kiyine kicking Pellegrini in the crotch, which is why the ex-Lazio player – already on a yellow card anyway – was shown a straight red after a VAR review.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles from distance tested Niki Maenpaa, as did a Carles Perez free kick, but Roma moved to four at the back for the second half.

Bryan Cristante could not have come closer, a ferocious strike from outside the box thumping the underside of the crossbar, bouncing off the ground and back out.

Pellegrini clipped the frame of the goal with another free kick, this time just the top of it, while Maenpaa fingertipped a Stephan El Shaarawy curler round the far post and took the sting out of Nikola Zalewski’s scorcher.

The equaliser finally arrived when Shomurodov’s back-heel flick sent Pellegrini through, Maenpaa rushed off his line to clear, but the Uzbekistan international fired the rebound into the roof of the net. That was their 32nd shot on goal of the evening.

It was not the last, as the siege continued with a save on Cristante and then Nicola Zalewski’s rocket bounced off the underside of the bar, hit the ground and went back out.

Maenpaa made a double save in stoppages on the deflected Shomurodov attempt and El Shaarawy’s follow-up.

It still wasn’t over, Roma had penalty appeals for potential handball amid chaos and on the counter Venezia nearly won it with Dennis Johnsen and Ridgeciano Haps, but Pellegrini sprinted back for a decisive block.

Roma ended the game with 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target.

Roma 1-1 Venezia

Okereke 1 (V), Shomurodov 76 (R)

Sent off: Kiyine 32 (V)

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

Roma were held 1-1 by already-relegated Venezia in a bizarre match, as David Okereke scored within 50 seconds, Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick and the Giallorossi rattled the woodwork four times.

There was an odd atmosphere going into this game, as the Giallorossi were perhaps focused more on the upcoming Conference League Final than fighting for fifth place, while the Lagunari found out this afternoon they were already relegated. Gianluca Mancini was suspended with Henrikh Mkhitaryan injured and Nicolò Zaniolo nursing a slight muscular issue, but Leonardo Spinazzola got his first start in 10 months. Ethan Ampadu returned from his ban, but Thomas Henry, Sergio Romero, Marco Modolo and Luca Lezzerini missed out.

Incredibly, it was Venezia who took the lead within 50 seconds, as Mattia Aramu’s cross found David Okereke unmarked for a glancing free header from six yards and the Giallorossi defence fast asleep.

Serie A Liveblog: Roma-Venezia, Udinese-Spezia, Verona-Torino

Spinazzola showed some of the old magic by pulling back from the by-line and Carles Perez was brought down after a strong solo run, while Lorenzo Pellegrini curled a free kick around the wall and back in to thump the crossbar on 19 minutes.

Mattia Caldara made a decisive sliding tackle on Tammy Abraham when he was clear on goal and Spinazzola drilled just wide.

Antonio Vacca was already playing with a protective mask after fracturing his nose, so went off after accidentally getting smashed in the face by a football from point-blank range.

Less accidental was Sofian Kiyine kicking Pellegrini in the crotch, which is why the ex-Lazio player – already on a yellow card anyway – was shown a straight red after a VAR review.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles from distance tested Niki Maenpaa, as did a Carles Perez free kick, but Roma moved to four at the back for the second half.

Bryan Cristante could not have come closer, a ferocious strike from outside the box thumping the underside of the crossbar, bouncing off the ground and back out.

Pellegrini clipped the frame of the goal with another free kick, this time just the top of it, while Maenpaa fingertipped a Stephan El Shaarawy curler round the far post and took the sting out of Nikola Zalewski’s scorcher.

The equaliser finally arrived when Shomurodov’s back-heel flick sent Pellegrini through, Maenpaa rushed off his line to clear, but the Uzbekistan international fired the rebound into the roof of the net. That was their 32nd shot on goal of the evening.

It was not the last, as the siege continued with a save on Cristante and then Nicola Zalewski’s rocket bounced off the underside of the bar, hit the ground and went back out.

Maenpaa made a double save in stoppages on the deflected Shomurodov attempt and El Shaarawy’s follow-up.

It still wasn’t over, Roma had penalty appeals for potential handball amid chaos and on the counter Venezia nearly won it with Dennis Johnsen and Ridgeciano Haps, but Pellegrini sprinted back for a decisive block.

Roma ended the game with 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target.

Roma 1-1 Venezia

Okereke 1 (V), Shomurodov 76 (R)

Sent off: Kiyine 32 (V)

Serie A | Roma 1-1 Venezia: Relegated Lagunari stall Mourinho

Roma were held 1-1 by already-relegated Venezia in a bizarre match, as David Okereke scored within 50 seconds, Sofian Kiyine was sent off for a nasty kick and the Giallorossi rattled the woodwork four times.

Watch the highlights here.

Serie A Highlights: Roma 1-1 Venezia

There was an odd atmosphere going into this game, as the Giallorossi were perhaps focused more on the upcoming Conference League Final than fighting for fifth place, while the Lagunari found out this afternoon they were already relegated. Gianluca Mancini was suspended with Henrikh Mkhitaryan injured and Nicolò Zaniolo nursing a slight muscular issue, but Leonardo Spinazzola got his first start in 10 months. Ethan Ampadu returned from his ban, but Thomas Henry, Sergio Romero, Marco Modolo and Luca Lezzerini missed out.

Incredibly, it was Venezia who took the lead within 50 seconds, as Mattia Aramu’s cross found David Okereke unmarked for a glancing free header from six yards and the Giallorossi defence fast asleep.

Serie A Liveblog: Roma-Venezia, Udinese-Spezia, Verona-Torino

Spinazzola showed some of the old magic by pulling back from the by-line and Carles Perez was brought down after a strong solo run, while Lorenzo Pellegrini curled a free kick around the wall and back in to thump the crossbar on 19 minutes.

Mattia Caldara made a decisive sliding tackle on Tammy Abraham when he was clear on goal and Spinazzola drilled just wide.

Antonio Vacca was already playing with a protective mask after fracturing his nose, so went off after accidentally getting smashed in the face by a football from point-blank range.

Less accidental was Sofian Kiyine kicking Pellegrini in the crotch, which is why the ex-Lazio player – already on a yellow card anyway – was shown a straight red after a VAR review.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles from distance tested Niki Maenpaa, as did a Carles Perez free kick, but Roma moved to four at the back for the second half.

Bryan Cristante could not have come closer, a ferocious strike from outside the box thumping the underside of the crossbar, bouncing off the ground and back out.

Pellegrini clipped the frame of the goal with another free kick, this time just the top of it, while Maenpaa fingertipped a Stephan El Shaarawy curler round the far post and took the sting out of Nikola Zalewski’s scorcher.

The equaliser finally arrived when Shomurodov’s back-heel flick sent Pellegrini through, Maenpaa rushed off his line to clear, but the Uzbekistan international fired the rebound into the roof of the net. That was their 32nd shot on goal of the evening.

It was not the last, as the siege continued with a save on Cristante and then Nicola Zalewski’s rocket bounced off the underside of the bar, hit the ground and went back out.

Maenpaa made a double save in stoppages on the deflected Shomurodov attempt and El Shaarawy’s follow-up.

It still wasn’t over, Roma had penalty appeals for potential handball amid chaos and on the counter Venezia nearly won it with Dennis Johnsen and Ridgeciano Haps, but Pellegrini sprinted back for a decisive block.

Roma ended the game with 46 shots on goal, 16 of them on target.

Roma 1-1 Venezia

Okereke 1 (V), Shomurodov 76 (R)

Sent off: Kiyine 32 (V)