Italian side AS Roma suffered a shock 1-0 loss at home to French Ligue 1 side Lille at the Stadio Olimpico with the result even more shocking as Roma had not one, not two but three penalty kicks in the game to prevent the loss but failed to convert..
After conceding in the sixth minute through a Berke Ozer goal, Roma were handed a lifeline to pull even and potentially win the game as the club got awarded a penalty kick in the 80th minute when Aisa Mandi handled the ball inside the penalty box.
Former Girona striker Artem Dovbyk stepped up and on two occasions had his attempt saved by Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer but both saves were chopped off for penalty infringements.
Dovbyk was replaced by Matias Soule who also had his penalty attempt saved by Ozer but this time legally prompting a shocked Roma head coach Gianpiero Gasperini to state in his post-game presser that,
“I’ve never seen three missed penalties in one match. It was an almost unique, random situation, which ultimately compromised the result” according to the BBC.
The loss is Roma’s first in two Europa League games played this season; they beat OGC Nice of France 2-1 in the previous game.
