London – Mats Hummels saved a point for AS Roma during their Europa League match in London. The 2014 World Cup winner, making his debut as a starter for the Giallorossi, scored a last-minute equalizer (90.+1) against Tottenham Hotspur. Earlier in the match, Hummels conceded a penalty, which was confidently converted by his former Bayer Leverkusen teammate Heung-Min Son in the 5th minute, giving Spurs a 1-0 lead. Brennan Johnson (33.) added a second goal for Tottenham, while the equalizer before half-time was scored by former Eintracht Frankfurt player Evan N’Dicka (20.).
It was only Hummels’ third competitive appearance for the Romans, and his starting debut couldn’t have gone worse. As soon as the match started, the defender, close to 36 years old, fouled his opponent Pape Sarr. Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg decreed the penalty after viewing the episode at VAR, leading Son to appear from eleven meters and convert for Ange Postecoglou’s team.
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With several signs pointing to a home win for the North Londoners, Hummels found himself well positioned at the far post following a corner, needing only to push the ball into the net to equalise. With now six points from five games, Roma remain in 21st place and must continue to fight for a place in the round of 16. New coach Claudio Ranieri has a significant job to tackle.
Hummels was out of contract for weeks over the summer before moving to Italy in early September. In his only appearance under Ranieri’s predecessor, Ivan Juric, he played just over 20 minutes as a substitute, even scoring an own goal. However, Ranieri promises Hummels much more playing time in the future.
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