Francesco Balzani
November 28, 2024 (change at 11.44pm) – ROMA
A first glimpse of his prophecy at the end of a crazy match. Especially for him. In London, in fact, the former Dortmund player finds his place as a starter again, something that hasn't happened since the Champions League final last June. The beginning, however, is dramatic. After 3 minutes the VAR is merciless and makes Hummels' third mistake in three games. The defender is anticipated by Sarr, resulting in a slight but nevertheless decisive contact to award the penalty then scored by Son. It seems like the beginning of a nightmare after the first two chapters: the own goal in Florence and the error on Lukaku's goal. And the next few minutes aren't encouraging either, including a half-sleep on Kulusevski's buck. The first doubts are spreading on social media: “But is it finished?”. Or “Maybe Juric was right…”.
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happy ending
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The fairy tale, however, is only at the end of the first half. In the locker room Hummels reassures Ranieri that he is keeping him on the pitch. And the answer doesn't take long to wait. In the second half the German raised his head and Roma's wall withstood the impact of Tottenham (fresh from the 0-4 inflicted on City). But for a fairytale happy ending you need something more. So here we are at the 91st minute. Roma tries another assault to find a fundamental equalizer. On Angelino's tense cross, guess who appears? Just Mats. Who is embraced by the whole team and praised by the three thousand Roma fans in London. They have always supported him in these difficult months between controversial posts and non-existent playing time. Hummels, under Juric's management, found himself passed over by everyone in a role that saw him master of Europe for several seasons. “But if he's fine, why doesn't he play?” Ranieri asked two days after his arrival. The trust was repaid.
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