Thirty minutes into the first half, there were still no goals.
This was actually anticipated by the English media before the match, as Luton's defense is excellent, and Roma's core tactic is also built around defensive counterattacks.
When two teams more adept at defending face off, isn't this the kind of scene you'd expect?
However, generally speaking, Roma held the advantage in terms of possession and pressure.
In the thirty-eighth minute, Perrotta received the ball near the edge of the box, then threaded it into the channel. Taddei came forward and fired a shot directly, which Schmeichel managed to block.
Then De Rossi also took a shot from outside the box, but it hit Kante, who had rushed out to defend, and went out for a throw-in.
Roma's consecutive attacks continued.
Gao Bo's expression on the sideline remained serious.
It was truly hard to imagine how this Roma team could lose away to Basel? How poor must Roma's form have been recently?
But regardless of Roma's form before, their current form was very good.
In the fortieth minute, Luton also attempted an attack. Griezmann received the ball outside the box, facing a crowded Roma penalty area.
Griezmann had no choice but to pass the ball to the right. Kevin Keane then attempted a cross, which was headed away by a Roma player.
Drinkwater took a volley from outside the box, which hit a defender and bounced back. Just as Drinkwater was about to control the ball, Burdisso came up and used his body to shove Drinkwater aside, then stole the ball!
However, Kante also came forward immediately, sliding directly to tackle the ball away from Burdisso's feet. Drinkwater recovered the ball and prepared to pass it forward to Griezmann, but Mexes anticipated the pass and intercepted it. Mexes then immediately hit a long ball forward, looking for Menez on the wing.
Menez controlled the ball towards the center, then, before Kante and others could track back, he unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot.
The ball was once again saved by Schmeichel.
Roma corner!
From the outcome of the midfield tussle between the two sides, it was clear that...
Roma's strength was still superior to Luton's. Roma had several shots, while Luton's attacking threat was not as significant. Even with the card bonuses, Luton was primarily composed of young players. Apart from exceptionally talented players like Griezmann and Kante, the other young players' match experience and individual ability were still not on par with Roma's current squad.
When Menez took the corner, Gao Bo had a bad feeling.
Many Roma players participated in the corner attack, and Ranieri also placed great importance on set-piece attacks. While other players charged towards the near post, center-back Juan, who was lurking at the far post, circled around near the penalty spot and headed the ball directly. The ball bounced and flew into the net.
Due to the congestion in the box, Schmeichel had no chance with this ball.
When Gao Bo saw Juan head the ball into the goal, he kicked a water bottle nearby.
An angry Gao Bo couldn't say much about the goal; Roma's corner routine had caught Luton off guard.
And it was at this moment that the importance of Sol Campbell on the backline became apparent; an experienced center-back could cover many such gaps.
However, Geoffrey and George Parker were still young, and this was probably the price of youth.
The Luton players were visibly frustrated after conceding, while the Roma players who scored ran to the corner flag and celebrated right under the noses of the Luton fans.
"gooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!!!!!!!!"
The Italian commentator stretched out his voice, shouting almost without taking a breath. "Beautiful goal!! Roma have scored!! It's from the center-back Juan!!!"
Meanwhile, Wrightkinson wore a look of regret: "Luton have conceded! In this corner defense, there was a major lapse in Luton's central defense. They were all drawn away by the other Roma players in the box and overlooked Juan who came around at the far post!!"
"Zero to one!! Luton are trailing at home!!! Conceding in the final stages of the first half is not a good sign for Luton. There isn't much time left in the first half for them to equalize, and if they go into the dressing room trailing by a goal, the second half will be difficult for Luton. Ranieri is a cunning old fox, and his team is best at playing when they have the lead." Redknapp also had a serious expression.
....
"What a pity! Luton's defense wasn't properly organized this time, giving Roma's center-back Juan a chance to head the ball in the box. Luton have conceded!! Gao Bo's team is trailing zero to one at home against Roma, and the situation is now very difficult for Luton. Roma is already a very strong team, and now that they have taken the lead, the match will be even harder to play."
"Oh dear!!!"
Old man slapped his thigh.
"They conceded?"
Mrs. Chen asked from the side.
Old man Chen nodded, then tentatively asked, "How about we wait until Little Gao's team scores before going to sleep?"
"Of course, go Little Gao!!!"
Old Mrs. Chen didn't seem sleepy anymore either.
...
Ranieri raised both arms and turned to celebrate with his assistants. Ranieri had been under a lot of pressure recently because Roma had suffered consecutive defeats.
This goal allowed Ranieri to breathe a small sigh of relief. If they had lost away to Luton, Ranieri really didn't know what kind of situation he would face back in Italy... Roma's results had been steadily declining, and Ranieri needed a win.
Gao Bo quickly calmed down after conceding. He checked the time.
It was now the forty-first minute of the first half, with about five minutes remaining until halftime.
Many more conservative coaches might choose to stabilize the defense for these five minutes and then figure things out in the second half.
But that didn't include Gao Bo.
When necessary, Gao Bo was very willing to go all out and be daring!
Five minutes!!
Enough time to organize an attack!!
Gao Bo waved his hand on the sideline, and Luton immediately began to push forward in large numbers to attack!
Both full-backs pushed up past the halfway line!!
Roma, who had just scored, were startled by Luton's sudden frantic attack, but they quickly reacted.
Roma dropped back completely, waiting for counter-attacking opportunities, while Luton launched a furious counter-attack after conceding!
In the forty-third minute, Sandro played a one-two with Adam on the left, and then the Brazilian carried the ball into the box!
He looked at the crowded penalty area and decided to take a shot himself!
Sandro shot directly from a tight angle with his left foot!
This shot gave everyone at Roma a scare, but fortunately, Roma goalkeeper Lobont was well-positioned, and he blocked the ball out for a corner.
Luton's corner was taken quickly.
Griezmann took a short corner, playing it to Adam's feet, then he ran around behind Adam and immediately sent a cross towards the far post.
Kevin Keane leaped at the far post to challenge a Roma player for the header, but Roma center-back Mexes was superior; he headed the ball away over Kevin Keane's head.
But outside the box, Kante easily beat De Rossi in the scramble for the second ball, and then Kante passed the ball horizontally to Griezmann's feet.
Griezmann controlled the ball and dribbled past Burdisso, then chose to shoot directly from near the edge of the box.
The ball threaded its way through the dense legs in the box and was saved by goalkeeper Lobont!!
"Luton have launched a very fierce attack!!!"
Wrightkinson became excited in the commentary box.
The fans in the stadium cheered loudly, all standing up from their seats. They sang loudly at times, cheered at others, using the passionate home atmosphere to fuel the home team's attack!!
In the final stages of the first half, Roma was almost suffocated by Luton's frantic attack.
Ultimately, it was the referee's whistle that saved Roma.
After Vardy's turn and shot in the box went wide, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half.