MAPEI STADIUM (Reggio Emilia): AS Roma were frustrated on the road in Reggio Emilia on Wednesday evening as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Sassuolo, despite having found themselves taking the lead late on.
Tammy Abraham came off the bench in the 66th minute to emphatically head in the opener in the 80th, and it looked as though that would be enough for Jose Mourinho to take his Giallorossi back to the capital with all three points. It wasn’t to be though as Andrea Pinamonti converted five minutes later to see the spoils shared.
The game saw both sides have chances, more so in the first half, and Roma will leave Emilia-Romagna with the feeling that they should have been able to see off their hosts. Eldor Shomurodov, in particular, might feel as though he could have contributed more in the first half.
Abraham arrives right on time… but not for Roma
Tammy Abraham hasn’t had the best time in front of goal recently. Against Verona he missed three huge chances, including one gapingly open goal, and it felt at points at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi that he may never core again.
Having started the night on the bench and watched Shomurodov look like a square peg in a round hole for much of the evening, Abraham came on with a point to prove. Prior to the trip to Reggio Emilia, the Englishman had just two goals in 13 Serie A appearances and none since as far back as September 12.
Mourinho had some words of encouragement for him before his introduction, and those looked to be ringing in his ears as his movement was good from the second he stepped on the pitch. When Gianluca Mancini delivered a lovely ball from the right, there was nothing that was going to stop a leaping Abraham from getting on the end of it, heading home a fine goal that Andrea Consigli could do little to stop.
With only one game to go now before the World Cup break – Roma host Torino in Matchday 15 – Abraham will be a little more confident, likely desperate to get himself on the scoresheet again and hoping to have a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
