Feyenoord 1-0 Roma: Mats Wieffer volleys home to give hosts slender advantage in Europa League tie

Mats Wieffer scored a second-half winner to give hosts Feyenoord a 1-0 home win over Roma in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final on Thursday after conceding a first-half penalty.

Wieffer hit a bouncing half-volley from outside the box in the 53rd minute for the only goal of the game and a small advantage for the Dutch leaders in the second leg in the Italian capital next week.

It made the evening a triumph for the 23-year-old, who scored his first goal for the Netherlands last month after conceding a penalty before half-time after pulling Roma striker Tammy Abraham.

Leonardo Spinazzola hit the upright in the 43rd minute penalty, wasting a chance for a potentially vital goal in a hotly contested draw at the Feyenoord Stadium.

Wieffer’s goal was set up by a sharp run up the left from winger Oussama Idrissi, who dribbled into the penalty area before putting the ball back.

Feyenoord captain Orkun Kokcu and Lutsharel Geertruida both had good chances to increase the home side’s scoring, while Roma were denied an equalizer by the narrowest margin nine minutes after counter-attacking.

Defender Roger Ibanez’s header hit the underside of the crossbar, but goal-line technology ruled that his effort had not gone completely into the net.

Roma suffered two serious injury setbacks after Paulo Dybala went off early, followed early in the second half by Abraham suffering a shoulder injury.

Last season, José Mourinho’s team defeated Feyenoord 1-0 in the final of the first Europa Conference League.

The second leg of this match is next Thursday at Rome’s Olympic Stadium.

The winner will meet Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen or Belgian club Union Saint Gilloise in the semi-finals.