Dybala’s performance in Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen divides opinion in Italy

La Gazzetta dello Sport and Il Corriere dello Sport have very different opinions on Paulo Dybala’s performance against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Europa League semifinal on Thursday.

Dybala’s Roma suffered a 2-0 loss to Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night in the first leg of the Europa League semifinal.

The Argentinean striker was subbed off in the final minutes of the game at the Stadio Olimpico, and Italian media expressed different opinions on his performance after the match.

Dybala’s performance in Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen divides opinion in Italy

Dybala was among the Roma players with the lowest ratings from Gazzetta dello Sport. The Argentinean received 5/10, like Chris Smalling, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Sardar Azmoun. Only Rick Karsdorp received a lower rating, 4/10.

“Dybala’s quality should have been used to prevail over the physical strength of Bayer Leverkusen’s defenders, but he deflated instead,” wrote the pink paper’s correspondent Pierfrancesco Archetti.

Il Corriere dello Sport’s opinion was entirely different. Dybala was rated 6/10, and journalist Jacopo Aliprandi wrote that La Joya “took responsibility in a big game, trying to move the ball quickly and coming out from tricky situations. In other words, he did what he could.”

A separate Corriere dello Sport article on page 5 praised the Argentinean striker for his personality and said that he tried to ‘inspire’ Roma’s attack against Bayer. “Even if he struggled, he never hid himself,” noted journalist Lorenzo Scalia.