Mats Hummels' Late Equaliser Helps AS Roma Secure 2-2 Draw Against Tottenham Hotspur

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Mats Hummels' late goal secured a 2-2 draw for Roma against Tottenham in the Europa League. Spurs, who recently defeated Manchester City 4-0 in the Premier League, seemed poised to bounce back in Europe after losing to Galatasaray. However, Roma's persistent pressure paid off in the 91st minute when Hummels scored from close range.

Spurs began energetically, with Son Heung-min converting a penalty just five minutes into the match. Roma responded when Paulo Dybala's precise cross was headed in by Evan Ndicka. Although Stephan El Shaarawy's volley was disallowed due to offside, it served as a wake-up call for Spurs.

After hitting the post, Dejan Kulusevski assisted Brennan Johnson for Spurs' second goal. Despite this, Roma dominated the second half and deservedly equalised through Hummels' tap-in from Angelino's low cross. This came shortly after Fraser Forster made a remarkable save from Gianluca Mancini.

Hummels' goal made him Roma's second-oldest scorer in major European competitions at 35 years and 348 days old. Only Francesco Totti has scored at an older age for the club, achieving this feat at 38 years and 59 days against CSKA Moscow in 2014.

This draw marked Tottenham's first failure to win a home group stage match in the Europa League since October 2014 when they drew 1-1 with Besiktas. Prior to this game, Spurs had won ten consecutive home group stage matches.

Claudio Ranieri managed his first Europa League game since February 25, 2010. This gap of over 14 years is the longest between games for any coach since the competition was rebranded in 2009.

The match highlighted both teams' strengths and weaknesses as they continue their European campaigns. While Spurs showed early promise, Roma's resilience ensured they left with a point.