AS Roma moved into the UEFA Europa League top eight with one league-phase match remaining after securing a composed 2-0 home victory over Stuttgart, handing the German side their first defeat in four European outings.
Stuttgart arrived in Rome full of confidence after scoring 10 goals across their previous three UEL matches, and they nearly made an instant impact when Maximilian Mittelstadt found space early on. However, his low drive failed to test Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.
The hosts gradually settled and began to assert themselves, with Matias Soule twice going close before the 20-minute mark.
His effort from outside the box and a quick follow-up volley both sailed narrowly over the crossbar, offering a warning of Roma’s growing threat.
After a quiet opening half hour, Stuttgart enjoyed a brief spell of pressure, registering three shots on target in quick succession.
Chris Fuhrich forced Svilar into action from a speculative free-kick, while Jamie Leweling drew a sharp reaction save from the Roma keeper moments later. Fuhrich tried again from range, but Svilar remained equal to it.
Just as Stuttgart looked increasingly comfortable, Roma struck. Niccolò Pisilli timed his run perfectly to meet a precise through ball from Soule, rifling his finish into the top corner five minutes before the break to put the Giallorossi ahead.
Roma nearly doubled their advantage before half-time, but Alexander Nübel produced an outstanding save to deny Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Stuttgart then missed a golden opportunity to equalise shortly after the restart when Deniz Undav powered through the defence, only to be thwarted by Svilar.
Undav was presented with an even clearer chance just before the hour mark after a deflected free-kick fell kindly at his feet, yet he blazed over with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Stuttgart continued to push, with Lorenz Assignon and later Ermedin Demirović both denied by a series of remarkable interventions from Svilar, who was in inspired form.
Roma offered little in attack after the interval, but they delivered the decisive blow in stoppage time. A slick passing move ended with Paulo Dybala teeing up Pisilli, who calmly finished to complete his brace and seal the victory.
The win marked Roma’s fourth consecutive Europa League success for the first time since the 2020/21 season, lifting Gian Piero Gasperini’s side one point clear of ninth place ahead of a final-day trip to Panathinaikos.
Stuttgart, meanwhile, must beat Young Boys in their final fixture and rely on other results to keep their hopes of automatic qualification alive.
