Roma Stuns Barcelona In Champions League

Edin Dzeko

With his arms held out wide and his mouth gaping open, Kostas Manolas started running and yelling uncontrollably. Then he patted his chest and was mobbed by his Roma teammates.

Manolas, a center back known more for his defensive skills then his attacking abilities, had just scored one of the most memorable goals in Roma's history.

His header from a corner in the 82nd minute Tuesday put Roma into the Champions League semifinals and knocked out five-time champion Barcelona following one of the most extraordinary comebacks the competition has ever seen.

Roma won 3-0 to overturn a three-goal deficit and advance on away goals, having entered the game as massive underdogs after losing the first leg of their quarterfinal 4-1 against a Lionel Messi-led team that was one of the big favorites to win the competition.

It's the first time that Roma has reached the last four since it lost the 1984 final to Liverpool on penalties in its own stadium — and it's the third straight year that Barcelona has been eliminated at this stage.

Liverpool also reached the semifinals after recovering from conceding a goal inside two minutes against Manchester City to win 2-1 thanks to second-half strikes by former Roma striker Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

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