Inconsistent at BVB, a substitute at Aston Villa: Donyell Malen has suddenly emerged as a top striker at Roma. His approach was brief yet the pressure immense: he required barely a metre and a half to reach the penalty spot in the 101st minute. After a couple of swift, on-the-spot steps, he hammered the ball into the bottom-left corner, celebrating with a leaping somersault. That 3–2 winner for AS Roma, netted by Donyell Malen in Parma at the weekend, keeps the Giallorossi in the race for Champions League football. The win allowed Roma to draw level with Milan in the race for Champions League spots, and, fifth with two rounds left, they can still dream of Europe. Much of that hope rests with Malen, who arrived on loan from Aston Villa only in January. “If we’d had Malen in the first half of the season, we would have picked up a few more points,” Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini was certain.
