“They made it very disgusting” – Bayer Leverkusen fails at AS Roma
The next break: Rome’s Nemanja Matic is down, Exequiel Palacios sees a yellow card
Those: dpa/Federico Gambarini
Despite overwhelming dominance, Bayer Leverkusen lost to AS Roma in the semi-finals of the Europa League. After the narrow defeat in the first leg, the Bundesliga club missed the necessary victory. Jose Mourinho’s team had already started playing time after half an hour.
IAgain and again interruptions, supposed injuries, discussions. After just half an hour, AS Roma had started using all means to destroy the flow of the game in the second leg of the Europa League semifinals at Bayer Leverkusen. And in the end it was successful.
Despite 90 minutes of one-way street football and numerous chances to score, the Bundesliga club only managed a 0-0 draw. The nine-minute stoppage time also ended goalless. The narrow 1-0 win from the first leg was enough for the Italians to advance to the final.
“We were missing a goal, a bit of luck. But I’m proud of us and our performance,” said Bayer midfielder Kerem Demirbay, who also commented on the opponent’s style of play: “In a semi-final, at such a level – that such a style of play is successful is bitter. They made it very disgusting, you have to get straight to the point.”
Leverkusen’s dream of Europa League triumph, on the other hand, was shattered by master tactician José Mourinho’s Roman defense bulwark. On the 35th anniversary of the club’s greatest success in the Uefa Cup, Bayer missed the third final in a European Cup after 1988 and 2002. In addition, the Bundesliga will not be represented in any of the finals this year, Bayer was the last German club in one of international competitions. And must now hope to at least qualify through the league for Europe in the new season. The current seventh place two games before the end of the season would only be enough for the Conference League. And only if RB Leipzig wins the cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Mourinho beckons a record in the final
Mourinho, on the other hand, prevailed in the coaching duel against his former player Xabi Alonso and can become the sole record holder in terms of European Cup victories in the final on May 31 in Budapest. So far he leads the rankings with five titles in the various competitions, along with former Bayern coach Giovanni Trapattoni.
Leverkusen’s captain and goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky had announced a “bigger witch’s cauldron” before the game than in Rome the week before. And the Bayer fans went to great lengths to support this daring thesis. Several thousand greeted the team bus at 7:20 p.m. at the entrance to the stadium in red shirts and with numerous Bengalos. Before the game there was a big choreo. And during the game, the fans basically sang through it and actually created an impressive and semi-final-worthy atmosphere.
12:1 shots on goal at the break
And the team struggled to deliver the early goal they were hoping for. The first attempts by Kerem Demirbay (8th) and Moussa Diaby (9th) were rather harmless, but then Diaby hit the bar from a tight angle after a nice pass from Florian Wirtz (12th). Alonso experienced the game intensively on the edge of the field, he ran up and down, conducted wildly and loudly. On the other hand, Mourinho demonstratively exuded composure a few meters to the left, mostly with his hands in his pockets, he only moved a few meters to the left and right.
Made it: Jose Mourinho reached his goal with the 0-0
Source: AFP/INA FASSBENDER
At the break, 12:1 shots on goal and 74 percent ball possession were statistical witnesses to Leverkusen’s dominance. But apart from Diaby’s crossbar, most chances came from long-range shots, which sometimes posed a little more and sometimes less danger. What caused the greatest excitement was a scene in the 37th minute when Roma defender Bryan Cristante was the last man to pull Sardar Azmoun’s arm. All of Leverkusen demanded a red card, but referee Slavko Vincic from Slovenia allowed play to continue.
Immediately after the break, the Bayer fans caused the game to be interrupted for almost two minutes with a pyro show because of the smoke. Mourinho made another defensive change at half-time. Above all, however, the guests succeeded with increasing success in interrupting the flow of the game with small nods. And as time was running away, Leverkusen became more and more hectic. Azmoun (81st) missed another big chance.
Rome’s opponents in the final on May 31 in Budapest are Sevilla FC or Juventus Turin. After the 1-1 draw in the first leg, the game went into extra time when the score was 1-1.