Roma reached the final of the UEFA Europa League. José Mourinho’s team held out against Bayer Leverkusen for the full 90 minutes of the second leg. The match ended in a draw 0:0, and on aggregate 1:0 in favor of the Romans.
Roster Bayer Leverkusen (1-3-4-2-1): Hradecki - Tapsoba, Tah, Hinkapi - Frimpong, Demirby, Palacios, Bakker - Wirtz, Diaby, Azmoun.
Roma squad (1-3-5-2): Patricio - Mancini, Cristante, Roger Ibanez - Celik, Bove, Matic, Pellegrini, Spinazzola - Belotti, Abraham.
José Mourinho’s first half plan worked
The beginning of the match was not electrified. Players from both teams launched attacks carefully without putting much effort into it. Despite everything, the hosts kept the ball more often, but it was the guests who first threatened the opponent’s goal. Pellegrini landed a powerful shot that went wide of the post. Xabi Alonso’s men were looking for their chances and came closest to them in the 14th minute when Diaby rushed down the right flank and hit the crossbar. Bayer from Leverkusen carried out much more pendulum attacks, while Roma did it sporadically.
The Romans realized a dangerous situation in the 30th minute of the game, but Beauvais was stopped near the penalty area. In the 33rd minute, Zalewski replaced the injured Spinazzola. The match was definitely in the mind of José Mourinho, who hoped to keep a good result until the end of the first half. Shortly before the whistle for a break, Wirtz made a dangerous move, after which Demirbay struck, but to no avail. In turn, the guests won a corner, which they did not turn into a threat. After some time, the referee sent the players to the locker room. The hosts had the advantage throughout the first half, but failed to bring him into the lead.
Roma survived the onslaught of Bayer Leverkusen.
The advantage of Xabi Alonso’s team after the whistle for the second half did not decrease. Roma did not seem to have offensive ideas, and attempts to force the defense of the German team did not lead to anything. Zalewski’s entry looked positive, boasting good ball handling and making noise from the left wing. Despite the visible problems, the Romans were still in a better position thanks to the result of the first match (1:0). Azmun and Demirbay had a few shots on goal, but either Rui Patricio got the job done or the aim didn’t work.
José Mourinho knew the defense needed to be stepped up at this point, so Smalling entered the pitch with ten minutes left in the game. Xabi Alonso brought Chlozek onto the field. In the 81st minute, Azmoun had a 100 percent chance on his leg, but his shot went wide of the left post. The attack did not weaken, and the game continued in Roma’s half of the field. The referee added eight minutes to the main game time. Despite the great opportunity the Aptekari got from the referee, they failed to capitalize on it and therefore had to swallow the pain of defeat in the Europa League semi-finals.
Source: Wprost
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