With summaryAS Roma has qualified for the final of the Europa League at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen, in which record winner Sevilla is the opponent on Wednesday, May 31 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. After the earlier 1-0 win in Rome, the team of coach José Mourinho had enough of a goalless draw in the second game in Germany.
An odds ratio of 23-1 (6-0 in terms of shots on target) and no less than 72 percent possession for Xabi Alonso’s team, but AS Roma miraculously held its own in western Germany.
Bayer Leverkusen, which played with the Dutch wingbacks Jeremie Frimpong and Mitchel Bakker in the base, went looking for the important goal from the first minute. Xabi Alonso’s team appeared dangerous a number of times around the goal of AS Roma keeper Rui Patrício and was close to a hit by Moussa Diaby. The Frenchman hit the crossbar from a difficult angle.
Jose Mourinho: ‘I’m not trying to get myself into AS Roma’s history books’
Jose Mourinho is in a European final for the sixth time in his career. He won all the previous five. But it is not about the 60-year-old Portuguese, he said at Sky Sport. “I am not trying to get myself into the AS Roma history books. I want to help these children (players, ed.) to achieve important goals. The boys deserve something special, but I don’t know if there’s more I can ask the fans to do.”
,,He is different, he makes you realize how important the match is. We came here and everyone knew what to do,” AS Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini said of his coach. ,,We study, we prepare and we watch videos. Especially in Europe you see what the coach brings us. Mourinho is the brain behind our personality.”
Experience expert Mourinho, who has five European prizes to his credit, was happy to leave the initiative to Leverkusen with the 1-0 lead in his pocket. The Portuguese also saw that the home team could not create many real chances despite the predominance.
The second half saw little change in the game image. Bayer Leverkusen went hunting for the goal with increasing haste and Roma, with substitute Georginio Wijnaldum, tried to play the game dead. In the final phase, Leverkusen almost got paid for his work, but Sardar Azmoun’s shot flew wide of the target. Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Leverkusen) and Rick Karsdorp (Roma) stayed on the bench.
AS Roma already won the Conference League last year by beating Feyenoord in the final. Winning the Europa League could be very important for AS Roma, who are sixth in Serie A, six points behind rival Lazio, who are fourth. This makes qualifying for the Champions League seem like an impossible mission with three rounds left, but winning the Europa League is also good for a Champions League ticket.
Weak season Seville
This also applies to opponent Sevilla, which after a lousy first half of the season is still only in tenth place in La Liga and will have to win the Europa League again to enter European football (and then also in the Champions League) next season to play.
Bayer Leverkusen denounces AS Roma’s way of playing: ‘Reached their goal in a disgusting way’
Bayer Leverkusen players were critical after the elimination in the Europa League. “We didn’t deserve to be eliminated by a club that has nothing to do with football,” said midfielder Nadiem Amiri. “I honestly wonder how this is possible. How they played today and last week. Every ball went long, that’s not football, is it? That a club like this is in the final is madness. On the other hand, we ourselves have not managed to score in two games, that is also the truth.”
His teammate Kerem Demirbay also did not understand it. ,,It’s a pity, but you know that in a semi-final at this level, a style of play like this is rewarded. This is sour, very sour. Also for football. But we must congratulate our opponent. They have achieved their goal in a disgusting way. To be honest, I am proud of the group,” he told RTL.
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