Leverkusen hold Roma in four-goal thriller to book Europa League final

by IANS |



Berlin, May 10 (IANS) Bayer Leverkusen survived a scare against Roma and set a new unbeaten European record of 49 games after snatching a late 2-2 draw to advance 4-2 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League semifinal second leg.


The Werkself went into the game having won the first leg 2-0, and controlled proceedings for most of the first 45 minutes. Adam Hlozek and Exequiel Palacios tested Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar from distance while Palacios rattled the woodwork at the half-hour mark.


Leverkusen remained on the front foot but neither Jonas Hofmann nor Amine Adli could beat Svilar from promising positions as the match progressed.


However, the opener was scored at the other end, as Jonathan Tah fouled Sardar Azmoun inside the box, allowing Leandro Paredes to slot home the subsequent penalty to halve the aggregate deficit to 2-1 just before the break.


After the restart, both sides traded attacks, Adli shot just wide of the target while Leverkusen keeper Matej Kovar denied efforts from Azmoun and Stephan El Shaarawy.


Leverkusen remained dangerous but Hofmann couldn't beat Svilar with time and space at the hour mark.


Things went from bad to worse in the 66th minute as the visitors restored parity in the tie after Paredes converted a penalty.


Leverkusen made it 2-1 with great assistance of Ginaluca Mancini, who cleared a corner from Alejandro Grimaldo into his own net with 83 minutes gone.


The hosts weren't done with the scoring, as substitute Josip Stanisic made it 2-2 in the seventh minute of injury time to extend Leverkusen's unbeaten streak to a new European record of 49 games.


The newly-crowned Bundesliga champions have the chance to clinch the treble this season as they clash with Atalanta in the final on May 22 before facing Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final.


"It was a great and special night we will always remember. It was nail-biting finish. We once again showed our mentality and fought back late. We should have scored in the first half but now we will just enjoy the moment," said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso.


"It is always very special to book the final in the nick of time. We will give everything to bring the Europa League trophy to Leverkusen," commented veteran midfielder Granit Xhaka.



Latest News
Minor boy kidnapped & killed in UP, two arrested Mon, May 20, 2024, 11:43 AM
CAPF deployment increased in Bengal's seven LS seats, polling underway Mon, May 20, 2024, 11:42 AM
Voting begins in fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls, several bigwigs in fray Mon, May 20, 2024, 11:41 AM
Man held in UP after video clip shows him voting 8 times for candidate Mon, May 20, 2024, 11:40 AM
Jairam Ramesh opposes Lalu's statement on religion-based reservation Mon, May 20, 2024, 11:39 AM
Polling begins on 14 LS seats in UP -- Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rahul Gandhi in fray Mon, May 20, 2024, 11:35 AM
LS polls: PM Modi to hold public meetings in Haryana, Delhi today Sat, May 18, 2024, 11:45 AM
K'taka CM reviews preparedness for rainy season; HM orders probe into police 'negligence' in Anjali murder case Sat, May 18, 2024, 11:35 AM
Jagan Mohan Reddy leaves for foreign tour Sat, May 18, 2024, 11:34 AM
After LS polls, Telangana parties now gearing up for key MLC by-poll Sat, May 18, 2024, 11:31 AM
Assam Trinamool moves ECI accusing CM Sarma of making 'hate speech' Sat, May 18, 2024, 11:29 AM
Congress, INDIA bloc winning people's confidence across the country: Shivakumar Sat, May 18, 2024, 11:28 AM
PM Modi slams Uddhav Thackeray for 'betraying Balasaheb & sacrifices of Shiv Sainiks' in Mumbai rally Sat, May 18, 2024, 11:28 AM
Trinamool moves ECI against Abhijit Gangopadhyay's remarks on Mamata Banerjee Fri, May 17, 2024, 05:19 PM
Govt-run ONDC facilitates 7.22 mn transactions in April, onboards over 5 lakh sellers Fri, May 17, 2024, 05:17 PM