Summary
Timeline
Formations
For the second second in a row, Jose Mourinho has guided Roma to a European final after his side eliminated Bayer Leverkusen this evening.
The Giallorossi defeated the German side 1-0 on aggregate and will face-off against the winner of Sevilla-Juventus in the Europa League final in Budapest later this month.
In the second round of student versus master, Jose Mourinho delivered a tactical masterclass against his former player Xabi Alonso, whose side failed to score a single goal against the capital club.
Sitting on a one goal lead, the Giallorossi’s approach didn’t surprise anyone. The capital club were more than willing to grant the hosts the bulk of the possession.
Florian Wirtz was the primary attacking outlet for Bayer and created multiple goalscoring opportunities. The 20 year-old produced 4 big chances but was let down by fellow attackers Sarder Azmoun and Moussa Diaby.
The duo combined for nearly a dozen of the team’s 20 shots but neither could find the back of the net. By the 70th minute, Bayer collected 6 shots on target compared to Roma’s zero–nonetheless, the capital club bent without breaking.
Veteran defender Chris Smalling replaced Zeki Celik in the 78th minute, marking his return to the pitch after missing the previous month due to a hamstring injury.
With the clock ticking, Bayer nearly found their equaliser in the 84th minute. Substitute Amine Adli hit a low driving shot that ricocheted perfectly into the path of Azmoun, however, the striker’s attempt was wide.
