Roma 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Roma, still too strong for Feyenoord in the quarterfinals, also laid the foundation for the second European final place in a row.
In the absence of the not very fit Paulo Dybala, Roma did little to counter that before half-time and was only dangerous once with a free kick, when Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky had a great save on a header from Ibañez. Fifteen minutes after the break, Eduoardo Bove broke open the game. After an action by the self-trained midfielder, Tammy Abraham encountered Hradecky, but Bove scored himself in the rebound.
Fifteen minutes after his goal, Bove was relieved in midfield by Georginio Wijnaldum, while Dybala also came into the team. With the two star players in the squad, Roma almost gave the lead away, but Bryan Cristante barely took Frimpong off the line when goalkeeper Rui Patricio missed a cross. And so the Giallorossi can continue to dream of their second final in a row.
Another magical evening AS Roma will not leave even The Special One unmoved
AS Roma coach José Mourinho believed that there was another magical evening in Rome. Bayer Leverkusen was defeated 1-0 in the semi-finals. The Special One was even impressed by the atmosphere and entourage in Rome.
“When we drove from Trigoria (training center of AS Roma) to the stadium today, we saw the fans and what they did for us. That touches you, even someone like me with so much experience is still impressed by that,” said the Portuguese afterwards. Once they arrived at Stadio Olimpico, Mourinho and his men saw a sea of flames created by flares.
The hundreds of fans present shouted loudly at their heroes as they stepped out of the team bus. According to Mourinho, this provided extra support for his players. In the end, the Italians won 1-0 against the German opponent through a goal by 21-year-old Edoardo Bove, who, together with his family, could count on a lot of praise from the Portuguese.
“He’s extremely polite, smart and a professional who acts like he’s thirty years old. Last year he got five minutes from me each time. More and more half an hour this season, while he has also started in the base a number of times in the competition. He has improved himself enormously and it is my job as a trainer to help players further. But with him it’s also because he has a great family behind him,” the manager said.
The coach looks ahead to the return leg next on Thursday, May 18 in Germany. In between, AS Roma will still be in action in Serie A. The Romans have to visit Bologna on Sunday 14 May.
