Inexplicable! Leverkusen seeks a draw, remains undefeated and reaches the Europa League final

It’s impossible to explain Bayer Leverkusen’s mental strength and work this season. After 48 unbeaten games, then with 40 wins and eight draws, the team lost this Thursday (9) to Roma by 2-0 until the 31st minute of the second half, a result that led to the semi-final of the Europa League for extra time because the Germans won the first leg by 2 to 0. But we can never doubt Xabi Alonso’s team in 2023/24. The team reduced the lead with a bizarre own goal from Mancini and, in the last minute of added time, sought a draw that confirmed the longest run without defeat in the history of European football.

It’s a script repeated this season. Aspirinas’ two goals put the club on 24 after 30 minutes in the entire 23/24. Unbelievable. Second final for the team, which will also play the final German Cup.

And it couldn’t have been more painful for Roma, with the score 2-0 thanks to two penalties converted by Leandro Paredes. In the 31st minute of the final stage, a corner taken in the middle of the area reached Serbian goalkeeper Mile Svilar, on a great day, who suffered contact from his own teammate Chris Smalling and fell. Without waiting, defender Gianluca Mancini saw the ball hit him and go in. Daniele de Rossi’s team was unable to react. Svilar even recovered in the sequence by preventing Frimpong’s goal one-on-one, but he was unable to stop Josep Stanisic in the 52nd minute, invading the area and hitting the ball.

Leverkusen plays the Europa League final against Atalanta on May 24th at the Dublin Arena, in Ireland. It is the Aspirinas’ first European final since 2002, when they lost the Champions League for the Real Madrid. It is worth mentioning that they were already champions of the second European competition in 1988, still as the UEFA Cup, over Espanyol.

Roma goalkeeper closes the goal in the 1st half

What a game the opening 45 minutes were. Roma, needing two goals, started better, more with the ball and controlling where the game was going. They almost opened the scoring after just three minutes, when Romelu Lukaku found himself in front of goal after a perfect throw from captain Lorenzo Pellegrini. However, the Belgian’s chest control slipped a little and Matej Kovar came forward from the goal. The Czech goalkeeper would also work at 15, when Pellegrini headed the ball alone into the area. Luckily, the finish was weak and the defense wasn’t the most difficult. Incredibly, the goal scored by Paredes did not happen at this moment of the Italians’ rise. In fact, it was after that things changed for the owners of the house.

It seems that Leonardo Spinazzola’s injury at 20, added to the general confusion due to Jeremie Frimpong’s lack of fair play, hit Roma and woke up the opponent. From then on, Leverkusen crushed their rival, dominated the ball and suffocated the exit, as in the best moments of the season.

Especially from outside the area, there were several chances. The most unbelievable one came without rehearsing. Exequiel Palacios received it from afar and hit a low cross. The ball exploded at the foot of the post, touched Mile Svilar’s back and almost went towards the goal. Not only the back, but the hands of the Serbian goalkeeper were also important: they prevented a beautifully placed shot by Frimpong from becoming a goal, they stopped Amine Adli and Adam Hložek twice in a row, who had already suffered from the interventions of the Roman archer before. A real wall at the BayArena.

In this scenario of massacre and suffocation, Roma found the penalty, in a pull by Jonatan Tah on top of Sardar Azmoun, converted in the middle of the goal by Paredes at 42.

2nd half starts with Rome better and ends with everything

Leverkusen continued with the ball and tried to attack more, same as in the first half, but Roma came back to change things. More dangerous, he got the penalty in another bizarre mistake. This time, after a corner at the first post, Hložek left his arm open and the ball hit there. With the help of VAR, a penalty was awarded and again Paredes scored, this time with a low cross.

Leverkusen took a while to get back into the game. He seemed discouraged and created little, kind of beaten and accepting the extension that would come. So, thanks to changes and the bizarre own goal, the scenario of the game became favorable. The equalizer could even have come earlier, as Frimpong tried to poke Svilar in the 43rd minute. Patrik Schick also had his chance when the goalkeeper was outside the goal, but the dig from almost midfield went wide.