Bundesliga
Leverkusen into UEL final and European record books
Bayer Leverkusen are through to the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League final and unbeaten in a European record 49 competitive games, after a now trademark late comeback secured a 2-2 draw on the night and 4-2 aggregate win over Roma.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Roma (4-2 on agg.)
Goals: 0-1 Paredes (pen. 43'), 0-2 Paredes (pen. 66'), 1-2 Mancini (o.g. 83'), 2-2 Stanišić 90'+7 (assist: Xhaka)
Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Rome, Leverkusen controlled the first half for long periods. Matěj Kovář had to be alert to a Luca Pellegrini header in a rare moment of defensive concern, but otherwise the Bundesliga champions asked nearly all the questions. Exequiel Palacios and Adam Hložek tested Mile Svilar with shots from distance, before the woodwork denied Palacios with 30 minutes gone. Jeremie Frimpong made the visiting goalkeeper work once more with a trademark inside run and shot, while Jonas Hofmann dragged wide when well placed in the area. It looked like being only a matter of time before the net would bulge as Svilar pulled off a superb double stop from Amine Adli and Hložek. The goal duly came late in the half, but at the wrong end from a Bayer perspective. After Jonathan Tah was adjudged to have brought down former teammate Sardar Azmoun, Leandro Paredes converted from the penalty spot to halve the aggregate score to 2-1.
The pendulum swung back and forth in the second half as Adli drove a shot through the legs of ex-Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka and agonisingly wide. Kovář thwarted Azmoun and Stephan El Shaarawy, either side of another fine piece of goalkeeping from Svilar to stop Hofmann capping a lightning counter led by Frimpong. It proved a key intervention for the Italians, who levelled the tie with 66 minutes gone. A VAR review deemed Hložek to have handled in the box, with Paredes stepping up to sink his second spot-kick of the contest. Xabi Alonso reacted by introducing Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick, but it was Lady Luck that got them back in front as an Álex Grimaldo corner went in off Gianluca Mancini. Svilar denied Frimpong and Adli, before substitute Josip Stanišić struck in the 97th minute of added time to extend Leverkusen's proud unbeaten record. Alonso's treble candidates face Atalanta in the final on 22 May, three days before locking horns with Kaiserslautern in the DFB Cup.
Watch: Leverkusen reaction to reaching UEL final
Match stats
- Leverkusen have broken Benfica's previous 48-match unbeaten record, set between December 1963 and February 1965.
- Bayer's equaliser was their 17th competitive goal of the season in the 90th minute or later.
- Leverkusen are the competition's leading scorers with 31 goals.
- Grimaldo brought up his fifth Europa League assist of the season. Only Marseille's Amine Harit and Jonathan Clauss have more.
- Alonso's team have fired off a tournament-leading 234 goal attempts in 2023/24.
- Die Werkself are through to their second UEFA final, having previously lost the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League to Real Madrid.
Teams
Leverkusen: Kovář - Tapsoba, Tah (c), Hincapié - Frimpong (Stanišić 90'), Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo (Kossounou 90') - Hofmann (Wirtz 81'), Adli - Hložek (Schick 74')
Unused subs: Hrádecký, Lomb, Andrich, Borja Iglesias, Arthur, Boniface, Tella, Puerta
Out: Mbamba (ineligible)
Coach: Xabi Alonso
Roma: Svilar - Mancini, Cristante, Ndicka - Angeliño (Smalling 81'), Paredes, Pellegrini (c) (Abraham 81'), Spinazzola - Azmoun (Bove 72'), El Shaarawy - Lukaku
Unused subs: Patrício, Karsdorp, Dybala, Diego Llorente, Sanches, Aouar, Baldanzi, Çelik, Zalewski
Out: -
Coach: Daniele De Rossi
As it happened!
2 - 2(0 - 1)
Leverkusen
FINAL
Roma
90' +7
vs
Would you believe it!?
Well, of course you would because this is Leverkusen! But still! What is this team? Leverkusen have drawn level at the death to ensure not only are they going to the Europa League final but they have created history by going a 49th game unbeaten! Stanišić is the last gasp hero this time, the Bayern loanee finishing perfectly after being released by Xhaka.
90' +4
vs
Kossounou clears his lines
Kossounou clears with Smalling threatening for Roma. Leverkusen are so, so close to the final now.
90'
vs
Time added on
We'll have seven minutes tacked onto the end of this second half.
90'
vs
Odilon Kossounou
Alejandro Grimaldo
90'
vs
Josip Stanišić
Jeremie Frimpong
90'
vs
Florian Wirtz
87'
vs
Frimpong hungry
The hosts are desperate to keep this unbeaten run going as well as reaching the final. Frimpong gets into the area and shoots, only for Svilar to block with his legs.
81'
vs
Abraham
Pellegrini
81'
vs
Florian Wirtz
Jonas Hofmann
83'
vs
Goal Leverkusen !
They've only gone and scored one more late goal. Well, Roma have done it for them, with Mancini knocking into his own net following a corner to put the hosts back in front 3-2 on aggregate.
79'
vs
Smalling
Angeliño
74'
vs
Bayer change
Should Leverkusen be worried? This is the team that always scores late goals, after all. To that end, Xabi Alonso introduces Patrik Schick into the game, he of the Qarabağ late late show(s).
74'
vs
Patrik Schick
Adam Hložek
73'
vs
Nearly Adli
After Tah's shot is blocked, Adli is there on the follow up to send the ball just wide.
72'
vs
Bove
Azmoun
68'
vs
Bayer shout
Hofmann goes down under slight contact from Svilar but Leverkusen are never getting that. The referee waves play on.
65'
vs
Roma on terms
Paredes beats Kovář from the spot for a second time here and Roma are level on aggregate in this tie.
63'
vs
Penalty Roma
Hložek appears to make contact with the ball using his hand inside the Leverkusen box. A VAR check confirms this, and Roma have another penalty.
59'
vs
End-to-end
El Shaarawy is denied by one more Kovář save while at the other end, Frimpong feeds Hofmann who has an effort saved by Svilar.
55'
vs
Hincapie alert
Kovář can't keep hold of Azmoun's strike from distance and Hincapie steps in to clear the danger.
53'
vs
Almost Adli
The Morocco international gets his shot away and looks on as the ball fizzes through N'Dicka's legs and flies wide.
50'
vs
Possession swing
We spoke earlier of Roma having had most of the ball at one stage in the first half. That has changed here, with Leverkusen now boasting 56 per cent possession. The hosts could do with a goal to add to those numbers in order to settle any nerves here.
47'
vs
Grimaldo motoring
Bayer begin strongly. Grimaldo races up the flank but his cross blocked.
46'
vs
Away we go again
Leverkusen get the second half underway ...
45' +2
vs
Roma threatening
The visitors have their tails up now. Azmoun and El Shaarawy have been menacing in and around the Leverkusen area in these past moments, the latter having a shot blocked.
42'
vs
Jonathan Tah
45'
vs
Time added on
We'll have an extra four minutes to play in this first half.
43'
vs
Roma back in it
Tah fouls Azmoun inside the Bayer area and Roma are awarded a penalty. Paredes steps up and fires the Italian side into the lead from the spot. Tie very much on.
39'
vs
Smart Svilar saves
Roma's goalkeeper pulls off a fine double stop to deny Adli and then Hložek on the follow-up.
35'
vs
Hofmann has a pop
The Leverkusen No.7 drags an effort wide of the post. At the moment, it looks only a matter of time before the home side hit the front.
32'
vs
And again ...
Still Leverkusen come. Frimpong this time draws a save from Svilar after cutting in from the left.
30'
vs
Bayer04 hit the post!
Ohhhh, so, so close for Xabi Alonso's team. Xhaka passes for Palacios, who sends a low shot off the base of the upright.
29'
vs
Zalewski warned
He's only just come on, but Nicola Zalewski has already got himself into the referee's notebook for a foul on Jeremie Frimpong. The bookings are adding up for the visitors here.
29'
vs
Zalewski
27'
vs
Paredes booked
Roma's Leandro Paredes sees yellow for a foul on Palacios.
27'
vs
Paredes
24'
vs
Hložek set piece
The Czech is in the thick of it again, this time firing a free kick at the target which Svilar tips over.
21'
vs
Spinazzola hurt
Leonardo Spinazzola has picked up a knock and will be replaced by 22-year-old Polish midfielder Nicola Zalewski.
21'
vs
Zalewski
Spinazzola
20'
vs
Edmond Tapsoba
20'
vs
Mancini
18'
vs
Roma's turn
Pellegrini meets a cross from the right and heads at goal. Kovář gets down to make a solid stop.
First-leg report
Roma 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 0-1 Wirtz 28' (assist: Grimaldo), 0-2 Andrich 72' (assist: Stanišić)
Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich goals gave Leverkusen a 2-0 win in Rome in their semi-final first leg.
It was immediately clear that Leverkusen would face a battle against the experienced Serie A campaigners. The Bundesliga champions stuck to their patient passing play and probed Roma, with Granit Xhaka hitting a couple of efforts in the opening minutes. The hosts fired the first shot on goal, though, with a Paulo Dybala drive saved by Matěj Kovář. Backed by a passionate Stadio Olmpico, Roma penned Xabi Alonso's men back and Romelu Lukaku sent a header crashing against the crossbar. The visitors pounced on a defensive mistake to take the lead against the run of play as Alejandro Grimaldo seized on a loss of possession from Rick Karsdorp to cut the ball back for Wirtz to slam the ball in. The dazzling playmaker had a chance for a second goal soon afterwards, but his stinging shot from Jeremie Frimpong's pass back was saved. With Roma rattled, Grimaldo picked out Frimpong in the box with another incisive drag back, only for the Dutchman to fire a whisker wide. Andrich also tested the goalkeeper and Frimpong missed a good opening on a break as Leverkusen finished the first period on top.
With Roma seeking to force a way back, Leverkusen continued to find space to attack in with Piero Hincapié sending a free header wide from a Grimaldo corner. Bryan Cristante then glanced a header from a corner wide when in a superb position at the other end. Both teams showed ambition as the second half wore on, albeit few major chances fell for a while as the visitors closed in on a very useful away win. When Josip Stanišić dragged the ball back to Andrich around 25 yards out, the midfielder dispatched a stunning drive into the roof of the net to send the travelling Leverkusen fans into raptures. Hincapié then slid in to stop Leverkusen loanee Sardar Azmoun from pouncing in the box before Tammy Abraham headed over an open goal in stoppage time, keeping the champions unbeaten in a remarkable 47 competitive games in 2023/24 and in an ideal position in the tie ahead of next Thursday's second leg in Germany.