Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Roma (0-1 on aggregate) – Jose Mourinho’s side hold firm to secure spot in Europa League final

A 0-0 draw at the BayArena proved to be enough for Roma, as Jose Mourinho’s side advanced to the Europa League final after a 1-0 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

It is the second consecutive European final that Roma have reached, and the sixth in Mourinho’s coaching career.

Coming into the second leg with a narrow 1-0 lead, the Giallorossi did what was expected of them, and sat back in a compact shape off the ball for the majority of the match, with the prime intention to frustrate their opponents and keep a clean sheet.

Despite being by far the better side and having a total of 12 attempts in the first half alone, Leverkusen were not able to level the tie and break the deadlock on the night. Moussa Diaby came the closest for Die Werkself in the 11th minute, as his long-range strike rattled the crossbar.

Leverkusen tried all they could to force the tie into extra-time, but it came to no avail. Xabi Alonso was left kicking his heels on the sidelines as Roma took every opportunity to waste time and slow the game down in the dying seconds.

When the final whistle blew after eight minutes of stoppage time, the Roma bench breathed a sigh of relief.

The Giallorossi will now take on Sevilla at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Wednesday 31 May in the final.

TALKING POINT – Classic Mourinho tactics do the job for Roma

It was clear from the outset that the Roma head coach wanted to revert back to type to ensure his side got the job done tonight, and 58-year-old’s tactical plan worked just how he’d hoped.

The Giallorossi kept compact, and made few attempts to try and fashion out opportunities for themselves. Their only one of note came with not even a minute on the clock, as Lorenzo Pellegrini put his shot wide of the left-hand post. From there on in, the gamesmanship and defensive structure became crucial.

It is certainly not the first time that the Portuguese manager has delivered these instructions to his players in a big away match, and it won’t be the last. With Roma sitting in sixth place in Serie A with just three league games remaining, winning the Europa League represents the club’s only real chance to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Rui Patricio

The 35-year-old Portuguese goalkeeper had his work cut out this evening, and proved to be the key reason why his side kept a vital clean sheet and advanced to the final of this competition.

In total, Patricio made a total of six key saves, in addition to two important claims. These statistics make it seem that the Roma stopper was troubled regularly. In reality, Leverkusen’s finishing lacked quality and Patricio was able to command his goal was a string of routine stops, with a lot of them coming from distance.

Regardless, his fantastic performance in this important match is deserving of this accolade.

PLAYER RATINGS

Bayer Leverkusen: Hradecky 6, Tapsoba 7, Tah 7, Hincapie 6, Frimpong 7, Demirbay 7, Palacios 6, Bakker 6, Diaby 6, Wirtz 7, Azmoun 6. Subs: Amiri 6, Adli 6, Hlozek 6.

AS Roma: Patricio 8, Mancini 6, Cristante 7, Ibanez 7, Spinazzola 6, Pellegrini 6, Matic 8, Bove 7, Celik 6, Belotti 6, Abraham 6. Subs: Smalling 6, Zalewski 6, Wijnaldum 6.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

2′ – JUST WIDE! – Roma have the first effort of the game with not even a minute on the clock! A long ball is played forward for Abraham, who knocks it down for Pellegrini to chase. The Italian advances in on goal, but his low effort fizzes just wide of the left-hand post! That was the warning that Leverkusen needed.

11′ – OFF THE BAR – What a move – Leverkusen are unlucky! The tactic they wanted to deploy has finally come to fruition, but not with the result they were hoping for! Wirtz picks out Diaby in behind with a super through ball for the Frenchman. He gets the run on Ibanez, who cannot keep up with his pace. With the ball at his right foot, Diaby goes for the strike towards the top-right corner from 20-yards out, and it comes crashing back off the underside of the bar!

20′ – TIPPED AWAY! – Demirbay once again goes for goal from distance with his favoured left foot. The strike is bobbling, and that makes it awkward for Patricio, who can only nervously tip it away to his left-hand side for a B04 corner.

67′ – IMPORTANT CLEARANCE! – Another minute goes by, and Demirbay has another long-range effort. However, this one is the best of the lot so far. It is low, and fizzing, and looks to be creeping into the bottom corner. Patricio gets down low and finds to tip it away to his left, but the danger is not over. Mancini makes sure it is, as he hacks it clear for a corner before a Leverkusen player can get to the rebound.

81 – SO CLOSE! – That was a big chance for Die Werkself! Frimpong cuts it back for Adli just outside the penalty area in the right half-space, and the Frenchman hits a low shot, but it is blocked. The ball drops for Azmoun inside the penalty area, and he goes for goal with a strike on the turn, but he drags it wide of the post!

KEY STATS

• AS Roma have now won 11 of their last 12 UEFA club competition knockout ties.
• Roma have reached the Final of a major UEFA European competition for the second season in a row: as many finals as the Giallorossi have previously reached in their continental history (1983/84 European Cup and 1990/91 UEFA Cup).
• Leverkusen fail to reach their first European final in 21 years. Their last came back in 2002, where they lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in the Champions League at Hampden Park.