Bayer Leverkusen dominated possession, territory, and chances but could not find a way past Jose Mourinho’s Roma. The Bundesliga side has improved under Xabi Alonso but could end the season with nothing.
As the whistle blew, Alonso seethed and then embraced Jose Mourinho, who coached him at Real Madrid. The Portuguese boss then sprung onto the pitch, arms outstretched, beaming, and headed for the away end.
His side had just one, off target, shot all night but a 1-0 first-leg victory is enough to take them to a second consecutive European final with a 0-0 draw after they won the Conference League last year.
It was, in many ways, vintage Mourinho. A gnarly defensive display reminiscent of his Champions League title win in 2010. “It’s an unbelievable team, I don’t know if I can ask for more from Roma but these guys deserve something special,” he said postmatch.
Roma will now face, Europa League specialists, Sevilla, in the final of the tournament. Sevilla beat Roma’s Italian compatriots, Juventus, in the semi-final of the competition.
“My concern was going to the final. Sevilla is a very strong team and has great experience,” Mourinho stated. “Then we’ll think about it, now we think about the Italian league.”
The Europa League final is set to be played on 1 June at Puskas Arena, Budapest. Roma will be aiming to win their second European trophy in a row, after last year’s Europa Conference League win, while Sevilla will be determined to win their seventh Europa League title and continue their impressive record in the competition.
