Roma 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen: Europa League semi-final, first leg – live reaction
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The semi-final match in the Conference League ended with a score of 2-4, with Olympiakos beating Aston Villa.
Check out David Hytner's article on the Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham match:
The outcome of the initial semi-final match is Marseille 1-1 Atalanta.
Roma had control of the ball for 53% of the game and tried to score seven times, while Leverkusen attempted 12. Roma managed to shoot three times directly at the goal, while the German team had four successful attempts. Roma excelled in passing the ball, completing 439 out of 530 passes, while Leverkusen managed 351 out of 430.
The statistics are not as discouraging for Roma as one may assume, considering how unbalanced the game was.
Roma Defeated By Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 In Full-time
Leverkusen has remained undefeated for 47 matches, which is an impressive feat. However, what is even more significant is that they have secured a spot in the Europa League final - unless Roma pulls off something extraordinary during their match in Germany.
Wow, what a game! It lasted for 90 minutes plus 3 additional minutes of extra time.
A promising delivery from the left creates chaos for Leverkusen – an unusual state of chaos – as Kovar tries to punch the ball away but fails. The ball ends up drifting towards the open goal where Tammy Abraham is positioned to strike. However, he mishandles his header from approximately three yards out and sends it soaring above the crossbar. What a blunder! What an opportunity for Roma to obtain some points!
At the 90th minute mark plus an additional 2 minutes of play, Pellegrini sent a strong kick from the right side of the field for Roma. However, it was not enough to cause any trouble for Leverkusen as they managed to handle the ball with ease. Then, Kossounou made his way onto the field for the winning team while Grimaldo was replaced and left the game.
After playing for 90 minutes, there will be an extra four minutes added to the game. Is it possible for Roma, led by De Rossi, to score and improve their situation?
In just an hour and a half, Villa is currently behind by 2 goals with a score line of 4-2. Let's consider the odds, guys!
After 88 minutes, Frimpong was taken out of the game and substituted with Palacios.
I wouldn't choose to wear the colors of Leverkusen in the Eternal City tonight, to be honest.
In 87 minutes, Frimpong manages to penetrate the Roma defense again and again as he plays on the right wing for Leverkusen. He effortlessly evades tackles while skillfully maneuvering with the ball. Ian Darke, our commentator, aptly describes Frimpong's style as that of a small electric eel.
The match clocked at 85 minutes, and there was a fast examination by the VAR to confirm if Tah had illegally touched the ball with his hand. However, Roma did not receive any favorable outcome.
At the 84th minute mark, the hosts were presented with a major opportunity. Pellegrini made a critical pass into the penalty area for Azmoun, who had just come onto the pitch. Azmoun stood on the six yard box with an unobstructed view of the goal, but he unfortunately missed the ball completely. It was Hincapie who was present and caused Azmoun to falter in his shot.
After 83 minutes of play, Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory against Spurs, with the final score remaining the same at full time.
After 82 minutes, Roma made some substitutions by bringing on Azmoun and Baldanzi, while Lukaku and Paredes left the pitch.
Leverkusen will substitute Tella and Hofmann into the game, while Adli and Wirtz will be replaced.
In the game that lasted for 80 minutes, Spinazzola, Cristante, Xhaka and Andrich received bookings. Spinazzola and Xhaka were booked for pushing and shoving each other after the goal. It is unclear what caused the altercation, but it might have been due to excessive celebration.
Okay, let me rephrase this blog section in simpler English: Today's objective was for Leverkusen to demonstrate how to pass the ball from their own goal area to the opponent's half. Their defense players skillfully passed the ball to one another a few times until Xhaka received it and found an opening around the middle of the field. Then, Xhaka passed the ball to Grimaldo on the right side, but unfortunately, Grimaldo ran too fast and lost control of the ball.
He passes the ball to Stanisic, who returns it to Andrich, positioned just outside the box. The Roma defence is disorganized, giving Andrich plenty of time to prepare for a magnificent, curved shot that propels the ball across and above the goalkeeper, straight into the top corner of the net. Svilar has no chance but to observe as the ball soars over his head and lands in the goal. This goal is impressive in both its creation and execution.
There is a major argument involving many players following an excellent goal scored by Andrich.
Leverkusen Score 2-0 Against Roma At 73 Minutes
At the 71-minute mark, Robbie Savage noted during the co-commentary that Roma appeared to be low on energy. While this observation is accurate, I believe it is primarily due to Leverkusen's superior fitness and skill levels, as well as their ability to maintain good positioning on the field.
In the 70th minute, Frimpong had an opportunity to score but unfortunately missed the target as he didn't hit the ball with the top of his head properly. As a result, the ball went flying high over the crossbar and landed in the crowd.
After 68 minutes, Roma is still facing difficulties in creating scoring opportunities against the opposing team's defenders. The players in red shirts are showing worries and disappointment on their faces. It's demotivating for them to see that Leverkusen is confidently keeping them away, just like a boxer waiting to give the final devastating punch.
After 66 minutes, the Leverkusen supporters are captured celebrating in the bleachers. It appears that their team is headed towards a 47-game unbeaten streak.
After 63 minutes, Tapsoba set up Grimaldo for a shot, but unfortunately, it missed the target.
In the 62nd minute, Angelino, who used to play for Manchester City, took the field, replacing Karsdorp who left for Roma. Karsdorp didn't have any luck tonight, but his error won't make a difference if the match goes on like this. Leverkusen will have a comfortable victory unless Roma can miraculously turn the situation around.
After playing for 60 minutes, Roma gets another chance to score. Lukaku, one of the players, seems unhappy and frustrated. It's understandable because he hasn't had many opportunities to play in this game even though he's been trying hard. Roma hasn't played a possession-based game which would have been beneficial for Lukaku. This means that they're not passing the ball to him where he's best at, in the penalty area.
After 56 minutes, Roma still isn't putting enough pressure on the opposing team. Andrich had enough space to collect the ball about 30 yards out, spin around, and aim for another long-range shot that ended up going off target. It wasn't the most impressive attempt, but Roma's defense could have done better in their efforts.
At the 55th minute mark, Roma had an opportunity to score. Dybala executed a corner kick, and Cristante swiftly flicked the ball downwards near the post. It seemed like Cristante was aiming for a goal, but unfortunately, he didn't hit the ball hard enough. Thus, the ball bounced up beyond the far post, leading to a goal kick. It's regrettable that no one was able to capitalize on this chance. Dybala and Cristante were visibly annoyed with the outcome.
After taking a break and maybe having some snacks, the audience is still showing great enthusiasm as they cheer for Roma. However, the team playing at home is not putting up much of a fight. They're not getting many chances to possess the ball, and when they make mistakes, their opponents are taking advantage of them. The most significant example of this was when Karsdorp's poorly executed pass ended up costing them a goal.
After 53 minutes of play, Wirtz passed the ball to Adli on the left side of Leverkusen's field. Stanisic was positioned in the center while Adli pushed forward into a wide open area on that side. Adli attempted to pass the ball back to Stanisic but it was intercepted and cleared by Roma.
After 51 minutes, Leverkusen earns a corner that Hincapie attempts to use his head to direct towards the goal. He has a great opportunity as he is positioned well and only a short distance from the goal. However, due to a tricky bounce, he is unable to successfully make contact with the ball and send it into the net.
After 48 minutes, Roma are passing the ball in the middle of the field and attempting to create an attacking opportunity. However, Leverkusen's organization is causing Roma to retreat or pass the ball sideways.
Finally, Spinazzola curls a low cross from the left side of the pitch for Roma, which appears to be optimistic. The ball manages to sneak past all players in the vicinity. Karsdorp rapidly advances towards the far post with the opportunity to take a shot despite being in a difficult position. Unfortunately for him, he fails to connect with the ball and miss the chance.
After the halftime interval, neither team made any substitutions. The official count of people present in the stadium is 64,073.
Is there a chance for Roma to make a comeback?
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Taha Hashim's team, Villa, has won 1-2 against Olympiacos.
Simon Burnton is reporting that Chelsea is currently leading Tottenham by a score of 1-0.
Roma Trailing 0-1 To Leverkusen At Half-time
Roma can take comfort in the fact that this match may already be decided. Alonso's team is incredibly impressive.
Peter Oh sent an email stating that he is not amazed that tourists are discovering many properties that are for sale in Rome. He explains that it is a market favorable to the buyer.
In the 45th minute, Roma found themselves under some pressure at the end of the first half. El Shaarawy made an attempt to create an opportunity for a cross, causing Tapsoba to head the ball out for a corner. However, despite the set-piece, Roma didn't score. Then, suddenly, Leverkusen launched a swift and seamless counter-attack led by Wirtz, nearly scoring to make it 2-0. Roma were lucky to escape after some frantic back-and-forth inside their penalty area. Leverkusen's skills on the field were just too impressive.
After 42 minutes of play, Roma has found an opportunity to score. Lukaku receives the ball with his back towards the goal near the penalty area and instead of collecting it, he quickly passes it to Pellegrini. This sets up Pellegrini for a strong right-footed shot, which narrowly misses the goal and causes Kovar's water bottle to topple over.
After 41 minutes of play, Andrich, who plays as a central midfielder for Leverkusen, takes a strong shot from a distance of 25 yards. Svilar manages to save the ball, but it was not a convincing save. Andrich's shot was impressive, as it moved in the air. From that moment on, Roma has been unable to create any significant scoring opportunities, and it feels like ages since Lukaku hit the bar earlier in the game.
The other semi-final match between Marseille and Atalanta ended with a score of 1-1 after 40 minutes.
Wirtz is really in control of the game, constantly moving back to support the forwards just like Scholes used to do. He receives the ball around 30 yards out, but no one from the opposing team comes forward to stop him. He sets up the ball for a shot and sends it soaring above the goal of Svilar. It's like Roma isn't even playing in this match.
In the 36th minute, there was a sudden altercation between Karsdorp and Adli on the midfield. As far as I can tell, Roma had the ball, but Adli snatched it for himself, prompting Karsdorp to push him out of frustration. It's unfortunate that the only way Roma can get near their opponents right now is through physicality.
The Roma team is currently facing a lot of attacks. Grimaldo makes a precise pass from the left side of the field to Frimpong, who quickly turns and takes a left-footed shot from a close distance of approximately 10 yards. Unfortunately, the ball veers off the target and goes wide.
In 31 minutes of the game, Leverkusen demonstrated their fluid and dynamic style of play once again. Frimpong charged forward down the right wing, creating space for himself before passing back to Wirtz. The young player took a strong first-time shot, which was saved by the skilled Svilar. The Roma defense looked uncoordinated and disorganized in that moment. Leverkusen's performance appeared to be effortless, which is one of the reasons why their style of play is so impressive.
Roma is facing some criticism following Smalling's inability to control a bouncing long ball near the halfway point. The smaller Adli was able to out-jump him. Karsdorp, a Dutch defender, then attempted to make a pass to the goalkeeper from near the touchline by using the outside of his right foot.
However, he makes a terrible mistake by underhitting the ball and sending it straight into Grimaldo's path. This causes a three-on-one situation, with three Leverkusen players against Svilar, who is defending the goal. Grimaldo smoothly makes his way into the penalty area and passes the ball to Wirtz, who calmly scores by hitting the ball into the far corner of the net. It's a huge blunder on the part of Karsdorp, who feels embarrassed and lowers his head in defeat.
Leverkusen Scores! 28 Min Mark: Roma 0-1
After 26 minutes of play, Roma was awarded a free-kick positioned right in the center of the field, but it was a good 35 yards away from the goal. Dybala stepped up and took the shot, but unfortunately, it missed its mark and flew over the goal. It was clear that it wouldn't have caused any trouble for the opposing team.
In just 23 minutes, Wirtz received a great pass from Xhaka and made a beautiful pass to Frimpong, similar to Toni Kroos' style. This pass completely destroyed the Leverkusen defense and gave Frimpong an opportunity to score. Frimpong had a one-on-one opportunity but unfortunately, missed the shot by a narrow margin as the goalkeeper, Svilar, came out to meet him and limit his options.
As a commonly used phrase by co-commentators, it's safe to say that he won't be happy with that outcome.
