Europa League: Leverkusen takes a lead in the final, with Marseille and Atalanta tied

Italy – Bayer Leverkusen returned with a valuable victory from its host stadium, Roma (2-0) yesterday, Thursday, in the first leg of the semi-finals of the European League competition, while French Marseille and its Italian guest, Atalanta, tied 1-1.

At the Olympic Stadium, Leverkusen owes its victory to the duo Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich, who scored goals in the 28th and 73rd minutes.

This confrontation is par excellence for the German team following it faced Roma in the semi-finals for the second year in a row following they met last season, and the Italian team prevailed 1-0 in the first leg in the capital, Rome, and tied 1-1 in the return in Leverkusen.

Leverkusen continued its amazing record this season, as it did not taste defeat in 47 matches in various competitions, won the local league title for the first time in its history, and became a candidate to achieve a historic treble, as it also competes in the German Cup final.

In the second match, Atalanta and its host Marseille were tied 1-1.

Gianluca Skamaka gave Atalanta the lead (11), and Congolese Chancel Mbemba was able to equalize for Marseille nine minutes later.

Marseille, runner-up in the 2017-2018 edition once morest Spanish Atletico Madrid, has high hopes for the continental competition, following losing its hopes in the league, where it occupies seventh place, 11 points behind Lille, which is in fourth place last and qualifies for the third preliminary round of the Champions League.

But the French club’s task will not be easy in the return match once morest an Italian team with great ambitions following it ousted England’s Liverpool, which was a strong candidate to win the title in the quarter-finals.

Source: Agencies