2023-05-18 21:47:53
AS Roma and Sevilla are contesting this year’s Europa League final. A goalless draw in Leverkusen in the second leg of the semifinals on Thursday was enough for the Romans to advance to the final following the 1-0 win the previous week. Record winners Sevilla, who beat Juventus Turin 2-1 following extra time (first leg 1-1), are waiting there on May 31 in Budapest.
After the triumph in the Conference League last year, Roma now have the opportunity to win the second international title in the club’s history. In the event of a success in the final, coach Mourinho would rise to become the sole record coach in the European Cup with six titles. Despite a clear superiority in the second leg, Leverkusen missed their first entry into a European Cup final in 21 years.
Thanks to the promotion they deserved in the end, Seville kept the chance of winning the seventh competition title. Juventus must continue to wait for their first major European triumph since winning the 1995/96 Champions League.
In the BayArena, which was sold out to over 30,000 spectators, the Werkself, with Patrick Pentz on the bench, dominated the game throughout the first half. Moussa Diaby found the best opportunity, slamming the ball into the crossbar on the right from a tight angle (12′). Roma didn’t set any offensive accents at all and limited themselves exclusively to defending, but were able to save the lead from the first leg at the break.
The second part of the game was initially similar to the first. However, Leverkusen still failed to convert the clear superiority into goals. Demirbay failed with a long-range shot by Roma goalkeeper Rui Patricio (67′), Sardar Azmoun narrowly missed a cross from Diaby (75′). In the end, Roma brought the draw with a compact defensive performance over time.
In Seville, both teams created a number of chances in the first half of the game. Lucas Ocampos with a header (25th) and Marcos Acuna missed promising opportunities for the superior home team. Juventus became dangerous almost exclusively in the switching game. Angel di Maria carelessly missed the goal with a lob (27th), Moise Keane failed on the aluminum (34th). Shortly before the half-time whistle, a missed penalty caused an uproar when Juan Cuadrado tripped opponent Oliver Torres on the penalty area line (45+3).
Even following the break, Sevilla dominated the intense game, but the first goal fell on the other side. Dusan Vlahovic chipped the ball over goalkeeper Yassine Bounou shortly following being substituted on (65′). The visitors’ lead didn’t last long, however, as Suso, who was also a substitute, brought the record winner back into play with a remarkable long-range shot (71′). In the closing stages, Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved his team into extra time with some strong saves.
In this Erik Lamela scored with a placed header for the long overdue lead of the Andalusians (95th). Acuna saw a yellow-red card following a throw-in for time wasting (115′). Juventus might not be mandatory before and even with a majority.
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