2024-04-18 22:10:14
Four days following being crowned champions, Leverkusen averted their first defeat of the season and can continue to dream of a treble. The newly crowned German football champions drew 1-1 away from West Ham in the Europa League on Thursday and qualified for the semi-finals following winning 2-0 in the first leg. Liverpool, however, missed the comeback they were aiming for and were eliminated with an aggregate score of 1:3 despite a 1-0 away win at Atalanta Bergamo.
Leverkusen remained unbeaten in the 44th game of the season and replaced Juventus Turin as the previous European record holder. In the semi-finals, coach Xabi Alonso’s team will face AS Roma. The Romans defeated AC Milan in the Italian duel with a 2-1 win at home in the second leg following a 1-0 win in the first leg. Atalanta will face Olympique Marseille, who beat Benfica on penalties.
During the away game in London, Leverkusen was partially overrun by West Ham in the first half of the game. Michail Antonio headed a cross from Jarrod Bowen into the net to take the deserved lead (13′), but the superior “Hammers” didn’t score any more goals. After the break, the game was evenly balanced and Leverkusen found their first chances, but they were not compelling. West Ham continued to pay tribute to the high tempo of the first 45 minutes and Leverkusen, as so often this season, scored a late goal through Frimpong (89).
In seven previous games, the “Werkself” had only avoided defeats from the 90th minute onwards. The Alonso team set a new record for the top 5 leagues in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. No team there has ever managed a series like this this millennium. The previous record was held by Juventus with 43 games unbeaten from May 2011 to May 2012.
Liverpool got off to a perfect start on the way to their targeted comeback. Mohamed Salah confidently converted a hand penalty in the 7th minute. The “Reds” then remain in control and are clearly the more dangerous team. Salah missed a huge chance to make it 2-0 with a lob (40th). In the second half of the game, Liverpool lacked ideas and pace for long stretches. Atalanta kept the “Reds” away from their own goal and managed the result without any problems. For Jürgen Klopp, the last European Cup appearance in Liverpool’s dugout ended in disappointment.
In the Italian duel, Roma made everything clear in the first half following winning the first leg 1-0. Gianluca Mancini took the early lead (12′), Paulo Dybala flicked the ball into the far corner (22′). However, coach Daniele De Rossi’s team then weakened itself. Zeki Celik was sent off following a foul (32′). For a long time, Milan was unable to capitalize on their 60-minute advantage. Matteo Gabbia’s goal (86′) came too late. For the Milanese team, a titleless season is almost a certainty following their elimination.
Benfica successfully managed the 2-1 first leg win in France for a long time. Faris Moumbagna took Marseille into extra time with the long overdue opening goal (79th). This was goalless, but the French prevailed 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
In the Conference League, PAOK Saloniki, with Thomas Murg and Stefan Schwab in the starting line-up, lost 2-0 to Bruges and were eliminated with an overall score of 3-0. The Belgians will face Fiorentina in the semi-finals, who beat Viktoria Plzen 2-0 following extra time. Aston Villa only secured their ticket to the last four in Lille on penalties.
During this, the Argentine world champion goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the Villa dress received the second yellow card following a gesture towards the audience. However, the red card did not follow because yellow cards from a game are not taken into the penalty shootout. Aston Villa will face Olympiacos Piraeus in the semi-finals. The Greeks also defeated Fenerbahce Istanbul on penalties.
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