The Romans put in a gritty performance at the back to hold Leverkusen to a goalless draw in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final to progress to the final, having beaten them 1-0 a week ago in Rome. They sat deep inside their half and defended with their bodies on the line to survive the hosts’ relentless attacks on goal.
In fact, Xabi Alonso’s men had 23 attempts, and yet they could not find a way to beat Rui Patricio between the sticks. On the contrary, Roma failed to register a single shot on target and instead resorted to time-wasting tactics to run down the clock.
Leverkusen midfielder Kerem Demirbay was visibly frustrated with the tactics of Roma and lashed out at Mourinho while speaking to RTL after the match: “It’s a shame that in a semi-final at such a high level that this type of play can be rewarded. They made things very ugly at the end.”
