The imposing Stadio Olimpico in Rome proved to be no obstacle for the rampant Bayer Leverkusen, as the newly crowned Bundesliga champions extended their remarkable unbeaten streak to 47 matches across all competitions with a commanding 2-0 victory over Roma in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals.
No club from Europe’s top five leagues – Germany, England, Italy, Spain, and France – has managed a longer unbeaten run this season, underscoring the remarkable consistency and resilience displayed by the German side.
“We take things game by game and we are not thinking about being unbeaten,” insisted Leverkusen midfielder Amine Adli. “We are not thinking about making history or things like that — that’s why we are playing like this and the team is strong. We just want to enjoy ourselves.”
Leverkusen’s victory also carried an element of revenge, as Roma had eliminated them from the same stage of the Europa League last season, handing them their last defeat in European competition nearly a year ago.
The Stadio Olimpico witnessed an electrifying start, with Roma’s Romelu Lukaku rattling the crossbar with a powerful header in the early exchanges.
However, Leverkusen seized the initiative in the 14th minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse from Roma right-back Rick Karsdorp.
The German side launched a blistering counterattack, with Alex Grimaldo finding Florian Wirtz in the box, who calmly slotted home to silence the vociferous home crowd.
Roma rallied in search of an equalizer, but Leverkusen’s resolute defense held firm and they landed a decisive blow in the 73rd minute.
As Roma pushed forward, the visitors struck on the counter, with Robert Andrich unleashing a thunderous long-range effort that left the Roma goalkeeper grasping at thin air.
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“We know it is not easy to play here,” Adli acknowledged. “We played a very serious game.”
In the other semifinal tie, Atalanta and Marseille played out an enthralling 1-1 draw at the Stade Velodrome. Gianluca Scamacca gave Atalanta an early lead, but Chancel Mbemba’s curling effort from the edge of the box restored parity for the home side, setting up an intriguing second leg.
Europa Conference League Semifinals: Aston Villa Suffer Setback, Fiorentina Claim Narrow Advantage.
In the Europa Conference League semifinals, Aston Villa’s hopes of reaching a first European final since 1982 suffered a significant setback as they succumbed to a 4-2 home defeat against Olympiakos.
Ayoub El Kaabi’s brace gave the Greek team, who might play the final on home soil in Athens, a 2-0 advantage within the first half hour.
Villa rallied, drawing level through goals from Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey, but their joy was short-lived.
El Kaabi completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute before Santiago Hezze added a fourth for Olympiakos. Douglas Luiz squandered a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit for Villa, blazing a penalty over the crossbar.
In Florence, last year’s runners-up Fiorentina edged out Club Brugge in a thrilling 3-2 encounter.
Riccardo Sottil and Andrea Belotti put the hosts in control, but Raphael Onyedika’s dismissal for a second bookable offense proved a pivotal moment.
Brugge capitalized on their numerical advantage almost immediately, with Igor Thiago restoring parity. However, substitute M’Bala Nzola had the final say, netting a stoppage-time winner to hand Fiorentina a slender advantage ahead of the second leg.
As the Europa League and Europa Conference League semifinals move into their second legs, the stage is set for more drama, twists, and turns, with clubs vying for a place in the respective finals and a chance to etch their names into European footballing history.
The Information is Collected from Arab News and ESPN
