Bayer Leverkusen gave a display of authority, poise and transformation in the Olympic stadium. He entered the foreign field as if it were his lifelong field, generated seven resounding chances, scored one, and completely upset a Rome that was so stunned that it ended up signing an imaginary armistice. While he was thinking about it, Andrich raised the Aspirin flag in the Capitol. The German midfielder made it 0-2 and completed another invention by Xabi Alonso. The Spanish coach has founded more than a team, a sect of fans who are confident in all competitive areas. This Thursday they went 47 unbeaten games and took a giant step towards the Europa League final. If the Roma led by Daniele de Rossi does not experience a radical change, the return to Germany next week will be presented as another great party for the Rhineland fans. In the other semi-final, Atalanta drew 1-1 in Marseille.
0
Mile Svilar, Karsdorp (Tasende, min. 61), Gianluca Mancini, Smalling, Leonardo Spinazzola, Paredes (Tommaso Baldanzi, min. 79), Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, El Shaarawy, Lukaku (Azmoun, min. 78) and Paulo Dybala ( Tammy Abraham, min. 91)
2
Matej Kovar, Piero Hincapie Reyna, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Faycial Tapsoba, Josip Stanisic, min. 77) and Jeremie Frimpong (Exequiel Palacios, min. 88)
Goals 0-1 min. 27: Florian Wirtz. 0-2 min. 73: Robert Andrich.
Referee François Letexier
Yellow cards Jonathan Tah (min. 16), Lorenzo Pellegrini (min. 29), Xhaka (min. 74), Robert Andrich (min. 76) and Cristante (min. 77)
Appearances are confusing and Leverkusen are the masters of disguise. Alonso lined up four centre-backs, two pivots, two full-backs and two playmakers, and throughout the first half one full-back became a winger, the other acted as an interior player for all purposes, one of the playmakers served as a midfielder and the other acted as a winger. fake nine. The tank transmuted into a Ferrari. The mule ran like the thoroughbred. And Roma was trapped in the game of mirrors and smoke. The confusion was so great that five could have fallen in the first half hour of the game.
Alonso has been able to instill the same concepts in Grimaldo, in Adli, in Andrich, and even in centers like Tapsoba or Hincapié. In many cases, against their nature, these players have learned to get into interior areas to measure the timing of passing and unmarking, and position themselves so that their teammates always find them as a point of support or help in defense. A midfield spirit reigns in this Leverkusen. This makes him unpredictable, especially when he crosses the midfield line, because in the last few meters the players behave with a serenity that makes them precise where precipitation normally occurs. As their Roma counterparts failed to detect where the danger was coming from, the chances continued without interruption.
The first dangerous shot was for Roma. Lukaku had it, crashing his header into the crossbar after a corner kick. It was in the first minutes. The Romanista fans no longer felt so close to glory. What followed was something similar to harassment based on counterattacks. Taking advantage of Roma’s poor pressure, Wirtz enabled Frimpong, a full-back turned midfielder and winger as the action evolved, and the shot hit the outside of the net. Tapsoba then launched Frimpong in another breakout break that preceded the pass to Wirtz and the save by Svilar, the local goalkeeper. A pass from Grimaldo in the heart of the area led to a shot from point-blank range by Frimpong, which was narrowly deflected. Andrich from outside the area forced the goalkeeper to react with a foreshortening…
Leverkusen had a festival with every long ball, for example from their goalkeeper Matej Kovár. Around the half-hour mark, when the intimidated Roma wavered between pressing and protecting themselves, the goalkeeper went long, Adli extended his header and Grimaldo took advantage of Karsdorp’s pressure, which left a pass too short for Svilar. The Spaniard took the ball and connected with Wirtz, who made it 0-1.
Armistice
Roma came out of the break in a dejected state. When Paredes and Dybala looked up for the enemy, they discovered that Alonso had reconfigured the Ferrari. Now instead of the racing car, in front of them was a mud-colored tank, with its armored plate, its tracks and its hatch through which Xhaka’s head peeked out. Leverkusen retreated with their four central defenders, with Grimaldo and Frimpong once again converted into lateral markers, and with Andrich and Xhaka in the double pivot assisted by Adli. Everyone behind and Wirtz saving energy in the rival field. On this structure, the players began to pass the ball to each other as if they had no intention of advancing towards the rival goal. Roma interpreted it as an armistice offer and it was not deployed with conviction either. It seemed like nothing was happening. If they accepted the proposal, everyone would live more peacefully.
Dybala, Paredes and Pellegrini seemed content to travel to Leverkusen without further damage when the situation got out of control. Almost unintentionally, The Spanish advance petrified the Romanista defense and sent Stanisic and Andrich into the charge. There was a rejection. The ball fell to the feet of Andrich, who looks like a lumberjack but sports the hitting mechanics of an aerospace engineer. He put his boot under the ball, raised the lever violently, and the projectile rose and fell until it entered the corner like a drone. Perhaps unexpectedly, the 0-2 score provoked an unbridled reaction from Alonso, who began to jump in the technical area. With that score, the final in Dublin is just a stone’s throw away.
Roma simply languished in the remaining 20 minutes of the game. The feeling of helplessness spread to the stands. Nobody objected to what happened. There was no revolt but resignation before the advance of a Leverkusen touched by a magical halo. Their players believe they are invincible.
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