Mr. Exceptional once again pushed his dreaded bus all the way to the finals. But be careful, even Sevilla won’t lose them

Leverkusen were the sad heroes on home turf. He clearly won 23:1 on shots, but he could not make up for the one-goal loss from Rome. A goalless streak was enough for the opponents.

“Leverkusen tried everything and played a really good match,” praises German international Karů-Heinz Riedle. “Bayer played well and at a great pace. They should be proud of what they have shown,” added another legend Lothar Matthäus.

However, their praise does not comfort the Czech representative Adam Hložek either, who started only in the 80th minute of the return match.

José Mourinho once described himself as the Special One. He pushed his dreaded defensive bus all the way to the final again.

“Two finals in two years – a great result and a great achievement, even more important this year. As a team, we did a great thing,” midfielder Bryan Cristante points to last year’s triumph in the Conference League.

“It’s an incredible team. I don’t know if I can ask for more from Roma, but these guys deserve something special,” Mourinho gushes.

The duel is like a father-son fight. Mourinho was up against Xabi Alonso, his former charge at Real Madrid. Leverkusen’s Spanish coach played 151 games for the Portuguese manager over three seasons.

“That I wrote myself into the history of Rome? My interest is to help the boys grow and the ‘Romanists’ to always do their best and bring joy to these people. After reaching another European final, there is great joy,” exults the sixty-year-old Portuguese.

He is potentially the most successful coach in UEFA competitions: “I’m only thinking about AS. I am emotionally connected to the fans. I know thousands that have been here. My emotions are more about what I can help them achieve. It’s not about me,” he assures.

He will focus on the finals when the time comes. “So far I’ve been taking care of the progress. Sevilla is a very strong team and has great experience. Then we’ll think about the final, now we’re thinking about the Italian league,” says Mourinho.