Roma-Bayer Leverkusen 0-2. Karsdorp error, Wirtz scores. Andrich doubles NEWS
Marseille-Atalanta 1-1. Network of Scamacca. Draw Mbemba CHRONICLE
Leverkusen are also unbeatable for Roma, they are 0-2
It may be “unbeaten but not unbeatable”, as Daniele De Rossi said the day before, but Bayer Leverkusen continues its positive streak at the Olimpico, bringing it to 47 consecutive useful results. Against Roma it is 0-2 for the guests, and for Xabi Alonso’s team it is also the fifth time out of eleven matches in this Europa League that they have not conceded a goal. So for the Giallorossi, for the fourth consecutive year in a European semi-final, Dublin is a little, if not much, further away, because Leverkusen will need a real feat which, as we saw today, especially in the second half, it doesn’t seem within their reach.
The new German champions, with their phrasing orchestrated to perfection by that Granit , in which Roma played better. Then Karsdorp’s clumsy mistake (who was booed when he was replaced in the 17th minute) handed the Germans the first goal on a silver platter, scoring with ‘mister 100 million’ Wirtz who gave himself an early birthday present ( turns 21 tomorrow) and Roma remained in shock for practically the entire match, even conceding the second goal in the second half.
At the beginning, Xabi Alonso chose a covered team with few points of reference and sent his two attackers Boniface and the former player Schick to the bench, with Adli acting as the false nine and Grimaldo, usually a short winger, this time high at left in the trident. A successful move, because the former Benfica Spaniard was a thorn in Roma’s side. Hincapié instead began by man-marking Dybala, and never lost sight of him until Alonso moved him further away to the left. But until the goal of the disadvantage, Roma were playing at the level of the new German champions, who were very cautious in a decidedly very tactical start to the match, with the two teams studying each other and Xhaka an impeccable ‘lighthouse’ of Leverkusen’s midfield. The first shock came from Lukaku in the 21st minute, hitting the outside of the crossbar with a header following a corner, beaten by Dybala. Two minutes later Frimpong, having started in a lightning-fast restart, wasted a sensational opportunity for the Germans by kicking wide. Former Bayer manager Rudi Voeller, present in the stands, couldn’t help but put his hands in his hair, despite the love that also binds him to Roma. In the 27th minute Dybala slipped just as he could have kicked a Karsdorp cross from a good position, a minute later the Dutchman committed the gross mistake that cost Roma the goal: in practice, he served Grimaldo who in turn gave it to Wirtz who shouldn’t have do nothing but lean on the net. The goal conceded sent Roma into shock, who were clearly feeling the pinch: Pellegrini was booked for an unnecessary foul, then, in the 31st minute, Frimpong went away to everyone, Wirtz served but somehow Svilar managed to remedy the situation. In the 34th minute, however, another opportunity wasted by Leverkusen, with Frimpong shooting wide following Grimaldo’s cross. Roma looked like a boxer incapable of reacting to the opponent’s blows, but they shook themselves at the end of the half, with Pellegrini who came close to equalizing with a shot that was just wide.
Not much to note in the second half, during which Roma struggled to build dangerous offensive actions. Cristante tried in the 11th minute with a nice header from a corner, while Spinazzola, who almost looked like the one from Euro 2020, produced himself on a couple of occasions which however only resulted in corners. In the 28th minute, however, after various phases of ‘tiki taka’ by Bayer, the Germans’ second goal arrived, with Andrich with a ‘torpedo’ from outside: then the guests’ number 8 went to celebrate near the south curve and caused a fight between the two teams which fortunately ended almost immediately. For Roma there was also the final insult of a sensational opportunity missed by Abraham in injury time, with a header, practically into an empty net, which ended up over the crossbar. Perhaps a sign of destiny, and so, by a guess, in that Aviva Stadium, the Irish temple of rugby before football, Bayer Leverkusen will go, and the pints of Guinness will probably be drunk by the German fans.
Atalanta comes close to achieving the feat, 1-1 in Marseille
Atalanta comes close to achieving the feat at home to Olympique Marseille, drawing 1-1 and in 7 days the qualification for the Europa League final will be played in Bergamo. In Marseille, Gasperini’s team deluded itself for nine minutes, leading 1-0, but risked a little in the second half and even came close to winning in the final. Next week everything will be at stake at the Gewiss Stadium. At the Velodrome the team enters the field with character. Scamacca hits the goal with the first shot of the match just over ten minutes after the kick-off, then the Bergamo players also have to overcome the obstacle of Kolasinac, who hurt his left flexor just before Mbemba’s equalizer arrived with a shot from distance. The very tactical confrontation, with the locals defending with five, begins with Murillo losing the mark on Scamacca, free to score thanks to a pass from Koopmeiners after an elaborate action with Ruggeri and Ederson.
In the quarter of an hour, however, Kolasinac made a bad mistake in anticipating Sarr’s cross from Luis Henrique: teeth gritted but after two minutes the Nerazzurri centre-back came out. Pasalic enters with De Roon retreating into the three. The forcing of Gasset’s team is rewarded by the carom of the OM right central defender at the high post with the ball entering from the other side, on the long wave of the fourth corner, with Zappacosta going too hastily towards the assistman Kondogbia on the pass from right of Clauss. After half an hour, Koopmeiners tries from outside, finding the deflection from Kondogbia after a ball from the left by De Ketelaere which was not controlled by Pau Lopez.
At the end of the first half, the risk of a comeback was averted with Aubameyang on top, but without the right aim or timing. First he crosses the left foot wide following a pass from Harit, at the height of the counterattack triggered by Kondogbia’s recovery on De Roon and Veretout’s relaunch, in the forty-second minute, then more than a minute before the break he leaves Zappacosta in place, aiming for Musso who comes out to him promptly on your feet.
The second half begins again with Aubameyang dangerous directly from Paul Lopez’s clearance, but Musso has time to recover his position by moving back to block his somewhat pretentious conclusion with a dive. Koopmeiners responds in front of the line of the opponent’s area in the fifth, without a corner.
Very fragmented game but with constant changes ahead now. Kondogbia raises his sights and Gasperini attempts the breakthrough by inserting the agile and quick Lookman in place of Scamacca’s size and power. After the quarter of an hour, Koopmeiners’ central free-kick and Lookman’s swerve were out of proportion, while near the twentieth minute, Luis Henrique’s offside following Harit’s pass was nullified by Sarr’s support after Aubameyang’s rejected header . The Nerazzurri faded and contracted in this phase: in the 28th minute the top corner was chipped by the new substitute Ounahi, unmarked at the limit by Aubameyang from the left, then Musso came out to his defensive midfield, making a last-minute remedy on Moumbagna with a dead body. Pasalic in the ninetieth minute offers it to Miranchuk on the restart, but the Russian just from outside does not close the left foot well for less than half a meter.
Read the full article on ANSA.it
2024-05-02 21:39:00
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