Key occasions
Right here is David Hytner’s report from Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham:
Marseille 1-1 Atalanta is a closing rating from the opposite semi-final first leg.
Roma had 53% possession, and 7 makes an attempt to Leverkusen’s 12. Roma had three on the right track, the German aspect 4. Roma accomplished 439 of 530 passes to 351 of 430 for Leverkusen.
These stats usually are not as sobering for Roma as you may assume, given the one-sided nature of the sport.
Full time! Roma 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
That’s 47 video games unbeaten for Leverkusen, however maybe extra importantly, that can be a spot within the Europa League closing – until Roma can stage one thing completely spectacular over in Germany.
90 min + 3: Oh. My. Days.
A hopeful cross from the left causes panic for Leverkusen – very uncommon panic – when Kovar involves punch however doesn’t make it. The ball finally ends up floating again throughout the open aim the place Tammy Abraham is ready. He snatches at his header from about three yards and sends it up and over the crossbar. What a miss! What an opportunity to take one thing for Roma!
90 min + 2: Pellegrini belts a cross over from the Roma proper. Leverkusen take care of it simply. Kossounou comes off the bench for the German champions. Grimaldo off.
90 min: We could have 4 minutes of added time. Can De Rossi’s Roma seize a lifeline?
90 min: Villa are shedding 4-2. Consider the coefficient, lads!
88 min: Frimpong is straight away withdrawn for Palacios.
I wouldn’t fancy sporting Leverkusen colors within the Everlasting Metropolis tonight, I need to say.
87 min: Frimpong makes extra inroads into the Roma defence from the Leverkusen proper wing, wriggling away from a deal with or two with the ball seemingly glued to his toes. “He’s like a bit of electrical eel!” says our commentator, Ian Darke. Which is honest.
85 min: A fast VAR examine for a doable handball by Tah. Nothing doing for Roma.
84 min: Enormous likelihood for the hosts! Pellegrini strokes a decisive low move into the penalty space for Azmoun, simply off the bench. He’s on the six yard field with a transparent sight of aim however utterly mishits his shot – in equity as a result of Hincapie is readily available to place him off.
83 min: Chelsea 2-0 Spurs FT
82 min: Azmoun and Baldanzi on for Roma. Lukaku and Paredes off.
For Leverkusen, Tella and Hofmann on, for Adli and Wirtz.
80 min: Spinazzola, Cristante, Xhaka and Andrich have all been booked. Spinazzola and Xhaka for the pushing and shoving after the aim. Unsure what sparked that, possibly some over-zealous celebrating.
So, the aim: Leverkusen maintain one other masterclass in how you can play the ball out from the again. The defenders alternate a couple of tidy passes earlier than Xhaka is launched in area round midway. Grimaldo is in flip launched by a great looking out move by Xhaka, however overruns the ball down the fitting channel.
He turns again, recycling possession with a chipped move again for Stanisic, who then performs it again to Andrich simply exterior the field. With the Roma defence out of practice, Andrich has time to set himself and stroke a fairly great looping, curling shot that rockets throughout and over the goalkeeper and into the highest nook. Svilar can solely watch it sail over his head and into the web. What a aim: each the buildup and the end.
There’s a massive dust-up involving a great deal of gamers after an excellent aim by Andrich.
Objective! 73 min: Roma 0-2 Leverkusen (Andrich)
That’s particular!
71 min: On co-commentary Robbie Savage says Roma appear to lack a little bit of power, which is true, however I reckon that’s simply down the health and ability ranges of Leverkusen, to not point out their positional self-discipline.
70 min: Frimpong has a sight of aim from an angle however doesn’t get his head over the ball and it rockets over the bar and into the stand.
68 min: The minutes tick away and Roma proceed to wrestle to exert any sort of stress on the visiting defence. There are some involved and annoyed faces in crimson shirts. It’s disheartening for them that Leverkusen are comfortably protecting them at arm’s size, like a boxer simply ready to ship the knockout blow.
66 min: The Leverkusen followers are pictured partying up within the stands. It’s trying like 47 unbeaten for them …
63 min: Tapsoba tees up Grimaldo for a shot that flies vast.
62 min: The previous Manchester Metropolis defender Angelino comes on, with Karsdorp going off for Roma. An disagreeable evening for Karsdorp nevertheless it’s hardly as if his mistake shall be decisive if the tie continues like this. Leverkusen will ease into the ultimate until Roma can in some way flip this tide.
60 min: One other nook for Roma. Lukaku is pictured in close-up trying a bit fed up. Which isn’t stunning: he’s hardly obtained into this sport in any respect, though it’s not for lack of effort. Roma have constructed nothing when it comes to a possession-based sport that Lukaku must thrive, by taking the ball to toes and trying to flip within the penalty space.
56 min: Once more the Roma urgent isn’t nice: Andrich has time to assemble the ball about 30 yards out, flip, and dimension up one other shot from distance that swerves properly vast. Not one of the best effort, however actually not good defensively from Roma, both.
55 min: Probability for Roma! Dybala swings in a nook. Cristante flicks it downwards on the close to submit: He’s in search of aim, I reckon, however he doesn’t get sufficient on it and the ball bounces up past the far submit and out for a aim kick. Somebody may have gotten on the top of that. Each Dybala and Cristante make their frustration clear.
54 min: Maybe fortified by some half time refreshments, the gang are maintaining a really respectable degree of noise as they cheer Roma on. However the house workforce have not often threatened. They’re being starved of possession whereas their errors are being punished, most notably when Karsdorp’s scuffed again move led to the aim.
53 min: Wirtz spreads the play to Adli on the Leverkusen left. Stanisic is lurking within the center and Adli, having superior right into a gaping gap down that flank, tries to chop the ball again to him – however Roma can intercept and clear.
51 min: Leverkusen win a nook that Hincapie tries to nod goalwards. It’s a great likelihood – he’s in area and just some yards from aim – however he can’t recover from the ball after an ungainly bounce.
48 min: Roma stroke the ball round in midfield and attempt to get one thing going. However they’re principally being pressured again, or at the very least sideways, by Leverkusen’s positional self-discipline.
Ultimately, Spinazzola bends a quite hopeful low cross over from the Roma left that evades everybody. Karsdorp is speeding on to it on the far submit and has an opportunity to hit a shot albeit from a good angle. Regardless of, he utterly misses his kick anyway.
47 min: No modifications for both aspect on the break. The official attendance is 64,073.
Second half kick-off!
Can Roma get again into this?
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Taha Hashim has Villa 1-2 Olympiacos:
Simon Burnton has Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham right here:
Half-time: Roma 0-1 Leverkusen
The optimistic to cling to for Roma is that this tie may conceivably be over already. Alonso’s aspect are mesmerisingly good.
“I’m not stunned that the guests are discovering a great deal of actual property in Rome,” emails Peter Oh. “In any case, it’s a Bayer’s market.”
45 min: A contact of late stress for Roma. El Shaarawy creates an opportunity for a cross and Tapsoba is pressured to go the ball out for a nook. Nothing comes from the set-piece although and all of the sudden Roma are going through a fluid, quick Leverkusen counter led by Wirtz. It’s very, very practically 2-0 however Roma escape after a little bit of penalty-area pinball. Leverkusen are simply too rattling good.
42 min: And there’s a likelihood for Roma, in any case! Lukaku takes it to toes along with his again to aim on the sting of the penalty space however quite than collect it he performs a great first-time move for Pellegrini, teeing his teammate up for a shot. Pellegrini bends a robust right-footed effort that curls simply vast and sends Kovar’s water bottle flying.
41 min: Now Andrich, the Leverkusen central midfielder, cracks a robust shot from 25 yards. Svilar saves however unconvincingly: That was a candy strike that was shifting within the air. Roma haven’t had a sniff of aim since that Lukaku header in opposition to the bar, and that feels a very long time in the past now.
40 min: Marseille 1-1 Atalanta is a contemporary rating within the different semi.
38 min: Wirtz is bossing this, usually dropping into the opening behind the forwards in Scholes-esque trend. He takes the ball about 30 yards out however nobody closes him down. He tees up the ball for a shot and bangs a looping effort that flies vast of Svilar’s aim. This match is passing Roma by.
36 min: There’s a flare-up in midfield involving Karsdorp and Adli. I believe it was Roma’s ball however Adli grabbed it and Karsdorp gave his opponent a shove. Sadly for Roma that’s the one means they can get near their opponents in the intervening time.
34 min: Roma are being battered now. From out on the left wing, Grimaldo squares with surgical precision for Frimpong, who swivels and hits a left-footed shot first time from about 10 yards. It squirts simply vast.
31 min: Extra liquid soccer from Leverkusen: Frimpong sprints into area down their proper wing and cuts again for Wirtz, whose highly effective first-time sidefooted effort is saved by Svilar. The Roma defence had been at sixes and sevens there. It appears to be like easy from Leverkusen, and that’s one of many issues that makes it so spectacular.
Roma are below stress after Smalling fails to take care of a bouncing lengthy ball round midway, and the far smaller Adli outjumps him. The Dutch defender, Karsdorp, then tries to play a backpass with the surface of his proper boot, in search of the keeper from out close to the touchline.
However he underhits it horribly and straight into the trail of Grimaldo. It’s instantly a three-on-one, though that’s three Leverkusen gamers v Svilar in aim. The Spaniard strolls into the penalty space and squares for Wirtz, who rolls a end calmly into the far nook of the web. What a horrible error by Karsdorp. He hangs his head in disgrace.
Objective! 28 min: Roma 0-1 Leverkusen (Wirtz)
Calamity for Karsdorp!
26 min: Roma have a free-kick, which is central however a great 35 yards out, and Dybala tries a shot. It flies over the aim and by no means appears to be like prone to bother the scorers.
23 min: After being fed by a positive ball by Xhaka, Wirtz slides a pleasant Toni Kroos-style move for Frimpong by means of on the Leverkusen proper that tears the house defence open … Frimpong is in, one on-one, however directs his shot simply vast of Svilar’s aim because the keeper rushes out to satisfy him and slender the angle!
To make use of a well-worn co-commentator’s phrase: He’ll be dissatisfied with that.
