Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich were on target as Bayer Leverkusen kept their treble bid firmly on course with a hugely impressive 2-0 victory at AS Roma in the first-leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final.
2023/2024 UEFA Europa League
0-2
Match Report
Xabi Alonso’s newly-crowned Bundesliga champions took the lead through Wirtz’s low finish on 28 minutes but perhaps could have been further in front at the interval such was their dominance and menace in the final third.
Roma had hit the woodwork through Romelu Lukaku and also went close in the second period through Bryan Cristante and substitute Tammy Abraham but could not unlock the German outfit and eventually fell to just a second loss in 26 home matches in the competition.
Leverkusen were always in control and got the second goal their performance deserved when Andrich curved in a stunning effort 17 minutes from time to make it 47 matches unbeaten this season.
The teams will now reconvene next Thursday for the second leg in Germany with a place in the final in Dublin against Atalanta or Marseille on May 22 at stake.
Line-ups
Roma XI: El Shaarawy, Smalling, Lukaku, Paredes, Spinazzola, Dybala, Cristante, Karsdorp, Pellegrini, Mile Svilar, G. Mancini
Subs: Patricio, S. Azmoun, D.Llorente, R.Sanches, Angelino, Abraham, Aouar, N'Dicka, Nicola Zalewski, Tommaso Baldanzi, Pietro Boer, Edoardo Bove
Leverkusen XI: Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo, Robert Andrich, Tah, Tapsoba, Josip Stanisic, Kovar, Jeremie Frimpong, Piero Hincapié, Amine Adli, Florian Wirtz
Subs: Hradecky, Lomb, Hofmann, Schick, Iglesias, Exequiel Palacios, Nathan Tella, Adam Hlozek, Odilon, Victor Boniface, Gustavo Puerta, Arthur