Bayer Leverkusen snatched a 2-2 draw with Roma, and 4-2 aggregate win, to advance to the Europa League final, keeping their invincible season alive.
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Leandro Paredes scored twice to give Roma 2-0 leadGianluca Mancini's own goal sent Leverkusen through, will play Atalanta in finalLeverkusen kept invincible season with 96th minute equaliserGettyTELL ME MORE
Roma took the lead – much against the run of play – when Leandro Paredes converted from the penalty spot shortly before half-time. They added a second after an hour to level the tie, Paredes again burying a penalty. But Leverkusen – as they have so often this year – found a crucial goal. Granit Xhaka's whipped corner evaded everyone except Gianluca Mancini, who turned the ball into his own net. Josip Stanisic offered further heroics deep into stoppage time, scoring in the 96th minute to keep Leverkusen's undefeated campaign going.
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How does Xabi Alonso keep doing it? Roma were good here, and for long stretches, appeared to have done enough to make it through to the final. But the manager was shrewd in his substitutions, introducing a flurry of attacking talent that gave his side a vital edge as the game wound down. Leverkusen's first of the night – although fortunate in its nature – felt inevitable. And their second was somehow even more predictable, another late miracle to keep an undefeated campaign alive. What a season it has been; and there could be more to celebrate soon.
THE BIG LOSER
It was all going so well for Matej Kovar – until it wasn't. The Czech international made a flurry of stops throughout the evening, and it seemed for a while that his heroics might just have been enough to carry Roma into a second straight Europa League final. But it wasn't to be. He, in fact, was the sole reason that the Italian side won't be playing in Dublin next month. Kovar made a woeful error from a corner, coming out to claim a cross and getting nowhere near it, leaving a stranded Mancini out of position – and helpless as he turned the ball into his own net.
GettyWHAT COMES NEXT?
Alonso's side have already tied up the Bundesliga title, but still have a fixture there to worry about when they face 14th-placed Bochum on Sunday. Attention will soon turn to the final, though, held in Dublin in early June where they'll take on Atalanta.