The Bundesliga champions played their 49th match without defeat in all competitions, surpassing Benfica’s long-standing European record set from 1963 to 1965
Bayer Leverkusen’s Spanish coach Xabi Alonso says his team deserve all three titles available to them this season after they qualified for the Europa League final by overcoming AS Roma on Thursday.
In the second semi-final Ademola Lookman scored as Atalanta sealed their place in the final with a 4-1 aggregate win over Marseille at the Gewiss Stadium. The former Everton and Fulham winger scored on the half-hour mark.
Leverkusen, the Bundesliga champions who also reached the German Cup final on May 25, played their 49th game unbeaten in all competitions, surpassing Benfica’s long-standing European record from 1963 to 1965.
They reached the milestone after scoring two goals late secured a 2-2 draw at home against Roma and booked their place in the final in Dublin on May 22nd with a 4-2 aggregate win.
“So we will play two finals in one week,” said Alonso. “Today we showed great character after the second goal. Afterwards I looked my players in the eyes and saw that they wanted more.
“We still have the chance to win three titles. And my boys deserve all three titles.”
Leverkusen were lucky: Roma defender Gianluca Mancini deflected the ball into his own goal in the 82nd minute.
Substitute Josip Stanisic equalized before the final whistle and thus put Leverkusen in the record books. He described this as one of the highlights of his career.
“Definitely one of them. We knew what was at stake, we really wanted to get to the final and I think you could see that in 90 minutes today,” said Croatia international Stanisic.
“I don’t think we would have cared in the end if we had lost and still progressed, because we really wanted to get to the final, but it will be even better.”
Roma’s chance of winning after the defeat against Sevilla’s attempt to reach the Europa League final for the second year in a row on penalties last season passed in the final minutes.
“If you manage to come back from a 2-0 defeat and get closer to a miracle, knowing that nobody has beaten them this season, then it hurts when we concede a goal like that. It hurts,” Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.
Results
UEFA Europa League
Semi-finals
Atalanta 3 , Olympique Marseille 0
Atalanta win 4 – 1 on aggregate
Bayer Leverkusen 2 , Roma 2
Bayer Leverkusen win 4 – 2 on aggregate