As expected, it was an intense game in front of a raucous crowd at the Stadio Olimpico, but the Werkself tool early control with their cautious play. The hosts pressed high, but the champions of Germany were always able to find space behind the first wave. However, the first big chance of the night fell the way of the Italians when Romelu Lukaku headed onto the bar. Moments later at the other end, Jeremie Frimpong struck the side netting. It wasn’t long until the ball went the right side of the post, though, as Alejandro Grimaldo intercepted a misplaced pass and teed up Florian Wirtz to slot in just before the half-hour mark. Leverkusen remained in control after the break, although there were far fewer chances. That was until the 74th minute when the Werkself’s patience paid off as Andrich fired into the top corner from over 20 yards to secure a 2-0 first-leg advantage. You can read more about the game in our match report.
Xabi Alonso said after the game: “We fought very well. It was a very mature performance with great discipline and good football. We were compact in defence and so created lots of chances of our own. We’re well placed, but there’s still a tough second leg to come in Leverkusen.” The Spaniard was also full of praise for goalscorer Andrich: “You get second chances in football. Rob has put behind his bad memories of this stadium. He didn’t just score the goal, he played an important role for the team with his aggression and character. I’m delighted for him.”
Straight after the full-time whistle, Granit Xhaka turned his attention straight to the second leg: “The two goals are very important. They really help us a lot for the return game. But we still want to score a goal next week to help settle things early.” Andrich had the same thoughts: “We’ve finished the first half of this semi-final with a win today. But we want to play the same next week as well.”
Kicker’s headline read “Wirtz and Andrich fire Werkself on course for final” and spoke of a “commanding display”. Bild wrote: “The door to the final is wide open”. The Rheinische Post had a similar conclusion: “Leverkusen open door to the final against Roma”. A peak audience of 6.2 million watched the game on TV in Germany and an average of 5.13 viewers meant a market share of 22.3 percent, which is the highest rate for a game in the competition this season.
Wirtz, who turned 21 at midnight after the game in Rome, scored his fourth goal of this Europa League season, which is a personal best for him in the competition. He’s also got four assists, which is another PB. He’d never before contributed more than seven goals in a Europa League campaign.
Josip Stanisic also had reason to celebrate as his setup for the second goal was his fourth assist in Europe this season. No Werkself player has more provisions in the Europa League in 2023/24.
Things were tight in some statistical areas, with Roma seeing 53 percent possession and winning 51.3 percent of challenges. They were also slightly ahead in terms of passing accuracy at 87.1 percent compared to Leverkusen’s 85.2 percent. However, the Werkself’s 19 attempts on goal was more than double what the host managed (eight). The defensive numbers are also impressive, with Bayer 04 now keeping a competition-leading five clean sheets in their 11 Europa League fixtures this term.
Next up for the Werkself is another away game at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday (kick-off: 5.30pm CEST) for Matchday 32 in the Bundesliga. Then there’s the second leg of this semi-final as Roma come to the BayArena on Thursday (kick-off: 9pm).
Bayer 04 midfielder Ibrahim Maza was honoured in Paris in the Best Algerian Young Player category at the Fennec d'Or awards for the Algerian Footballer of the Year, organised for the first time by the football journal La Gazette du Fennec. "It's an honour for me," said the 19-year-old, delighted with the award.
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On the back of two wins within four days, Bayer 04 Women round off an intensive Bundesliga week in the Black Forest. Roberto Pätzold's side have the chance to move back up to third place against SC Freiburg in the final fixture of Matchday 10 on Monday (18:00 CET) and draw level on points with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg.
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The last international break of this calendar year features the final qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An overview of who's playing where and when from a Leverkusen point of view.
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Never before have Bayer 04 led 4-0 so early in the Bundesliga, never before have they won a Bundesliga home match by a higher margin. Leverkusen's exhibition display against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 produced many stories, records and debuts. While Kasper Hjulmand's side celebrated the rousing performance properly with the fans, Jonas Hofmann and Co aren't losing focus: "We have to be careful that we don't just praise ourselves. The games come thick and fast again after the international break." The Werkself Review has all the reaction and analysis of the 6-0 victory at the BayArena.
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