Leverkusen beat Roma to meet Atalanta in Europa League final

Bayer Leverkusen, on Thursday night, defeated AS Roma 4-2 on aggregate to reach the Europa League final.

Josip Stanisic’s stoppage time goal snatched a 2-2 draw for Leverkusen at home, extending their unbeaten run to a record 49 games.

In a rematch of last season’s Europa League semi-final, Roma came to Leverkusen 2-0 down after the first leg but levelled the tie-up despite having little possession thanks to penalties in each half from Leandro Paredes.

With the tie heading for extra time, Alex Grimaldo curled in a corner which goalie Mile Svilar failed to catch, the ball going into the net after bouncing off Roma defender Gianluca Mancini.

Stanisic then kept Leverkusen’s stunning record of late goals alive by scoring on the counter in the seventh minute of added time, breaking Benfica’s European unbeaten record dating back to 1965.

Leverkusen thrash Werder Bremen 5-0 to win first Bundesliga title

Bundesliga champions Leverkusen will meet Atalanta, who beat Marseille 3-0 (4-1 on aggregate), in the final in Dublin on May 22 with hopes of a remarkable treble still alive.

Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso said after the game: “We had chances to score goals early and didn’t – but hey we will in Dublin.

“It was a special evening. There were tense moments but it showed the personality and the mentality of the team.”

Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said: “We didn’t know ourselves how we were 2-0 behind.

“To come back against a team like this is unbelievable – our desire is incredible. We’re in the final, we’re on our way to making our dream a reality and will do everything to bring the trophy back to Leverkusen.”

The Star