After a goalless draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, Jose Mourinho's Roma are still on track to win their second European championship in as many years. They advanced to the Europa League final by a score of 1-0 on aggregate.
As the home team grew frustrated and pelted their goal in pursuit of an equalizer, the holders of the Europa Conference League defended tenaciously, despite having little offensive success.
The foreign team had survived eight minutes of extra time and will face six-time champions Sevilla in the final on May 31 in Budapest after Sevilla defeated Juventus in the other semifinal.
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini told Sky Sport Italia: “There are many things which Roma can and must improve, but as a true group, as a family, we have succeeded in this small feat.”
“It’s a shame that in a semi-final at such a high level that this type of play can be rewarded,” he told Germany’s RTL. “They made things very ugly at the end.”
Edoardo Bove, a midfielder from Rome who scored in the first leg's second half, gave Roma a slim 1-0 advantage going into the game.
Roma only allowed three goals in eight knockout games en route to the Europa League final as a result of Mourinho's steadfast adherence to defensive strategies.
Leverkusen had the better start to the game, with 20-year-old playmaker Florian Wirtz controlling play in the middle of the field.
After 12 minutes, Moussa Diaby, a forward for France, and Wirtz hooked up, and the former Paris Saint-Germain academy star hit the crossbar.
Ten minutes later, the same combination connected once more, with Diaby shooting barely wide.
As the first half came to an end, Iran forward Sardar Azmoun was brought down on a counterattack at the edge of the box, but the referee ignored the incident despite the shouts of the home team.
Eight minutes were added to the game as a result of the home crowd's growing rage at the visitors' stalling strategies as the clock wound down.
An honored Mourinho rushed straight to the elated visiting fans as the final whistle blew.
