DUBLIN: Bayer Leverkusen had a double reason to celebrate in stoppage time on Thursday.

Not only did they reach the Europa League final and keep their treble bid on course but substitute Josip Stanisic’s late goal preserved their remarkable unbeaten record as Leverkusen rescued a 2-2 draw at home to AS Roma.

Both had seemed at risk during the semi-final second leg.

In a rematch of last season’s 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 Bund­e­sliga champions Lever­kusen’s stunning record of late goals alive by scoring on the counter in the seventh minute of added time as they stretched their unbeaten streak to 49 matches, breaking Ben­fica’s European unbea­ten record dating back to 1965.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who have 40 wins in their unbeaten run in which they have also reached the German Cup final, advanced 4-2 on aggregate and will face another Italian team on May 22 in Dublin after Atalanta beat Olympique de Marseille 3-0 to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

“We had chances to score goals early and didn’t — but hey we will in Dublin,” Leverkusen boss Alonso told RTL. “It was a special evening. There were tense moments but it showed the personality and the mentality of the team.”

Leverkusen’s equaliser was their 17th goal of the season in the 90th minute or later across all competitions and the third time they have come back from 2-0 down in the second half of Europa League knockout matches.

“For the mentality we showed again today against a big team to come back like this and go through to the final. We are more than happy today,” Leverkusen captain Granit Xhaka told TNT Sports.

“You see the desire from the team, we didn’t want to slow down. We wanted to score the next goal to keep going unbeaten, 49 times now. We are proud of it. Roma is a team that has a lot of experience and they do things very well but I think over two games the better team has gone to the final.”

It will be a third European final for Leverkusen, who won their only continental title when they lifted the UEFA Cup in 1988 and lost in the 2002 Champions League showpiece.

Battling Roma, meanwhile, were left distraught but coach Daniele De Rossi was proud of his side.

“It was a heroic performance but Leverkusen are a really strong team,” De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia. “I thought our performances in both legs were good. We didn’t have enough shots on goal and sometimes that can make the difference, but the players were incredible.”

CLINICAL ATALANTA BEAT MARSEILLE

After kicking out Liverpool in the quarter-finals, Atalanta marched to their first European final with a dominant victory over former European champions Marseille in front of delirious fans in Bergamo.

Ademola Lookman, Matteo Ruggeri and El Bilal Toure all got on the scoresheet to seal Atalanta’s passage to the Dublin final.

Lookman put Atalanta ahead in the semi-final second leg on the half-hour with a long-range strike past Pao Lopez before setting up Ruggeri to net seven minutes after the break.

Atalanta’s repeated attacks, with Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Zappacosta threatening, overwhelmed the visitors, who had few chances, and substitute Toure put the nail in Marseille’s coffin with their third four minutes into added time.

“My first goal in Bergamo is a very big emotion,” Ruggeri told SkySports Italia. “Now we can dream with our eyes open that we’re in the final. It’s a moment to celebrate with our people.”

Atalanta, a traditionally provincial team who have under coach Gian Piero Gasperini habitually punched above their weight, are aiming for a trophy double as they also face Juventus in the Italian Cup final on Wednesday, with their 1963 Coppa Italia triumph being their only major silverware.

The furthest Atalanta had previously gone in European competition was the last four in the 1988 Cup Winners’ Cup when they were a second division team.

“It will be a historic occasion for a team like ours who don’t have the numbers [of fans] to win,” Gasperini told a press conference. “It’s really incredible but it bodes well for everyone.

“Numbers seem to be important, it seems that you have to have Super Leagues, but the example of Atalanta can give hope. Football is beautiful beca­use of meritocracy, not because of acquired rights.”

Atalanta are fifth in Serie A and also have their sights set on a Champions League qualifying spot via the domestic league. They host sixth-placed Roma on Sunday night in a match which could well decide who finishes in the top five.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2024