UEFA Europa League Semi-finals: Leverkusen shock Roma

Wirtz and Andrich give German side first-leg advantage

Roma vs Leverkusen match stats

Bayer Leverkusen took a significant step towards the UEFA Europa League final with an impressive 2-0 win over AS Roma in the first leg of their semi-final tie on Thursday. Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich scored the goals for the German side, who will take a healthy lead into the second leg at the BayArena next week. Roma started the game brightly and created several chances, but they were unable to find a way past Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. Leverkusen grew into the game and took the lead in the 34th minute when Wirtz curled a stunning effort into the top corner. Andrich doubled the lead just before half-time, heading home from a corner. Roma came out with more purpose in the second half, but they were unable to break down a resolute Leverkusen defence. Leverkusen held on for a comfortable win, and they will now be confident of reaching the final in Seville on May 18. **Probable teams** **Roma:** Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibañez; Rick Karsdorp, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Leonardo Spinazzola; Paulo Dybala, Tammy Abraham, Nicolò Zaniolo **Bayer Leverkusen:** Lukas Hradecky; Jeremie Frimpong, Edmond Tapsoba, Piero Hincapie, Daley Sinkgraven; Robert Andrich, Kerem Demirbay; Florian Wirtz, Moussa Diaby, Amine Adli; Patrik Schick **Match stats** **Possession:** Roma 58%, Leverkusen 42% **Shots:** Roma 13, Leverkusen 9 **Shots on target:** Roma 5, Leverkusen 4 **Corners:** Roma 6, Leverkusen 3 **Fouls:** Roma 10, Leverkusen 9 **Yellow cards:** Roma 2, Leverkusen 3 **Red cards:** None **Conclusion** Bayer Leverkusen's victory over AS Roma was a warning to the rest of the teams in the UEFA Europa League. The German side are playing with confidence and they will be a tough team to beat in the second leg. Roma will need to improve if they want to reach the final, but they will take heart from the fact that they have a good record at home in this competition.